Dear Nhaka Friends,
I had the
pleasure of meeting Patrick Makokoro, Founder of Nhaka, at a conference in the
Washington D.C. area during the spring of 2015 and I was very impressed by the
work Nhaka Foundation does for children.
Long story short, I decided to volunteer with the Nhaka Team to provide
training this past winter. During the months of June and July (summer in the
US) I had the amazing opportunity of being a part of the Nhaka Team that
delivered training to approximately 120 teachers and Headmasters in Mashonaland
East province of Zimbabwe. The Early
Childhood Development (ECD) Teacher training program is one of the programs
being implemented by Nhaka Foundation in the communities they are serving. Prior to my visit,
between January and June 2016 Charity Bafana, Glenda Takavadii and I met
monthly via Skype to plan the ECD teacher training. They provided me as much information as they
could about the children, teachers, schools and communities we would be
serving. The day finally arrived, June
25th, when I made the long flight from the Washington D.C. area to Harare, Zimbabwe.....my
first trip to Africa!!
I spent my first
week traveling with Nhaka Team to the schools where the trainings were to be
conducted. By seeing the children, teachers and schools first hand I was able
to tailor the training to their specific needs.
My second week was spent conducting the trainings with the team and the
District Early Childhood Development (ECD) Trainer. Since the trainings were
for experienced teachers we started with a review of the learning theory and
developmentally appropriate practice for young children. We then covered second language acquisition
theory, how to serve children with special needs, and literacy and maths
instructional strategies. Each training
day ended with time for teachers to create lesson plans to put what they had
learned into action.
A survey was
given to all participants at the end of each training day. The feedback was very positive
and most participants wanted additional training. My final week in Zimbabwe was spent visiting
the schools once again to observe the teachers in action with their newly
acquired techniques. I could not believe
how fast my three weeks in Zimbabwe went.
The highlight of my trip was working with all of the fantastic teachers,
meeting all of the beautiful children and the beautiful landscape of rural
Zimbabwe.
Charity, Glenda
and I have continued our meetings via Skype since my return to the U.S. We are working plans for future Teacher
Trainings. Literally everyday since my
visit I think of my experience in Zimbabwe and all of the wonderful people I
met. I am proud and humble to be a part of the Nhaka team!!!!
Best wishes,
Dr Lea Ann Christenson