A school yard filled with camera-happy kids... as they run around chasing each other, and doing their best to consume miele or corn with their hands before having to return to class. The water spicket outside the principal's office -- the school's latest (and much needed) addition, is also very popular, as the kids huddle around it to rehydrate themselves.
As the bell was rung -- by one young boy running around with it -- the kids went scurrying in multiple directions to line up in front of their respective classrooms. It wasn't until they were in a single file line and calmed down that the teacher would allow them to enter into the room and resume class.
Our group had the opportunity to enter two of the classrooms (1st and 3rd grades,) where we proceeded to read with the kids, sing each other songs in groups, and look through their classwork and get to know them a bit.
The principal met with us in her office afterwards and shared more info about the school and some of the struggles they face... Kids make necklaces out of the local plant in seeds in an effort to sell them to make the funds they need to attend school... it was a joy to purchase & wear some of these precious creations.
The Ovambo village is filled with smiles, song and dance. Local people invite you into their home. They invite you to sing and dance with them in their church. They invite you to wander freely (for many kilometers I might add!) - you are a part of their village. Kids cross paths with you in the vast corn fields, interspersed between village homes and linked with sandy trails, as they walk to and from school -- some in uniform, some not. Some skipping school, some not. Either way -- you are greeted with a friendly smile and a curiosity to know you that matches your own.
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