Thursdays in Kosovo

Thursdays in KOSOVO

7 March 2013

We arrived in Kosovo at 08h30. Even though we’d been there before, the squalor, refuse and general uncleanliness, always shocks you as you veer off Vanguard drive through Samora Machel, heading bumpily into Kosovo. At this hour the neighbourhood dogs are already scrounging in the piles of garbage on the roadside for their morning breakfasts, while residents are creatively propping up their shacks in the hope that they will provide protection for yet another day.

The practitioners greet us warmly as they file into Zolekha’s crèche for our first session after the long summer holidays. The session goes smoothly, with the teachers excitedly showing off their knowledge and skills to the group as they recall all the Practical Life activities learned in the workshops. The enthusiasm and energy in the room shade us from the gloomy heat that is slowly being trapped into the zinc structure of Zolekha’s school. Careful explanations of the skills children learn with the activities are gently presented by the practitioners in slow English or Xhosa where need be.

After tea, unperturbed by the trapped heat, we all head back in for the second session. My colleague and I, puzzled by the amazing knowledge captured by the group with little evidence of it being transferred to the children, opened the session with a discussion around implementation and sharing skills and knowledge with the children. The concerns raised were space (shacks being too small), no materials to set up activities, lack of funds to purchase materials etc.

At the end of the session, after designing activities with the empty bottles of all sizes, Tuna cans, yogurt tubs etc, and identifying skills children learn with these tools as play or work every practitioner committed to setting up a minimum of five activities for their classrooms by next week Thursday!

Follow the ELF team and share our obstacles and wonder … as we journey to Kosovo on the 14^th March.