Chamwino Kid's Club

My sister pointed out that I rarely blog about my work. Mainly I just tell stories about things happening or what I'm learning about the culture. So today I decided to share more about the kid's program. If the connection holds I may even be able to upload some pictures too. My kid's club is going well. In January we added a day so now every Monday and Wednesday afternoon we meet together. It's a lot of extra work getting 2 sets of lessons prepared in Swahili each week but it is also very fun. We've even worked out a routine of sorts where we have math lessons every Wednesday and rotate Monday lessons between health, geography or history. Every Monday and Wednesday we have a Bible and English lesson. I've also been blessed to have another volunteer begin helping this year. Her name is Mama Mwasu. She is Daniel's assistant. Daniel took over the job of lead teacher in October when Tisho started university. He has done an amazing job and really enjoys teaching each week. Having 3 teachers has made English lessons so much easier as now we are able to divide the kids up into various groups to work on different skills.
Last year we had over 100 kids enrolled in the club. This year our numbers are closer to 40. January was the start of the new school year so schedules changed. Some of our regular students are now in class until close to 5 and so are unable to attend. Sadly 2 girls who regularly came last year have stopped attending. They always say they are too busy but I think their parents may have made them quit coming. They are both Muslim and my one rule on attending is to have parental approval. I still see them most weeks after the club but it isn't the same.
Surprisingly not everyone I work with think the Muslim children should be invited. I usually point out that my best Bible student is Muslim. I also remind them of the call for Christian to share the Good News with everyone, not just other Christians. However overall most people are supportive of the program.
This year I have plans to expand to 3 other churches. I will train the volunteer teachers on using the curriculum I'm writing and then they will lead the weekly clubs. So far I've talked with pastors or evangelists from 4 churches but things are moving slowly. I may have to readjust my plans and aim for just 1 new program! I will keep you updated on any progress I make towards starting another kid's club.