The BNC

01.10.13

Today we woke up around 7 am because it is the first day back to work from Holiday break in Namibia.  We went in to the schools we will be teaching at for a few minutes.  I will be teaching at St. Barnabus Primary School so I got to walk around the main building of the school.  We did not get to stay there long because the principal (headmaster) was in meetings.  However, we are going back on Monday morning for teacher meetings. 

Uanee (our guide) and Shawn (the guy that owns the Wadadee house we’re staying in) were both explaining to me that neither public nor private schools in Namibia are free.  However, that is changing now.  Uanee was telling me that children who are in Grades 0 (kindergarten) up through Grade 7 will now receive free public education and once they reach high school at Grade 8, they will have to pay for education, school supplies, boarding, etc.  Shawn was telling me that this is not standard in Africa as a continent though because Botswana (which borders Namibia to the east) has free education for children but they do not have the infrastructure that Namibia has.  Therefore, each country has its pros and cons. 

The children that live in the house across the street from us have been playing outside nonstop since yesterday and were outside waiting for us when we got back from our meetings at the school.  There are about 5 or 6 children that live in the house and they absolutely love us.  One of the girls, Abigail, is 7 years old and will be starting Grade 1 next week and she lights up every time she sees me.  As I write this, it is only 9 am and I have received more than five hugs from her.  She will just stand next to me in the street and hold my hand.  The other two older children are in Grade 0 and Grade 3; one is a boy and one is a girl.  Then there are at least three children that are still in diapers and probably no older than two years old.  Nonetheless, all of us Education majors are getting our “kid fix” before school starts next week. 

This afternoon we went to Berner Norcamp Center, or the BNC.  (The kids refer to the BNC as the “Best Namibian Children.”)  It is an after school tutoring program where children in Grades 1-7 can go after school in order to study and better understand math and phonics.  We will be volunteering there at least one day a week and will be at Dolem another day a week.  A woman named Mary Beth Gallagher runs BNC and she is absolutely amazing!  After three years of this program, there are 185 kids who go there everyday after school and there are over 200 on the waiting list.  She is very strict but it is so evident that she is so passionate about what she is doing.  For example, she preaches “disciplining with dignity” because many teachers and schools still have corporal punishment although it is technically illegal in Namibia. 

At the BNC, the rules that are put in place focus on love and empowerment for all students.  The rules include, no hitting, no yelling, no swearing or threatening and do not raise your voice.  The students there are also expected to help out around their “Secret Garden” as well as help cleaning, organizing, etc.  Since the waiting list is so long for the BNC, students are enrolled right in the beginning of the school year (next Tuesday) and are expected to come every single day after school.  Once they drop out of the program, they cannot come back, whatsoever.  However, once the student has been in the program for a year, they are rewarded with school supplies and school uniforms funded by the BNC. 

Mary Beth has her hands absolutely full—she is not paid for what she does and lives as simple as anyone I have ever met—truly an inspiring woman.  Among volunteering and teaching in countries such as El Salvador and Bangladesh and several more, she has set up a NPO in the United States called KINDLE.  It stands for Kids in Namibia Deserve Love and Encouragement.  Now can you see why I think she is so amazing?!

During our time at the BNC we were able to spend the afternoon with the children at the center and I made plenty of friends.  If there is anything I learned from today, it is two things.  1.  I am horrible at tennis.  2.  It’s confirmed that I am absolutely in love with children.  I spent the afternoon with my new little friends, Giovanni, Donovan, Emily, Michalin and another Giovanni.  They were all kids who ranged from Grade 5 to 8 and were all way better at tennis than I was.  They thought it was quite comical and cannot wait for me to come back next week so they can win again.  I also learned their favorite singers of which included Beyonce, Ciara, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber. How funny!