A party on Monday morning

On Monday morning, Sue phoned me and asked if I'd like to go to the school with her. Of course I did and she collected me at 9.30. The car was loaded with sweets, ice-cream, sodas and cakes.  We were off to a party on Monday morning! The reason? The children in the first three classes/grades at school had excelled at their target marks in the last exam the company rewarded them with treats.

The three younger classes at school: grade three (front tables) grade two, (middle tables and grade one (far table near the blackboard)

Sue and I started by making ice-cream cones and the two teachers (not visible) and Head Teacher, Caroline above, helped. See the ecstacy on the face of the little boy licking his ice-cream cone!

I soon found Stacey - Naomi's daughter - at the class 2 table. She shyly posed for her mother's "mam" to take a photo!

I broke this little boy's cone while trying to load it with ice-cream;  I gave him a second [whole] ice-cream cone!

Sue zooming in on a lad who had ice-cream on his chin while the others look on!

Happiness is ice-cream all over your chin!

Grade 4 girls outside the window! The Grades 4, 5 and 6 didn't reach their target and couldn't be rewarded like the younger classes

These four boys kept calling for us to photograph them. I called them the Four Muskateers which had their teacher in fits of laughter! When Sue and I packed up and prepared to leave, the Head Teacher asked the little lad on the far right, whom she nick-named Kofi Anann, to thank the company for supplying the treats. He rose to occassion with the same applomb that the former UN Secretary General would have done!

I realise there are thousands of starving children in Africa. However, the children above are being given a chance, through the generosity of the mine owner and present mine management, to make something of their lives. I hope and pray that when these youngsters do achieve greatness, they will have compassion and empathy to do something for their own people. For now they are being educated in the best possible way and rewarded when they excel or improve on previous achievements.

After leaving the primary school, Sue and I popped in at the pre-primary school. Sharda (the other lady on camp) had donated clothes belonging to her teenage daughter for the small children to play "dress-up" with. While chatting to the teacher, Monica, the youngest children marched up the path to have their tea in the recreation house. I just could not resist a photo of these precious children.

Three-year-olds march to have their mid-morning tea

All the school children - from pre-primary to grade 8 - are given a mid-morning meal of ugali (soft maize porridge) and a mug of milk.

Sue and I finally made our way back out of the village and back to the camp. What a lovely way to spend a Monday morning!

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