As December 2011 came to a close we at Pelican Post Towers were thrilled to receive a flurry of updates from partnering schools including one particular inspiring story from Mvumi School in Tanzania. 

School teacher Julia Bengough has just returned from an incredibly successful but intensive 9 week English course she has put together to see if the participating school children can learn enough English to start secondary school with more confidence  in January.  In Julia’s own indomitable words  she picks up the story here…

…this is the classroom we have using for my 81 (yes 81!) students who have arrived from primary school – 25 children are sponsored and from extremely poor homes.  They are from subsistence farming families and are often cared for by extended families. 

 My brief is to teach a new/trial intensive English course to Primary School leavers who start Secondary School in January where all lessons will suddenly be in English.   So I have got to be ahead of them in Physics, maths, biology, chemistry etc to go through the vocabulary.   Now that is really taxing!   Yesterday I was in an argument as to whether a mouse was a reptile.   Why is a cow a mammal?   What is the difference between a toad and a frog.  Dictionaries no good as the Swahili is the same!

I prepared my course knowing that a great many of your books would be waiting safely locked in The Head of Department’s room.    However, I was bowled over in the first week of getting here to get another 6 envelopes of lovely shiny, and pristine books (and don’t you relish that lovely “new book” smell?).    The books are completely invaluable.   Some of the students have had a fairly westernised experience of school before they get here but most have received their primary education by copying from cracked and dusty blackboards.  

I am back in my old house and am being reminded of the hide and seek with cockroaches and termites which I had forgotten…and then there’s the weather!  The heat has been at its height before the rains arrive in December and my bedroom is regularly above 30 even with curtains drawn all day.    I found a baby black mamba in my bedroom the night before last.   Where there is one – there is a nest – so I am being quite ginger when picking things up.

The lessons start at 8 am and we get half an hour chai break around 10.40 then solid lessons till 02.30 pm which is lunch.   It is pretty gruelling for all of us.  Six hours non stop lessons!   Am plundering the nursery songs to break it up – usually turning them to chants with finger clicking and clapping … Getting away with it so far.   

Two visiting post graduate volunteers from the UK assisted in the classroom and we formed a strong team.  I included some cross curricular lessons which were geography, mathematics, biology, social science, and history.   The basic vocabulary in these subjects was covered as a priority and the content was also well received.  We used the new contexts to consolidate language and structure from grammar lessons.   

The classroom was split for remedial classes from time to time but we managed to keep the class together because of the effective teamwork of the class assistants.   In the last stage of the course peer teaching was successful.

We regularly incorporated songs, role play, drawing and colouring, reading sessions, outside activities, puzzles and problem solving as well as grammar, exercises, pair and group work , comprehension and other typical language teaching techniques.

Two large classrooms were allocated to the course.    The main classroom was lockable which was a huge bonus as we could cover the walls with information, students’ artwork and illustrations and we could leave books and other materials securely at the end of the day.  

We have not got text books of course but the classroom fell on the books that I brought with me which were largely donated by Pelican Post.  I am working on a way to rotate them as they literally fight for them.   And their English is DEFINITELY improving and I am convinced that the knock on effect of having access to reading books and being competitive about what they have read is extremely stimulating.

We have received some very favourable feedback from parents and students.  I feel confident that there will be an improvement in how these students begin their studies in Form One because of this Year Zero (or even term Zero) course.   They have learnt some study techniques and thinking skills and most have achieved a good basic level of competency in English.   They are a lovely group of young Tanzanians.  

We also recently received a letter from the Headmaster of DCT Mvumi Secondary School who wanted to send this message to all our readers and supporters…

“This is just a quick note to thank you in advance and the pelican post for the tireless efforts

you take to donate books for our school (D.C.T.Mvumi Secondary school).  The titles we receive contribute significantly to the improvement of reading habit and the mastery of English language in particular.

 The students are especially excited reading  ”The interview”, A journey to Jo’burg, “Akimbo and the elephant”"Tales from Africa”, “Amina and the shell” and “The Bush” to mention a few.

On behalf of the students and the school in general, I would like to thank you once again for your generous support. May God Bless you abundantly as you continue stretching a helping hand for the need.”

To mark the occasion, Tunji Akinsehinwa – Director and Trustee of the Pelican Post, delivered 40 books donated through the scheme to Kudub Primary School in Lagos state. There was also an interactive Session, where the children laughed and asked questions as they read their new books out loud with glee.

 This event marks the beginning of an initiative between GAF and Pelican Post to develop and encourage a healthy reading habit amongst Nigerian children. Through this partnership with Goge we also aim to generate feedback from Nigerian schools on how their students assimilate books, their literary interest level and novel concerns about reading. There were photo sessions with the brand Ambassadors of Goge Africa – Nneka and Isaac Moses; and copies of these life-long images will be sent to their children for their own Journals.

