It’s been our last full day of coaching today and boy oh boy was it a day of contrasts!
Our meet time today was due to be a 9.30 to travel to this morning‘s school – but at the last minute we were informed that the mayor was visiting and so we were “uninvited” – politely, of course! But never fear, our intrepid local ambassador Eric Ndanga made some calls and by 11 am we were in another school, GS Gahini – much to the surprise of the teenage students there who were expecting a day off from lessons as it was supposed to be teachers’ rest day! As a result, the energy levels were (unsurprisingly) well below the usual hysterical levels we’ve encountered previously. Warren did his best to raise the mood as he bellowed “vuba, vuba!”(faster, faster!) in his dulcet Essex tones!
This afternoon’s school was an all-girls Catholic school, one of many in the country. In a very cramped courtyard, we delivered to over 120 fantastically energetic and enthusiastic teenagers, who had a brilliant grasp of English and a keen sense of self worth. It was particularly interesting to note that what they did lack was some of the reluctance that many other teenage girls to exert themselves or show embarrassment. It did occur to me that one of the reasons that some girls were reluctant to get stuck in at other schools was their lack of having a bra, with the obvious discomfort and embarrassment that causes. When todays’ girls were asked the question “Are boys were more important than girls?” there was a resounding ”No!” But when then asked ”Are girls were more important than boys?”, there was a resounding “Yes”! Not the usual response we have had – and I had to remind them that gender equality meant equal levels of importance! Fredy, one of the Rwandan male coaches, was highly amused by this. Girl power indeed!
Later in the day, we were again reminded of the vast differences between many of the publicly run schools and those funded by the churches or international charities. We had been asked to spend some time during lunchtime socialising with youngsters informally in their play and then coach some if the younger children. It turned into nearly an hour of informal ball games, with the children dipping in and out as they saw fit. This was great fun, but at times tricky to manage without getting swamped by little hands grabbing at you skin asking and asking for tennis balls or water.
Their facilities were clearly not as comfortable at other privately run establishments – as illustrated when one child injured his foot. Katy and one of the older children took him to one side and attempted to find a teacher to take responsibility (not an easy task), and he was carried somewhere comfortable by Ndanga, where Gabby was able to tend to his nasty cut. He had reopened an older wound and will be fine – he was so brave! It’s amazing what a tennis ball, some stickers and a bottle of pop can do to lift a little lad’s spirits.
Some thoughts spring to mind.
There are many similarities between Rwandan and British schoolchildren. They live to play, respond well to kindness, get embarrassed sometimes, are lazy sometimes, are cheeky sometimes, and they care what their friends think of them.
The biggest differences? Their school facilties are occasionally not on a par with UK schools. Their class sizes are generally much bigger and they have less access to specialist equipment such as sports fields, science labs etc. But for me the most significant difference is that these youngsters are tougher, more resilient, take on more family responsibilities and, for want of a better phrase, are less mollycoddled. I am in awe of their strength and seemingly limitless supply of warmth and curiosity.
Just one more day to go – a kwik cricket tournament – and then home the next day.
What a truly incredible two weeks!
Allyson Byrne
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