MozamWeek

 First of all, let me say I LOVE the people who work at the Tete Provincial Library. They know me and know how I feel about some of the policies they have to abide by. There are children's books among others. There are shelves of books displayed and organized. There is lovely natural lighting from the big windows, clean bathrooms and even air-conditioning (when the power allows it). The staff are knowledgeable and can be friendly. I don't want to bash the library. There aren't really bookstores around, so a library is a big step towards helping people have access to books! Provincial Library I just want to point out a few things about this context here that might help those of you who don't live here in Mozambique understand what "access to literature" might be like.  Sign at the entrance Necessary requisites for entering the library:    Personal ID:  ID, passport, student card or    driver's license Entrance denied t...

About a year ago I posted Why read to kids on a pile of rocks in the shade of a thorn tree?   We've come a long way since those days! Not only have we graduated to reed mats, we have also expanded. Yes, Veronica recruited six volunteers in 2016, and we have added several more in 2017 so far!  Each of our newer volunteers is excited to read to kids. They are following the model that Veronica and I worked out as we experimented with our first books.  Talk to adults first.  Gather the kids.  Read stories and talk about what happens.  Meet weekly at a fixed time. The adults often stay for the stories. Some of them can read. Some of them cannot. One thing they are learning is that their children LIKE to read. Books are now a part of their community life! Books are not a foreign thing brought by strangers. These books are THEIR stories in THEIR language.  The bigger storybook version of each title is also really popula...

We have been in Mozambique for a very long time. This is our oldest daughter visiting a village a half hour out of town in 2003. This was most of what she knew about the world at the time. This village was new to her, but not scary or strange. Our home was surrounded by a green, lush garden. Tea time under a guava tree was a daily ritual with Rosa and Maria. I admit, this looks a little "colonial" in some ways. But that is just life in Africa: our kids are white and everyone else is not. When you have a picnic this is what it looks like.  By 2012 my kids were happy in their school. The translation project was well under way. I was out and about visiting friends and finding places to share Nyungwe stories. There weren't many. Not many people were interested yet. We were on the verge of a new big thing, but we didn't know it.  After our "furlough" for a year in 2012-13, we returned to Mozambique. Little Zebra Books started publishi...

I am entering (have entered) a phase of transition - again. Every 3-4 years we have a big shift from Africa to Sweden and America. It marks a year-long flip-flop of joy and frustration. Some people derive great comfort from knowing what is ahead and plan meticulously with great conviction and joy. I don't. It is just over a year to the count-down and I'm dragging my feet in naming my destination. USA? Sweden? You see, this is the last time we do this. We will be leaving our ministry base of 20 years at the end of NEXT year. (Every time I mention this people think we are leaving now. No. Over a year from now. Wanna come help us pack?) I can't decide yet. I just can't. Everything we've worked towards is preparing us for careers in Africa. We really like working in this part of the world where our skill can be stretched and used. We hope to come back to southern Africa, but it we won't be based in Tete, Mozambique, next time around. Reality is that we must leav...

The kids showed up within 3 minutes of our arrival. Kids on summer vacation left their dusty games in the sand, soccer kicking, and short errands from home. At 9 am, the sun was already high, and after a short 15 minute walk from where we parked the car, I wished I’d brought a bottle of water. Veronica and I greeted the kids and a few adults passing by. Smiles brightened while they talked of Veronica’s Christmas lollipops she gave them before her two-week vacation. There is an easy rapport between her and the kids... and the moms. They led me to the shade tree where they have been meeting a couple times a week for “classes”. It is a tiny spot just off the road. Too small to be anything except a resting place from the sun. Apparently it belongs to someone who plans to build something right there... they mark their ownership by leaving a pile of about 100 bricks under the tree. With thorn bushes growing through the bricks scattered across the area, it looks like they abandoned hope ...

