Visiting primary schools and teaching about childrens rights

This and the last saturday Karoline, Vashti, Winnifrida and I were visiting primary schools to talk about childrens rights.

Last Saturday we were coming to a school where it was only two pupils that were prepared to listen to us, but soon the teacher had gathered around 150 pupils that was stuffed in a little classroom. It was so full that they were sitting from all in the back to maybe a half a meter from where we were standing. Some even had to sit in the windowseeling. With so many kids it was a challenge to get them to be quite. But they were answering our questions, so I think they learned something.

Now it was time to get out, and everybody was running, all of the 150 pupils out of the door at the same time.

We divided them and started explaining, but it was impossible. Some were running around, some chatting. After half an hour we gathered them so they could play a game they knew. After a while were they had forgotten that it was some mzungus(white person from long away) in the group, one of them started fixing my hair, but it didn’t take long before it was 5 and then 20 people hanging at the same time in my hair while all the other 50 people tried to hold in my arms. I looked at Karoline that also was surrounded by kids, and by the look on her face it was time to go. We tried to say goodbye, but some of them still followed us to the dangerous road. Karoline and I had to stay away from the road, while Winnifrida went on the other side to find a bus, but none came. And then again they were a lot less kids now. So we walked next to the road and down to the busstation. Here the rest of the pupils went home, and we got a good ending on it where no one got driven on, and everyone got safe home.

Saturday 6. october

Today we were visiting around 60 pupils at a primary school in Ikokoto, and I was curious if we were able to teach them more this time then we did last time.

We were warmly welcome by one of their teachers that showed us the classroom whit all the children. All of them sat on benches with tables in front of them, 3 and 3 on each bench. When we came in the classroom, all of them politely stood up and said “Good morning teachers” to us as a choir.

The teaching went better than I have expected, all of them had the chance to say something. Someone maybe a little shy and others more confident, but everyone said and/or asked about something. When we asked the pupils in the end they remembered all of the rights and what we said about them.

After the session we went and plaid with them, so that we could take the rights out in reality by giving them a time and right to be me, be happy, work together, live in peace, and the right to learn. We divided them in two groups and first tried to learn them a game we thought were simple, but we were wrong as last time and changed to a game we knew they've played before.

All of the children had so much fun. Most of the games were circle-games where one of the pupils had to stand in the middle, and say something that the circle had to repeat. It was so impressive to see that they took it like a challenge, though they were so shy and just wanted to hide themselves behind their hands, but actually leaded the game.

Even the teacher was playing with the kids