Our LitClub meeting this week started on a very high note. The moment the girls at Ogwodo primary school saw us enter the school compound, they burst into a chorus of the “Hello Song!” The whole school had learned it! We then went through the ritual of the “Name Game” which they had modified to include a dance. It was lovely. Then came the challenge… who could recite all of the Seven Strengths? We were all warmed up by the time Madam Catherine introduced the strength of the day, Hope, with a read aloud of Beauty and the Beast.
We then had a feedback session with the girls, and it was evident that the girls are becoming more confident when sharing with the group. Apart from trying to express themselves in English, they appeared more comfortable in the group and they were full of praise for the LitClub.
The downpour did not stop us from holding our LitClub day at Kodhiambo Primary School. The spirit of sisterhood was clearly manifested in the way the girls were all concerned about the absence of one of them! Teacher Rose took us through the strength of Belonging with a read aloud of The Emperor’s New Clothes. She cracked our ribs with all the animation she used and of course, the humorous flow of the story left us all in tears of laughter.
Amilo Primary school was no different. The girls were all eager to have the session started.
They challenged each other on who could narrate the stories they were reading in English. It put us all in a very cheerful mood as they fished for English words to describe scenes in the story books. Teacher Maureen took us through the strength of Curiosity and read Town Mouse and Country Mouse aloud.
These few weeks have been very progressive for us as we have received a lot of encouragement from the school head teachers who feel that The LitWorld program is a great compliment to the school English Curriculum, they also requested the program to be conducted in Swahili! The timid girls we were first introduced to have become so outgoing and outspoken. We still have to grapple with the desire of more and more girls wanting to join the LitClub!
--Submitted by Girls LitClub Facilitator Golda