I have been a frustrated literacy specialist for about 15 years. I'll just admit it. I haven't ever taught anyone to read. I never have claimed to teach, but to train trainers and develop materials and to research how two very different languages can be used in education of some very special people in a very difficult situation. Now that it is out in the open, I can get on with it. I believe that my impact on a community can only make a difference if I can replicate my initiatives. I talk a lot about literacy and materials in Nyungwe and about using Nyungwe to teach reading. I believe that we only learn well when we can relate new information to something we already know. Theories sometimes describe these as hooks or scaffolding to connect new info with our own experiences. On Monday, I stepped into a Mozambican classroom in a Mozambican school with Mozambican students for the first time. I am grateful for a school director and a district administration that trust me with a...

Yesterday I shared about how I believe Nyungwe  RED ZEBRA BOOKS  will have a positive effect on all literacy skills of Nyungwe children studying in Tete schools where Portuguese is the medium of instruction. Today I'll talk about how these Simple Nyungwe booklets are giving teachers confidence and adding reading comprehension strategies to their lessons. Just having the books published increases the connection between home culture and literacy. Knowing that Nyungwe is a "real" language is a good start in helping people feel that what they know is valuable. Through  RED ZEBRA BOOKS , the younger generation grows curious about the knowledge their elders can share. City kids see that the language they hear at home is a valid means of communicating in writing, too.  Back to how  RED ZEBRA BOOKS  fit into the picture. Teachers are mandated to teach kids about local culture and use the local language,* but it is complicated to make up lessons th...

Some of my friends and acquaintances on Facebook or otherwise will know something about the  RED ZEBRA PROJECT . This is a non-profit organization currently based in Cape Town, South Africa, started by dear friends who love the Nyungwe people as much as we do. In the next few days, I'd like to share how  RED ZEBRA BOOKS  came to Tete and are making a difference around here. At the edge of the provincial capital of Tete, a good 90% of kids speak Nyungwe 90% of the day. For many, school is the only place that Portuguese, the official language of Mozambique, even seems important.  Nyungwe  RED ZEBRA BOOKS   are colorful and chock full of local culture. Children are presented with stories written in their own language for the first time.  We were shocked when our simplest idea became the overall favorite.  "The Bean Book" is simply numbers 1-10 with the respective number of beans and the Nyungwe word for each number. Even teenagers, pu...

When I was 15, I lived in a small town in Indiana. I had a small circle of friends. I babysat on weekends. I went to basketball games and football games or slumber parties at my friends' houses. I was in 10th grade. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew I'd figure it out eventually. I wasn't in a hurry. Being a kid was pretty good, actually. I had no illusions that growing up meant more freedom. I was free... to be myself... in a loving family... in a safe home... God would grow me up in time. I knew that even then. Last week a 15 year old girl came knocking on my gate. She turned out to be the niece of one of our night watchmen who happened to be off work for a few days. She needed to see him. He didn't answer his phone. She didn't know where he lived. She met him here before... she wasn't from Tete, but another part of the province. Her time in Tete last month was short and she worked at a neighbor's house looking after an elde...

Where old school desks go to die...  Even simple, sturdy materials don't last forever. What happens when desks break? Who's responsible for fixing them? Apparently there just isn't extra money to buy the planks needed to fix the desks. They apply for money from the state and don't get it. So, the pile grows. This classroom block was built in 1957!  A renovation was done in 2007. How often are they allowed to repaint? There is no schedule. There is no money. So, years of passing students leave their mark. Cleaning is done by people who sometimes can't physically handle the heavy job. People recovered from TB, for example, just can't stand to be around dust!   Maps, protractors, visual aids... In the teacher's room, the walls are hung with materials that are used in the classrooms. I asked if there was enough to go around and they said it is adequate. With 10 usable classrooms, I guess you don't need many posters anyway. The well... ...

