CampSky

Posted in CampSky by Dom on August 25th, 2007

Here’s a letter from my education group. I thought this would be more effective than an individual email to people.

Greetings from the Peace Corps Education sector! As August comes to a close, most of us have returned from various vacations and projects to begin teaching Term 3. The weather is finally warming up and we are eagerly anticipating mango season, as well as the arrival of the new education volunteers at the end of September. It’s an exciting time for the 1st year education volunteers, as our first full year teaching comes to a close, secondary projects start to take shape, and our annual summer school rapidly approaches.

As many of you know, our job of teaching in Community Day Secondary Schools all over Malawi isn’t easy. These schools have very little money to spend, and as a result the classes are overcrowded, many teachers are under-qualified, there aren’t enough books for students to use, and most have never had access to a science laboratory or a computer.

In response to this, every year, Peace Corps Education Volunteers in Malawi host a two-week summer school. This program offers students from Community Day Secondary Schools the opportunity to attend classes that complement the subjects they are taught during the traditional school year with access to materials and resources that otherwise they would never get to use.

The theme for this year’s camp, “Tsogolo la Achinyamata,” or “A Future for the Youth” captures what we hope to give the students who attend. The Chichewa word “Tsogolo” means both “future” and “horizon,” and our planned curriculum aims to prepare students for the future while expanding their horizons. We’ll offer advanced core classes in preparation for the government exams that determine students’ options after graduation. We’ll also seek to broaden their sense of what’s possible, inviting successful Malawians from a variety of vocations to share their work and life stories.

Camp Sky is an independent creation of Peace Corps Volunteers and their communities and, as such, is not funded by Peace Corps. Fundraisers are necessary for the running of the camp so that we can buy essential items like chalk, paper, glue, and chickens. Donations from home, no matter what size, are crucial in making Camp Sky possible. $100 pays for food, lodging, and transport for one student. Donations are tax-deductible as well (doesn’t get much better than that!). To contribute, visit www.friendsofmalawi.org and click on the Summer School icon. You can donate with any major credit card via Paypal, or send a check to:

Friends of Malawi
c/o Lance Cole (FOM treasurer)
7940 SW 11th
Portland, OR 97219

If you decide to mail a check, be sure to specify that you want your contribution to benefit the Peace Corps Summer School project.

We appreciate very much any help you are able to offer our program and, most especially, our students. We look forward to sharing with you the successes of Camp Sky 2007.