Goge’s work culminates in an annual career, guidance and counselling seminar with over 5000 school children in attendance. Pelican Post has been invited to attend and participate next year in June 2012. In addition, Goge Foundation has excellent links throughout the African continent and this will allow Pelican Post to have greater contact and ease of access to schools across the entire continent.

Image courtesy of Chris Watts.

Alexander, is always a fascinating and engaging author to hear in conversation  not only for the colourful and varied characters he brings to life in his books but for his other activities and interests that he supports outside of his writing.

Sadly the Pelican Post team budget did not stretch to a full BBC broadcast film crew to capture this glorious moment but we did manage to pull off our very technical coup and even more miraculously (although admittedly it has taken a while ) upload some footage to share to our supporters and fellow McCall Smith fans.  A big thank you also to Clemency for  hosting a charming afternoon, and for teasing out some wonderful insights into McCall Smiths methodological approach to writing and revelations about the origins of Madame Ramotswe and the No 1  Ladies Detective Agency.  To see and hear more from this interview, please click on the video vodpod image to the right of this blog or go to http://vodpod.com/watch/12809478-an-afternoon-with-alexander-mccall-smith-?u=pelicanpost&c=pelicanpost

We are also thrilled to count Alexander McCall Smith a fan of the Pelican Post.  Indeed Alexander has kept a close interest in the development of the charity from almost the very outset, when he had his to say this about the scheme.

“I think this scheme is wonderful, and I am very keen to support this.  Throughout much of Africa, a book is precious and therefore getting hands on a book is very important to people.  What is also very appealing about the Pelican Post is that I think it is rather nice for children to be able to read stories that they can identify with.”

The scheme may only still be in its infancy, but Alexander’s skill at writing also extends to children’s stories.  In particular one series of adventures about the son of a Park Ranger - Akimbo,  is proving to be a hit with a new fan base of kids in schools throughout Africa;

To date, the Pelican Post through pledges by supporters from all around the globe, have managed to send sets of Akimbo books to schools in Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania…

Image:  Pupil at Dwabor School in Ghana.

And feedback from individual children has also been really inspiring.  One boy wrote in his homework that he found Akimbo and the Elephants “very interesting because of certain aspects portrayed in it.  I was able to learn that the task of wildlife protection is not only meant for grown ups but also for teenagers and youth. Also I learnt about the treasure that we have in our African continent.”

We also managed to prepare a surprise for our esteemed guess and with a bit of magic pokery were able to relay some personal messages to the author from children attending Dwabor School in Ghana.  Click on the link below to see and hear more from what they had to say (or alternative click on the vodpod image – we love reading)….

http://vodpod.com/watch/5745506-we-love-reading-children-from-ghana-send-a-message-to-alexander-mccall-smith?u=pelicanpost&c=pelicanpost

Image:  Girls at Mvumi School, Tanzania enjoying Akimbo and the Elephants.

As if that wasnt enough, Sunday saw a spectacle of  lights, cartoons and fireworks all in time to music projected on to the front of Lulworth Castle and bringing the end to an incredible festival (and not much sleep! )  A huge thank you to the organisers for allowing us to be part of a quite magical four days.

 And what a great four days for Pelican Post too!  We had no idea what to expect but were really gob-smacked with the the huge amount of public interest and support that we received…and most signficantly we sold alot of books and all for direct donation to  partnering schools. 

Indeed this one event  enabled us to deliver several thousands pounds worth of brand new children’s books and ALL were successfully delivered direct to partnering schools within a matter of weeks.

Many of the books delivered arrived in September / October so that Teachers could start using them straight away in classrooms when schools reopened in September.  Supporters from Camp Bestival should be hearing in the next couple of weeks about where their individually donated book has arrived but we are thrilled to report that Pelicans took flight to all corners of Africa and successfully delivered books to schools in Uganda, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria. 

Many of the schools received mutiple copies of a particular children’s title and some schools even received full sets (20 copies).  We plan to post more pictures on the web soon, but here is just a small selection of some of the pupils enjoying their bright, glossy new books in schools in Nigeria and Ghana.

As the pictures show, the books  are a big hit with all and very gratefuly received.  They will undoubtedly have an immediate impact on reading classes, and we look forward to reporting on their progress.

If you have been inspired and would like to regularly donate to the scheme, you can now donate directly to the charity at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving/.  Just type in The Pelican Post in the box under ‘Find a Charity’ which should take you to our donate page.  We plan to integrate this further with the Pelican Post website very soon…

Always gripping and provocative in equal measure – one of Nicks works - Gorilla Geurrilla  was recently featured at the Pelican Post stand at Camp Bestival, and has also has been supplied to partner school classroom libraries in schools in Ghana and Kenya (more to follow on a future blog).