Look! We are in the paper! I was asked by a local resident to write something about our activities as a humanitarian organization here in Tete. Tash Morgan is a contributor to the Zambezi Traveler , a regional tourism and business newspaper available in countries bordering the Zambezi River. If you click the link, hop on over to pages 33-36 for info on our neck of the woods -- I guess I mean "our bend in the river"! Tash and I co-wrote the bit on pg. 34. As you can see, there is a lot going on in Tete these days! One interesting thing to note is that this is an English language newspaper generally directed to the foreign community. It is available in hotels and business offices. It is free due to all the advertising. So, I guess I can add one publication to my list of things available to read in Tete. Unfortunately, there isn't a local Portuguese language paper being printed or distributed. I've been asked to write another article on the importance of literature ...

Part of having kids growing up in Mozambique is figuring out what to do for school. We are very lucky to have a great little international school where our children have small classes, great activities and caring teachers. It is unusual for an English based school to open outside the national capitol. We are very thankful for Zambezi Junior School! We are the only missionary kids (MKs) in the school. My kids are growing up though... and there aren't many options for middle school and secondary school. ZJS can take them until 7th grade if required. After that, there isn't a local option. Most of their classmates will head off to boarding school in Zimbabwe or South Africa. Most of their classmates' parents came from these countries and that system. I see the benefits of these schools, but I can't see that being the best option for us. Most of the missionaries we know in Mozambique consider Rift Valley Academy in Kenya to be an excellent option. Most of the MKs who ha...

Take one cookie?  Ask for seconds?  Shake hands or kiss?  In our SIL branch in Mozambique we are a very diverse group. We have about 30 members from "overseas" and colleagues from several African countries. Just this month we have had our "Branch Conference." As part of conference, we planned a cross-cultural activity to understand each other better. We discussed hospitality customs in small groups. What do you do as a host? What do you do as a guest? What about unexpected guests?  I was placed in the "American/Canadian" group. Mikael was placed in the "Swedish/Norwegian" group. We also had a "South African," "British," "Dutch/German," and an "African" group. We discussed our customs and expectations in our  groups... and then got together to share our ways. In Holland, you may be invited for Coffee- just take ONE cookie! Don't ask for seconds. They will probably offer you another treat with a ...

In about one year, we will be heading back to the US and Sweden for our "furlough" or "home period" as it can be known. Our lives have this rhythm of living years in Mozambique and then a year or less in one of our "home countries." Each time we come home, we are faced with a reassessment of our roles in Mozambique. Do we fill a role that is a need? People want to know. WE also want to know! One question I have faced each time we come home is, "What do they really need in Mozambique?" People want to know what ONE thing or KIND of thing is most needed in the country where we work. In the past I've had to respond, "Everything! Just pick something and they probably need it!" I understand this isn't that helpful to someone who wants to seriously make a difference. It isn't helpful to us either. BUT, to be really honest, there is a lot of need in many areas. How can we know if we make a difference? Today I received a link...

I had a very good trip to Botswana. At the Pan Africa Reading for All Conference it was good to see positive things happening in literacy, libraries, teaching, mother tongue education and language development in Africa! I presented a pretty simple study of "The literate environment in Tete, Mozambique." I am now responsible for following up on all those great contacts I made with interesting people doing interesting things all over Africa! The list of things I hope to accomplish in the next year isn't getting shorter! There are interesting possibilities all around and it isn't easy to decide which ones are likely to get results. I have a few opportunities to train local writers in Mozambican languages, so I'll start there. Who knows? The experience from this stage will probably lead to something useful later on!

I'm going to a conference tomorrow. I'm going to miss the plane that my friends kindly begged, borrowed and went out of their way to book for me! BUT I'm going to the conference! I was able to change the date on the ticket without charge, thanks to a very kind and patient lady on the phone in Johannesburg. I'm not going anywhere near South Africa where her office is, but her branch office was the only one that I could actually connect with! She was the one who could help me. So, I'm going to the conference! Since I'm leaving on Monday, I can be happy for the ride on Saturday... that might or might not get to Harare in time for take-off (of the flight I'm no longer booked for.) The person I'm riding with is a friend of a friend. I'm thankful for my friends for sure! Because without them, I wouldn't be going to the conference. I'm going to have a weekend in Harare, unplanned, but fine. I have friends there to repay for kindnesses. I have ...