The Kingdom of Swaziland: Progress

We have promised, tacitly, to post more pictures. Well, you asked for it. A slew of pictures coming your way. But first, some news. Progress. Integration is going swimmingly. Ryan continues to work at Mpaka Railway School. The students are in the middle of testing for the next few weeks. Ryan has been facilitating tests, helping with compositions and teaching life skills lessons in Grades 5, 6, 7. The beginning of the term in January is when he will start rolling out PC related projects. Internet capable computer lab here we come!

With it being testing time for Mpaka High School we have been put to good use editing Form 3,5 Design and Technology Students final project proposals. What started with helping our bhuti with his homework blossomed into a meeting with the D & T teacher, the Headmaster and a new partnership with the High School. Addy is planning on starting a GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) Chapter there next term. Addy continues to work at the Manyaveni clinic as an official unofficial staff member, mostly hanging out in the lobby and dispensing all the HIV/Health related advice she can. Her work at the KaGogo Center and Malindza High School Health Club is well documented in pictures below.

The big news is that we finally got cleared to work at the Refugee Camp! We faced several hurdles early on due to the sensitivity and security of the camp and the baffling bureaucracy behind getting approval to volunteer there. Turns out all we needed to do was call our awesome Safety and Security Coordinator Babe Mavanivuti to cut through the red tape and get stuff done. One meeting with him, our Country Director Steve Drihaus and the camp directors and we were in and touring the facility fast-fast. If we got a cool reception by the leadership of the camp, the Refugees (ranging from all over: Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Mozambique, DNC, etc…) that we have talked to seem pretty thrilled. We are planning on teaching an English class and a Health/Sanitation/Life Skills/HIV class next term (year).

That’s pretty much it this side. In other news: Ryan is listening to every album on his i-pod. He just finished the A’s: Dalek’s “Abandoned Language” to Kyle Bobby Dunn’s “A Young Person’s Guide to Kyle Bobby Dunn”. He is also writing a monthly music column for the Peace Corps Swaziland newspaper (SOJO) called FILE UNDER: So far he has written up the albums: Rodriquez – “Cold Fact”, Boris – “Pink”, William Basinski – “The Disintegration Loops”, The Cancer Conspiracy – “The Audio Medium.

On to the pictures – we promise.

Sharp-Sharp, bhuti!