I have decided to hire a part-time teacher at the Orphan Care centre.

Working at Mount Sinai, I am very impressed by the English skills of my young students. In this country English is the official language, yet very few people speak it fluently. Even the teachers struggle with the language. Maggie, one of my children has been put back from Standard 5 to Standard 4 because of her poor English skills. This makes me especially sad since she had the best English of all the children when I first met her.

Originally I’d hoped that the caregivers I hired would be able to assist with English and other homework but it seems they have very limited skills themselves and are only really comfortable assisting with bible knowledge.

I will go to the Headmaster of Chitungu Primary School and ask his recommendation on a few suitable teachers who can work one hour a day with the children strictly on English. Next time I come or perhaps if I can use FedEx, I will send teaching materials that are appropriate for their level of English. The teacher will be offered a salary of k5000 a month (about $35) which will be a welcome addition to the no more than k20000 they earn now. I will interview candidates and assess their spoken and written English skills. I will also insist that Azikiwe communicate to this teacher only in English.

I want Itatu to have more of an educational focus. When we build our own building we will be sure to include a classroom with chalkboards and shelves for books. I want my children to be elevated above the rest. I think one day I would like to incorporate a nursery school into Itatu but that will require a great deal of funding as the locals can’t afford to pay much more than about $2.50/month for childcare.

I am very excited about this idea and am certain it will be a success.

Tags: itatu, itatu orphan care, jennifer douma, malawi

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