Munanga School

Working at Munanga Primary School

I am settled in and quite comfortable at my sugar plantation hotel now.  It rains nearly every day and the electricity will go out for hours at a time, but the staff is so nice and helpful, and the food is fantastic.  

Depending on the weather, I go into Munanga primary school between 7 and 11 every day.  If it rains too much, the roads are not passable by boda boda (passenger motorcycle), which is how I get to school.  Even when I wait for the sun to dry out the road, I usually still have to walk the last ½ mile or so.   This is really important because the teachers have vowed to make sure I gain 10 kg during my stay here.  I’m not about to let that happen.  

 

Wilburforce and Caren

Munanga school has no access to electricity or running water (they do have a borehole and latrines), and the teachers and kids have to walk about 3 miles to get there every day (and again after lunch), so this is a very different school environment than I have ever been in.  I am supposed to help the teachers get oral histories recorded in mother tongue by members of the community and put them up on the HO website, then use the technology given to them by HO to use the stories in the classroom.  We had a focus group the first day and the teachers said they were using the projectors and computers in the classroom, but I quickly realized that they were stretching the truth a little.  They really did not know how to use the projectors or solar charger and I think they did not want to tell D this so that they would not use their subsidy.  I really felt for them because I know the organization doesn’t have the resources or time to really train them with the technology, and the projectors were not the most user friendly.  My first day was spent getting all their tech kits up and running.  

Humphreys talking about the program

On day two (a Monday), I already felt so comfortable in the school.  I am sort of set up in the head teacher’s office, but I actually get up, walk around sit with other teachers, and sit in the sun outside.  If you know my very well you know when I get into work mode I don’t like distractions or moving around, so this is a little out of the ordinary for me.  I know that since part of my job will be to follow up on the focus group and gather some information from the teachers, I will really need them to trust me.  Also, they are my only friends in town, so let’s be real, I need to nurture these friendships.  

 

view through the main school building

The schedule of the day usually involves me setting up and working until 11 in the office, then we take tea at 11.  African chai is so good, with lots of milk and spices, so it tastes like what we call “chai tea” in the US.  Chai means tea, so this name is kind of funny.  It translates to “tea chai.”  We usually have tea with chapatti or mandazi, which are like slightly less sweet donuts.  After tea I bring my work outside and switch between chatting with the teachers and conducting informal interviews.  Lunch is at 1:30 and is usually dried beef, kale and ugali.  The rest of the day I just do what is needed.  Sometimes the teachers want IT help or they want me to help with typing up emails or stories.  Sometimes I just end up chatting as the teachers’ days get less busy.  We all have a lot of questions about how things differ between the US and Kenya.

 

This is the kitchen

After school I go home, shower (I AM FILTHY AT THIS POINT), and have dinner.  I am usually in bed by 9!  Hard as I try to drink water and hang out in the shade, I am usually dehydrated enough and tired enough from the sun that I am exhausted at the end of the day.

kinder classroom set up for a story on the projector