Why read to kids on a pile of rocks in the shade of a thorn tree?
Our first reading site in Mamboze has been replaced! That's where the kids are, of course! But, wouldn't it be better to create a cozy space? Somewhere safe and clean? Somewhere with bright colors and mats? Somewhere the kids will gather to hear the stories and learn to read with caring adults? Maybe. But right now, that place is far, far away from these kids. That place is almost unimaginable. That place is our dream. OUR dream. Not their dream. We know what "can be" because we have seen it. We know that they will be less distracted and more able to concentrate in a space dedicated to their needs. We see their needs. They have not yet recognized them. The same community now provides this space between houses. So, rather than spend money on THAT space, we meet them in their own spaces. Sometimes that's in classrooms... that transform free, chatty children into blank-faced kids mindlessly repeating "right" answers. That is not our prefere