Gorilla Geurrilla tells the story of two twelve year old orphans – Kibwe a young boy soldier and Zuberi a young silverback gorilla both on the run from the violent hand of man.  The novel explores the best and worst of human nature in the light of our ape inheritance and given its mature themes did certainly raise interesting debate as to its how this book would be received by a young adult (YA) audience in schools in Africa. 

Of course the beautiful thing about books as fellow supporting author Beverley Naidoo once said, is that they go on journeys for whoever reads them, and a key mission for the Pelican Post is to provide the catalyst to motivate, inspire and question young minds whatever the subject matter.   This is an area where teenage fiction author Ellen Hopkins whole heartedly agrees; “I don’t believe hiding behind pretty fiction will make the things we’re afraid of go away.  Facing our fears head on is how we conquer them, and that goes for our children too.”   (quote courtesy of Words with Jam; www.wordswithjam.co.uk – thanks Catriona!)

And as Nick goes on to advocate, todays young generation are tomorrow’s leaders…

Like “The Garbage King” by Elizabeth Llaird – another YA read featured on our reading list,  Gorilla Geurrilla is a tale inspired by real events as told by Nicks meeting with Ojok Charles –  a ten year old boy who was captured in 2002 by the cult Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda and forced to commit attrocities against his will on behalf of the rebel group.  In the case of Ojok, his story fortunately had a happy outcome and he managed to escape to relive his story to Nick.   In Nick’s own words…

“When I finished writing I returned to Uganda. I was anxious to see Ojok, to give him a copy of the book. Back at school, I’d heard that he was near the top of his class. I waited at the school gates. It had rained that morning, but now the grey sky was slowly clearing, the sun pushing through a black bank of clouds. A young man walked towards me: he was smiling.”

Ojok was fortunate enough to have found support in a charitable foundation in Uganda called Outside the Dream which helps former child soliders get back to school.  Sadly, for many kidnapped children forced to become rebel soldiers in various parts of Africa such as in the Congo, the chances of escape and of obtaining a basic level of education are slim.

Such encounters with children like Ojok not only inspired Nick’s to write his critically acclaimed novel but also to establish The Mtaala Foundation (www.mtaala.org) – a charity which creates and supports educational communities for vulnerable children and at-risk youth, including those affected by poverty, war, and HIV/AIDS by empowering youth through learning and giving back to their community.   It partners with individuals and villages in Uganda to create secondary schools where none exist, and connects the schools’ students with international sponsors and organisations such as The Pelican Post to provide resource support and fund their educations.

To read more about Ojok’s story and the inspiration behind Gorilla Geurrilla, please visit http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/innocence-lost-the-child-soldiers-forced-to-murder-1052026.html

For more information about the work of The Mtaala Foundation in Uganda, please visit www.mtaala.org

Apart from writing criticaly acclaimed novels, Nick also heads up an entertainment production company – Gunslinger Entertainment and is up for two award nominations for the film “Sket”  at this years BFI (British Film Institute) London Film Festival opening on Wednesday 12th October 2011.  Very best of luck Nick!

For more information about Nick Taussig, his other critically acclaimed novels, or about his film production company Gunslinger go visit www.nicktaussig.com

Photo courtesy of the Farnham Herald (www.farnhamherald.com)

Despite some clouds, rainstorms and the optimistic BBC forecast of strong hurricane tail winds(?!), the first ever kids festival – Kidsfest organised by kids for kids was  a resounding success , with several thousand visitors turning out to partake in the mayhem!

The festival which was officially opened by child actor, Daniel Roche from the hit comedy tv series, “Outnumbered”, offered visitors to the festival a myriad of totally mind bending wacky activities to try out which could only have been conjured by some very creative imaginations.

Activities ranged from learning to play the Digerreedo (so sure Ive spelt that wrong) to the Scout tent where kids could eat roasted rat on a stick (I kid you not!) and nitrogen ice cream, to games such as ‘chuck a frog in the bog’, jelly welly racing around an assault course, and hurling baked bean catapaults at targets not to mention the now infamous, longest official custard slide!!!!   Adults if your considering taking your kids next year – you have been officially warned!

Photo courtesy of the Farnham Herald (www.farnhamherald.com)

Other activites, children could try their hand at included weaving rugs, making bandana’s, acting classes, a massive dressing up tent, farm yard petting zoo, a big sand castle play area and building a big lego boat.  There were also two stage areas – a music stage and a dance stage with lots of local bands including the brilliant Carolina Blue to get the festival into a fine swing, not to mention the kids got talent contest.

