VOLUNTEER TEACHING

I was very lucky to meet another lady who lives in the same apartment building as me, who has been volunteering at a very poor school in downtown Johannesburg for the past six years. Her name is "Beanie" and she is a South African who teaches Afrikaans twice a week at the school.  The school has approximately 500 students who are mainly Zimbabwean refugees. The school is funded by the Methodist Church which is also based in the city district. The church alone caters for 3000-4000 refugees and needy people on a daily basis! Many of the children have lost parents and family members and live in an orphanage in Soweto. Many children have little or no food and often ragged uniforms, but they have the biggest smiles and hugs, and they are so eager to learn! The children are all polite and helpful. They have no outside playground or ovals to play on. The school building is old, damp, dark, dilapidated and has been without electricity for a month now! They have little resources, using very old and weathered blackboards. I even use the wall to write on! There is a lot of written/copy work for the children. The teachers are dedicated and try their best with their limited resources. They get paid pittance. I now volunteer to teach reading and writing twice a week too. Most children speak English, but there are a few who do not. I travel with Beanie on the days she goes. I do not like to drive on my own to the school as the highways are very chaotic with crazy taxi drivers! Plus, I get lost at the best of times, even with a GPS! I always take a loaf of peanut butter sandwiches for children who have nothing to eat and I bake the teachers some "goodies" to enjoy with their butter and jam sandwiches. I always come away from my mornings at this school with the biggest smile on my face and in my heart. These kids give me such a buzz!

Enjoy the photos of them. Please check out their website, too!
Albert Street Refugee School

Grade 1 has 32 children  crammed into a dark room with one teacher! The class has three
 teenagers in the class who have never been to school before! I take these three for lessons.

Grade 1 classroom.

Grade 2 classroom has 17 children and one teacher and
better windows to allow the natural light in!

Happy Grade 3 children.

Learning "There were 5 in the bed and the little one said…"

My classroom….the kitchen!

Plamedi, Tanaka and Rumbuzai 

Learning to recognise letters to spell words.