Youh Work

Much of the work the volunteers do here is with the young people of the area. English is taught here from the first years in school, so that reading and comprehension are crucial parts of the curriculum. So, it was back to school for a day with the volunteers Chappie and Tristan. We were in one of the local primary schools, starting after the late morning break. Until then the senior class (Year 7) had been sitting their national exams – the local equivalent of the 11+. So while Tristan was doing football with one group of year 6, and Chappie was doing comprehension with the other group of year 6, I was taking reading with Year 3 – with  bit of maths (tables) and general knowledge (times and days) slotted in to vary the pace of the lesson. We were reading about Snuffy Rat’s Birthday Surprise. I have to say, the class had much better command of English than I had of Ndebele, but they seemed to enjoy the time we had together.

Another afternoon we joined a local village for football practice. About 25 people were there – mainly teenagers, but with one or two adults who were leading the group. It is many years since I have done shuttle runs to warm up – but it seemed to pay off, as I managed to play a game without any pulled muscles. After the warm-up we had a short session on football skills led by Chappie and Tristan, followed by a short game. Given there were more than 22 of us there, I was happy to be substituted off about half way through to ensure one of the youngsters had a chance to play. In the end, Tristan won the game – managing to score the only goal in an even and enjoyable contest.

Most days I have also had a walk for a couple of hours in the morning. The countryside here is beautiful. This is the largest granite feature in the world, with rugged rock piles and long granite outcrops between areas of cultivated land and wild grass and sporadic trees. Here we are on a high plateau, and around the ground falls about 1000 feet to a lower section of granite land. Everywhere you go there are beautiful views and abundant wildlife. It is a good way to start the day