TEMBO English Camp
It is 8:30 a.m. and the girls are already milling about outside the hall. They stand hugging one another and wrapping themselves in their shukas as they feel the chill in the air – just 18˚C in Longido today. Laughter and ‘girl’ chatter can be heard from inside the hall as others finish eating their breakfast chapattis. Two girls from Team Bagamoya grab the broken brooms and start to sweep and then drag tables into place for English class that begins at 9 a.m. Still others run to meet the English teachers as they arrive on site carrying props for today’s English lesson – a school uniform, a first aid kit, a copy of the local newspapers, and multiple copies of an English reader. The girls shreek with excitement as they see that the teachers are also carrying cameras – today must be Camera Club!
And so begins another day at the TEMBO English Camp (TEC) coordinated by TEMBO Trust for sponsored girls attending secondary school. The TEC Program seeks to provide girls age 13-17 with a positive and supportive English-language learning environment where the girls can develop basic language skills required for their school studies. In addition, the program works to foster confidence and self –esteem, everyday life skills and healthy lifestyle choices.
The program was piloted in 2010 and offered to 33 girls attending Form 1 and 2 in the local high schools.
Given the success of the pilot program, TEMBO Trust decided to include TEC as part of its ongoing programming and TEC 2011 was made available to 42 girls in Form 1-3. TEC 2012 is now being planned for June and will once again be offered to girls in Form 1-3.
Over a course of three weeks, the program provides a safe and healthy living environment for the participants. The girls stay in a hostel owned and operated by a community group in Longido. Here they can enjoy the comraderie of sharing a room with friends, exchanging clothes, talking and then whispering as night falls, and just being ‘girls’. There is a small outdoor cooking area at the back of the hostel where meals can be prepared and then served in the communal hall. Girls take responsibility for housekeeping duties and are encouraged to take care of their rooms and shared communal spaces.
The instructional component of the program is offered Monday-Friday from 9 – 5 p.m. and includes 3 hours of formal instruction, 2 hours of group activities such sports, crafts, and community activities including Camera Club, and an hour of music, dance and drama. In addition, the program allows for informal activities two evenings a week including such activities as Bingo or yoga. On weekends, the girls remain at the hostel where they can be found doing their laundry, reading their English novels, playing cards, or singing in English, Maa and Swahili.
In addition to providing support for the girls, TEC provides employment for local women who are hired as matrons to provide supervision of the girls 24 hours a day or as cooks to prepare and cook three meals a day, seven days a week. The TEMBO Trust Community Facilitator, Mary Laiser, provides on the ground coordination of the program and works to ensure that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.
Each year, the program comes together with a grand finale including a very formal graduation ceremony with honored guests from the Longido community, presentations by the girls and teachers, songs, and the presentation of official certificates. On the evening prior to graduation, the girls and teachers work together to coordinate a final event – In 2011, it was a fashion show where the girls got to shine as models adorned in either traditional Maasai dress or everyday garments. Plans are already underway for 2012 and the TEC Talent Show – stay tuned!
Indeed, there is much to be done moving forward including the need to offer ongoing focused and appropriate instruction for the girls so that they might be successful in their studies, as well as the need for a sustainable format with increased involvement of local teachers. In just two years, TEC has become an integral part of the TEMBO community and, with the support of our donors and volunteers, it can continue to provide a safe, healthy, positive and fun environment for young girls living and studying in Longido and Kimokouwa.