Right on the heels of the Teacher Training, the ABCD training has been going at a full clip. The roof on the second block of classes is now complete and the walls on the third block will be ready for a roof in another week. Oh, and the 1st Womens Regional Football Competition started on Friday. It is a hectic time and Colette has been working overtime to keep everything in motion.
No sooner did all the newly minted Trained Teachers leave to begin their education responsibilities, than the 50 participants of the agricultural based ABCD training began. The tukuls were aired out and Tumba and her crew began restocking the kitchen for the next round of enthusiastic learners.
Similar to previous sessions the training focused on ways to develop individual gardens and maximize the volume and quality of the harvest. This session placed an emphasis on practical solutions based on individual experience and pragmatic entrepreneurship. This session had two new ‘hands-on’ workshops including the building of a bread oven and an in depth lesson in making soap.
In addition to the technique behind making soap, the training unpacked the ideas of cost analysis; how much do the raw materials cost, the equipment required and the labor involved. All of these lessons could be applied to other products including crops. The first loaves of bread look delicious.
Work has been moving at a steady pace on the classrooms. The roof on the second block of classes has been completed and no sooner had the scaffolding been taken down and the rooms swept, than the students eagerly took possession.
The bricks require a week to cure and the team is wasting no time incorporating them into the walls of the third block. Presently they are waiting for a truck to arrive from Kikwit with another shipment of roof sheeting.
Last weekend Kandale held a big ceremony to initiate the Women’s Football Competition. Everything began with a prayer which was followed by speeches from the local sports committee. They have been working very hard to coordinate the 32 regional teams, training the referees and explaining the rules for this years' competition.
This past weekend there was an elaborate mask dance including Munganji dancers. It was truly a special event.
As of Friday the two local teams faced off, Gufwa Gubila and the Lycée. It was a very exciting match that ended in a penalty shootout with Lycée being the winner at 3 to 1. Tomorrow there will be two more matches between four local teams, Kiboba and Zembe which have two teams each. The community has been mobilizing to take advantage of this event and of course Tumba has been in the midst of it with her delicious beignets.
This is a photo of the third block in progress. The bricks are starting to frame out the windows. The first block of classes can be seen in the background left and behind the trees in the background right, is the second block with its completed roof. So much progress has happened in such a short time and there is still more to come!
