Special for Wrexham Prayer Week

Pictured are our School classrooms in Kilolo

Kevin's home town has timed its prayer week for when the Olympic torch goes through, and we are included. The following is what we sent to them:

St. Michael Secondary School

Many children of primary school age from the Kilolo district were being drawn away from the area to the large towns and cities where they would be given work as house-girls and house-boys. Unfortunately, people took advantage of them. This exposed them to a lifestyle that increased the risk of them being infected with HIV/AIDS.

St. Michael Secondary School was set up as a project of the Anglican Diocese of Ruaha, with the aim of providing young people with a high quality education in a supportive Christian environment. The intention is that they will be better prepared to face the challenges of the world.

Hudson Hudson Mvena was one of the first students at St. Michael Secondary School when it opened in 2005. He was very pleased to get a place at the School and it was there that he learned to read and write in English. Every day, he had to walk about 2 km to and from school. Then a hostel was opened next to the school where he and the other students could stay.

He passed his O Levels and went on to study A Levels at another school. He returned to St. Michael Secondary School in 2011 to teach science and mathematics. He hopes to study Computer Studies at university.

Computer Project Kevin manages a computer laboratory in which he has set up 20 computers. They were provided by Global Outreach, an organisation based in Iringa, who also carry out maintenance and repairs. Kevin started training the teachers in August, and a Tanzanian teacher of computer studies started teaching the students in September. (blog of 24 Sep, 2011)

Kevin's work includes strategic planning, writing proposals, setting budgets, tracking expenditure, producing reports, applying for funding, and meeting people. He is also updating software, upgrading hardware, installing additional resources and carrying out minor repairs. He assists the teachers as they make use of the computers to prepare exams and worksheets.

In April, 2012, he carried out a major development, changing over from Microsoft Windows to an open source operating system called Ubuntu, which is virus resistant and free.

Bible Knowledge Students Anne was asked to introduce Bible Knowledge to the School curriculum. So, working from the syllabus, she has had to prepare from scratch the materials and resources required. The students struggle with English; so she teaches in Swahili and they have to translate into English – which is also difficult. It was challenging at first to get the students to talk about some of the issues that they need to understand, but they have gradually gained in confidence, and now they really look forward to the lessons. She is currently preparing her Form 4 students for their mock O Level (similar to GCSE) exams in early June. (blog of 18th May, 2012)

Our House We live in a brick-built house, with a corrugated iron roof – so when it rains heavily, it is noisy! We collect our water from a rain-water tank and a stand pipe just outside our back gate. We were connected to the mains electricity in January this year (there’s a blog picture on 3rd Feb, 2012)! We cook on a wood-burner stove (blog of 14 June, 2011) and eat rice, beans, chicken, beef and tomatoes. We get fresh milk most days, separate out our own cream, bake bread, and have bananas, pineapple, melon, papaya, passion fruit, grapefruit, oranges, avocados, guavas and peaches. (blogs of 20th and 28th Jan, 2012)

Monkeys in Tanzania Way up on the side of the mountains in the rain forest beside a waterfall, live a species of monkey that is found nowhere else in the world. They are known as Sanje Crested Mangabey and were only discovered in 1979. You can climb up through the forest – with the help of the forest rangers – and see these monkeys as they swing through the trees or sit eating, watching you! (blog of 5th Jan, 2012)

Give thanks for:

 the computer laboratory, that it's up and running, and the encouragement it is to teachers and students;

 the enthusiasm of the Bible Knowledge students;

 the fulfilment and enjoyment that Kevin and Anne are experiencing;

 the commitment of the Headmaster and teachers to the School.

Pray for:

 Anne as she prepares her Bible Knowledge students for their mock O Level exams in June;

 Kevin as he plans a connection to the internet;

 Kevin and Anne in the difficulties they face living in a remote village;

 Hudson as he is hoping to gain a place at university.