The Pelican Post were also there as one of only a handful of charities invited to feature at the event and was proud to be associated with such a refreshing new festival.  A big thank you to the organisers for allowing us to get involved and to all those revellers who visited our stall and posted books via our Pelican Post Box to supporting schools in Africa, most of which were delivered direct to a school in Kampala, Uganda and were officially presented to the school by Ka Tutandike Trust last week.

We understand that all the fun had a serious cause to raise funds for the Bishops Meadow Trust which is campaigning to purchase a section of floodplains along the River Wey and hence protect this area of natural beauty from further development.  For more information about the festival or to get involved next year please visit www.kidsfestuk.org.uk .

We can’t wait to be invited back next year!  :)

 “I have never been so

overwhelmed and humbled

at the same time.”

 

 

About a mile later in the afternoon sun we arrived at this large run down group of buildings set around a dusty yard  with a corrugated building labeled “toilets”.  The headmaster welcomed us and invited some pupils to meet with us.   All the children were eager to hold the books, tell us their names and shake out hands.  We were thanked and then left the school.

 

We took a tuk tuk back to the town centre and then a taxi to Kebele 16.  The landscape was of unmade narrow roads, mud or corrugated structures for homes/shops and a total air of decay and poverty.  At the school, after a few moments with the security guard we went to the office to meet the headmaster and the director who were absoloutely delighted with the books and wanted details of the senders.  We showed them the Pelican Post logos inside with the personal messages written by supporters.  

 

 

 

 Again a group of children materialised and we had a great photo session – word got out and more children came!  Then we were shown around the school…  

 

…There are over 2,850 pupils who attend in morning and afternoon shifts.  A classroom we went into had over 85 children seated 12 each side of 3 long tables and the rest crammed in at the top on stools or on the floor at the front.  A small bookcase with half a dozen books, a blackboard, chalk and a rubber.  

 

On the teachers table (not a desk) was a small jar.  The teacher explained that when orphaned pupils needed a new pencil they could buy one using  the donated  money in the jar.  (Naturally we put some in).  When we went in to the class the children all stood up and sang us a welcome song.!  We noticed that when the teacher turned her back the children remained silent until she spoke to them.  The good behaviour in the face of all the poverty was a salutary lesson.  We went to the library.  A few bookshelves with some books and a couple of tables.  The science lab again had a couple of tables, and one wall housed the physics equipment – charts on the wall and some magnets;  the biology cupboard had some test tubes, diagrams of the human body and one microscope;  the chemistry wall had a sink and some charts.  Once children reach secondary school age all lessons are conducted in English, so to get any form of education they must understand English.  All text books (maths, physics, chemistry, geography, computing etc is all in English).  

 

The whole school was essentially a group of huts.  Yet the outside of each building was painted with  world maps,  alphabets,  periodic tables and loads of other useful information.   Not a spot of graffiti in sight.  

 

One evening we went to a class at another school where children pay  to attend for 2 hours just to improve their English.  I have never been so overwhelmed and humbled all at one time.  These children want to learn.  Some walk miles to school each day, others do evening work to pay for their uniforms (the law states no child may go to school without a uniform – and it is only a pair of cotton trousers/skirt and top) .   All in all it was a fantastic experience…

Date: 03 March 2011

Time: 1PM – 3:30 PM

Place: The Royal Geological Society, Piccadilly, London

Price:  £15 ( proceeds will go to support The Pelican Post)

Booking: To Reserve a place please email events@pelican-post.org

We are extremely honoured to announce that celebrated and prolific Author Alexander McCall Smith has kindly taken time out his busy writing schedule to talk about his life, inspiration, characters and anything else that might come up in conversation at an exclusive event to support the Pelican Post in London on 03 March 2011 (World Book Day).

 We are no less thrilled to also announce that Alexander will be joined by TV Proms Presenter Clemency Burton-Hill as she delves into the imaginative mind of this best selling author.

Alexander, is always a fascinating and engaging author to hear in conversation, not only for the colourful and varied characters he brings to life in his books but for his other activities and interests that he supports outside of his writing.  (Alexander’s operatic work and involvement with The Really Terrible Orchestra may get a mention given Clemency’s shared passion for music!)  Whatever the topic of conversation, Alexander’s  witty anecdotes, his characteristic cheerfulness in person, and general postive demeanour and approach to both his characters and life in general always make for a popular event with audiences up and down the land.

Alexander will also be answering questions from the audience, as well as talking exclusively with Clemency about the inspiration behind his latest book - the twelfth no less in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series – ” The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party” and his other most recent publication – “The Importance Of Being Seven” both of which will be available for sale and for book signing along with other titles written by Alexander after the event.  Supporters can pre-order a copy of his latest book by emailing events@pelican-post.org with proceeds from the sale going towards The Pelican Post.

To be sure to have reserved a place for this event or to contact the organisers for further information, email events@pelican-post.org