The School

Luckily, school was in session during our visit to Harmons. Almost everyday, a small group of us got the chance to go help in the schools instead of work on the homes. I went to the preschool, which they call basic school, on Friday. There were about fifteen kids in the school and they were ages 4-5. It was interesting because almost the moment we got to the school, the teacher went into her office and didn't come out for hours. She gave us no instructions and only thanked us for coming. So, my friend Mark and I spent the entire day doing puzzles, drawing pictures, and playing outside. 

Not all of the kids had uniforms on and when I asked the teacher why that was, she said that she prefers that they wear them everyday but by Fridays they are sometimes too dirty to wear. She said she has sent kids home because they didn't have the proper uniform on before, but tries not to do that very often.

Even though we were not working on the houses, I felt just as tired when I returned home from the day at the school. They kids viewed us as human jungle gyms and constantly wanted us to be picking them up. The girls were especially fascinated with my hair and spent hours braiding it. I'm going to admit...it was a little painful at times but they were having so much fun that I couldn't ask them to stop. I payed for that later when I had to take fifty small braids out before I showered.

It was encouraging to see how much the children loved being at school. They knew how lucky they were to be there, since most kids in Harmons don't attend school at all. It is expensive for the families because they have to pay for uniforms, food, transportation, and exam fees. I talked a woman during the week who told me that every morning she had to choose 3 of her 5 kids to go to school that day. I cannot imagine how hard a decision like that must be.