Visit to Mboti, summer of 2011

Published 22:e July, 2011 by Jan Bolmeson

Mboti is located in Eastern Africa in the Mwingi district. Better Globe has started a project called “Mboti out-growers project”, read more.

During our trip we visited the school in Mboti. On the way there we noticed the effects of the extreme drought, women carrying water on the road, some were lucky enough to have a donkey carrying it for them. Once you think you’ve seen enough, you see the completely dried up large corn fields, women with babies wrapped up in cloth and strapped to their mothers’ backs, and people coming and going.

Here we are, a bunch of mosongos (whites) with cameras, phones, and all of us wearing shoes. Naturally all the children are curious; they come up and want their pictures taken.
They are very happy when we arrive, our Cypriot friends have brought small bags with cheese puffs that they hand out, all the kids run up to them and are so happy.

It makes me very happy seeing how little it takes to bring these children happiness. They run around me all the time hoping I will take a picture of them and they will eventually ask me for one. I take the picture and turn the camera so they can see it and they get ecstatic with happiness, talking with each other and showing it to each other. This is something completely new for them and I wondered “Have they ever seen themselves in a picture before?”

This school has gotten 4 large tanks of 10,000 liters each donated through Better Globe. There are pipes going from the roof of the house to the tanks so rain water is collected to take advantage of all water.

I had imagined a pretty simple kitchen, but I could never have imagined the kitchen they showed me. In this small shack they cook for 240 children! On the floor!

They proudly show me their new kitchen that is three times as large where the cook can STAND UP while cooking! These are things we Westerners don’t even appreciate since we take it for granted.

After our tour we have a gathering with all children and their parent comes to show us their appreciation. The school’s leaders, such as the principal, director, the local spoke person, a woman named Faith, all hold speeches.

We get a presentation about the school from the principal where he accounts for all purchases, renovations and plans for future purchases. They are tremendously grateful for what we do for them. Jan Vandenabeele explained the future projects of tree plantations in the area that will create more jobs and allow more families to reunite. More families can become self-sufficient and independent all thanks to the work we do in Better Globe.

After the meeting we interview a mother and father, the father works at the school. The woman tells us how she walked 15 km each way every second day to a water station, she and her neighbor share a donkey, but when she was getting water, the older children had to babysit the younger ones, so they weren’t able to go to school. Since they now have water at the school, she doesn’t have to walk as far and her children can finally go to school! She thanks us profusely and explains that so much has happened since Better Globe came to Mboti and they feel like things are getting better and better.

The father who was just listening as first also wants to tell us what a big difference the water had. He explained how the essential the water is, without water, it doesn’t matter how much food they have since they can’t cook it. Now they have the opportunity to cook every day, wash their clothes more often so the children can have clean clothes for school, and the kids can be cleaned more often. He explained that since the water became available the children attendance in school has increased significantly and is today around 95%, compared to only 50% before, and the school’s result is making ways in the region’s statistics.

He thanks Better Globe for having renovating the school, now the children have floors and desks, instead of just sitting on the dirt floor and getting the dirt blown into their face. He thanks us for the school’s doors which make it possible for them to lock up their schoolbooks instead of having to clear out the classroom every day. He thanks us for the kitchen they have and he thanks us again for the water that makes it possible for all children to get food in school every day.

We move on to the kindergarten, which is the next step in the renovation. This little house is still made of clay, without doors and a hole in the wall for letting in light.

We talk with the preschool teacher who is radiating both enthusiasm and resignation at the same time.

She explains how she comes to school at least half an hour early every day to organize the material she can find and hang on the walls, mathematics in place, next to science, then music, art, English, and so on. She tells us how she’s trying to squeeze everything in since there isn’t enough space. She tells us that she has 63 children in this tiny house! She’s doing her best splitting up the children in age groups, 8-6 year olds in one spot, 5-4 year olds in another spot, and the youngest 4-2 year olds further away to not disturb the older children, and when I look where she points between the desk, there isn’t even half a meter between the areas.

I’m thinking to myself ”How can they NOT be disturbing?”. She shows me the play area and it consists of some sand and broken plastic bottles!

She repeats several times that she needs materials for the school, colorful things to stimulate their capacity, to explore, and to learn more. She shows us a large shell which is the only instrument she has.

She wants to do so much, but has no resources. But she thanks us for the opportunity to get a blackboard for writing on and desks to sit in.

I’m very happy have visited this school and see the results from our work, and I’m very proud to be a part of Better Globe that does so much for so many people and really makes a difference!

By: Elida León Gustafsson