The Year of Development at Shamangorwa S.S.S

-One of the teacher's at my school, Mr. Mukena, came up with the brilliant idea of starting a school newspaper. He asked me to contribute to the newspaper so here is my first article which is about all the development that has been going on at our school. It will also give you a good idea of the kind of work I have been doing outside of teaching. 

2013-2014 has been a time of many changes at Shamangorwa S.S.S. In the past year we have been able to build our first source of clean drinking water, there is internet at school, and the school library will soon be organized and ready for use. In the coming year we can also expect to have two new houses built for our wonderful teachers and for the construction of our much needed school hostel to begin.

Water Project: For many years our school has tried to find a way to bring water to our learners and teachers. Peace Corps volunteer Sam Schuna spent two years fighting to bring water to our school but because of lack of cooperation from neighboring villages the project could not move on. Once Peace Corps volunteer Andre Heard arrived he committed himself to work with the principal and teachers to make sure that our goal was accomplished. After many meetings in Rundu, the Office of Rural Water Supply agreed to finally build the borehole behind our school and provide water for our school and village. This came after the tragic death of one of our third graders who was killed after fetching water from the river. May she rest in peace and be joyful that the next generation of children will be safe. After the borehole was built, Principal Mayira and Mr. Heard decided that they wanted to continue our school’s development. So we contacted Kashoro Construction and they built pipes that went from the borehole to the school water tanks and to the teacher’s courtyard. (Many thanks to all the students who helped with the digging!) They also built two water taps at school and a tap near the headman’s courtyard so that the people from the village could also fetch clean water. With the project complete, learners no longer need to fetch dirty water from the river and can avoid becoming sick. Clean water is making our learners much healthier and allowing them to come to class more often and get high marks. 

Library: After years of no action in the library, Principal Mayira has decided that it is time to organize our stores of books and make sure that our learners are receiving knowledge from our large collection of books. So far we have 1,500 books in the library that are being organized and prepared by Mr. Heard so that they can be read by students. Principal Mayira has also promised more books to be brought in from the Administrative Office storerooms and it seems likely that our school will have close to 2,000 books for our learners and teachers to use in their pursuit of knowledge. Once the library is ready for use I encourage everyone to read as much as you can. This is the fastest way to learning English and improving your writing skills. It is also a fun activity to do and it will make sure that you learn about things that you have never even heard of before. At least one hour of reading per day should be everyone’s goal. 

Internet: After many telephone calls to Telecom, the Namibian cell phone provider has finally come and brought internet to our school. I cannot exaggerate how gigantic of an accomplishment this is for our school. The internet is a computer program that lets you read articles written from all over the world. It also lets you listen to music, watch videos, communicate with friends living in other countries, and find any information that you wish to find. Teachers will be able to use their laptops and computers to find any information they want, making sure that all of their lessons have the most accurate information possible. And learners, once the school has organized a computer lab you will also have the opportunity to use this wonderful tool. You will be able to watch videos of life in the U.S, look at pictures from Brazil, and even listen to music from Japan.

Hostel:  Principal Mayira and Mr. Heard spent many Fridays driving to town and speaking with your Ministry of Education. The purpose? To make sure a school hostel is built at Shamangorwa. As we all know our students suffer to come to school. Some walk from as far as the tar road, Tjova, or Mbambi. These are all unacceptable distances for a learner to be fully prepared and rested for class. In February the Deputy Director and Chief Education Planner of the Ministry of Education came to our school and announced that our school will be receiving a school hostel. The process will probably take several years but the process is starting. In the future instead of having to wake up at four in the morning and walking ten km to reach school you will be sleeping in the hostel, wake up at 6:00, get yourself ready and only have to walk a few meters to reach your classroom. After class you will even have lunch waiting for you, and it will only be a thirty second walk away. 

Teacher Housing: The Ministry of Education is paying special attention to our school this year. With the hard work and persuasion skills of Principal Mayira, our teacher courtyard is receiving two brand new concrete houses, complete with electricity and running water. In the meantime Mr. Mukuve has had to move houses as his had to be destroyed. Once the construction is done we will have space for Mr. Mukuve and three more teachers in the houses. Anybody that drives by our school will know that this is a place where the teachers and students are very serious about their education and are working hard every day to build a better future for our country.