We did it!

Time to celebrate!

WISDOM received the components for 20 computer stations from Oklahoma. Nothing was damaged!

The teachers followed the enclosed instructions and we able to successfully put together the stations.

First, Read the instructions.

Everything is hooked up!

SUCCESS!

Teachers (l-r): Susan, Monica, Abigail, Phenni, Mirriam, Ruth

The school is putting some extra security measures into place for the computer lab and science lab. After that is complete, they will fully equip those rooms before the beginning of school in January.

WCS is on track to open the 8th grade (it's start of the secondary school) when school begins! We are thankful for many donors who made this possible!

Back in the Classroom!

ALL of the CHILDREN of WISDOM Christian School are back in the classroom!

Under mandate by the president of Zambia, children in every grade level returned to the classroom. The WCS kids were excited to be back!

The president and Minister of Education want the teachers to adjust their curriculum to teach everything they missed and add it to what they teach in the final term of the year. (Zambia school year is January - December)

Additional desks were acquired (some were donated and some were purchased by funding through LIVING WELL). However, because of class sizes, social distancing of six feet or more is impossible.

The staff takes the kids' temperatures every morning and added hand washing stations. All students and staff are wearing masks. 

PRAYERS

Please pray for wisdom for the teachers as they adapt the curriculum and for the students as they pack in a lot of learning in 3 months. 

And pray for the health and protection of the staff and students!

What's Happening on Campus

PREPARING for HIGH SCHOOL OPENING

To certify the WCS high school, the government requires a science lab and larger computer lab. In lieu of the LIVING WELL team being able to construct the science lab, the local builder was contracted to construct counter height, concrete top work stations. He also installed sinks which tie into the existing water supply. Thanks to a generous donation, we had the funds for this unexpected expense.

NEW TILES FLOORS

All of the buildings were constructed with unfinished, concrete floors. Although this finish is not unusual, it makes it challenging to keep the floors clean. Dust and mud are a constant presence. The campus and the areas around the school have a lot of exposed dirt - no paved roads, very little grass. 

Because of generous donations, we have been able to install tile floors in all the administrative areas! Someday, we would like to have tile floors everywhere!

NEW WATER PUMP

One morning, LIVING WELL received a text from Brother Charles, the school manager, saying the well pump had quit working! That means no water to drink, for sanitation, and for preparing lunch. The cost to replace the pump was about $400. LIVING WELL sent money to pay for the pump.

Within an hour a LIVING WELL donor called to confirm the mailing address. He said that he already had a check in an envelopE to send. After bringing him up to date on the school, he was informed about the expense of the new pump. 

How much was that check for WCS that he already put in the envelope to mail? $400! God provided for the need before we knew about the need!

We are thankful for the many donors of WISDOM Christian School!

Signed, Sealed, Waiting for Delivery

Three containers with 20 computers are headed to WISDOM Christian School in Ndola, Zambia!

The school will have a total of 30 computers when they start the 2021 school year in January.

The computers are Raspberry Pi - a small inexpensive computer originally designed in the UK for hobbyists. Their size, simplicity and cost made them extremely useful in third world education.

They came as part of a kit, which was assembled by LIVING WELL in Oklahoma.

Each Raspberry Pi had to be assembled into the white case. [Ed's job] The case is only a little larger than a deck of cards.

The RP computers use a micro SD card for the hard drive. Each one of those had to be programmed. The cards came with the operating system and some software loaded - it just had to be installed [Donna's job], which takes several hours for each one, so we ran two at a time!

Operating system installation

LIVING WELL also furnished some microscopes and slides for the science lab.

To ship fragile items that far - by truck and by ship - substantial packing is critical!

A company that specializes in shipping to Zambia (owned and run by Zambians living in the U.S.) picked up the cargo in Oklahoma on Sunday. They truck it to the east coast and then it is loaded on a ship. After the ship docks in Africa, our cargo will go on another truck and delivered to Ndola! Should be there around late October.

Very short video of loading .... 

THE PLAN WAS for the LIVING WELL team to prepare the science lab with the proper counters and sinks, etc. - the June mission that didn't happen. Then the team would return in December and set up the computers and do anything else needed to complete the labs. That trip probably won't happen either.

BUT ........
We all know what happened. COVID19. Zambia barred Americans from entering their country.

A local contractor, who built the last three buildings at WCS, will build the interior requirements for the science lab. More on that in our next post.

WISDOM teaching amid COVID19

 

As staff and 7th grade students attend class in the COVID19 era, many precautions are taken. One big change is a limit to classroom size. Classes, that once had 50-75 students, now have no more than 20 students. All students and staff wear masks at all times, even outside.

Teachers and students draw lots of posters to illustrate different principles and lessons.

The photos show how the teachers write all the lessons on the board and the students copy them into their notebooks. Students do not have their own books.

STUDENTS return to WISDOM

The 7th grade students and the staff are back in school! 

Zambia education is closed for all other elementary (K-7 in Zambia) students.

NEW SCHEDULE:
The students in Zambia are on a trimester system. They normally have their breaks in April, August, and December. But this year, they missed a third of March, all of April and May, putting them about 6 weeks behind. The 7th graders returned to school on June 1 and will get a shorter break in the fall. They normally take their exams around the first of November. This year, the 7th graders will take their exams on December 21st. Hopefully, the students will be fully prepared by that time for their exams.

NEW PRECAUTIONS:

• The 57 students are divided into 3 classrooms (maximum of 20 students per classroom). 
• Both the teachers and students have to wear masks in and out of the class room.
• All students and staff will have their temperature taken each day as they arrive.
• Students are not be allowed to interact as usual, either at break or lunch time
• Hand sanitizers with water buckets, are at the main gate, toilet and classrooms.
• Any student or teacher with flu like symptoms will not be allowed in class. 
• No handshakes.
• An emergency call center will be alerted if any student or teacher has a temperature above normal.

NEW TEACHING:

ALL of the teaching staff in the school will teach the 7th graders in three classrooms. All teachers will be involved in preparation and the teaching.

Learning at WISDOM

This world-wide pandemic has shuttered all school in Zambia. The children served by WCS don't have the opportunity for "distance learning" and do not have electricity in their homes. We are in a "wait and see" mode to see when classes will resume. 

LIVING WELL is committed to continue to pay all of the staff as long as funds are available.

Meanwhile, the contractor has finished the secondary school building. Two classrooms from classroom building #3 will be reassigned as a computer lab (larger than the present lab) and a science lab. Grades 6 and 7 will meet in the new building when the 2021 school year begins.

Part of the goal for LIVING WELL's June mission trip was to prepare tables with sinks, etc. for the new science lab. We pray that LIVING WELL will be able to return later in the year to prepare the science lab and equip the computer lab.

Take a look at the completed, new classroom building!

The "front" of the secondary classroom building. This door is to the administrator's office.

The "back" of the building. This end faces classroom building #1.

This side of the building faces classroom building #2. 

This wing of the building has 3 of the classrooms. 

Interior of one class - lighting AND  ceiling fan!

The wing on the right side of the picture has 2 classrooms.

This building was designed to go around the WISDOM tree. The tree's trunk has lost a lot of the dirt that the multiple roots/trunks grew in. It was decided that the best course of action would be to build a retaining wall around it and not allow anyone to climb on it or in it. 

GOOD NEWS at WCS

With all that is happening in the world right now, it's nice to have some good news!

A local, Zambian family donated some playground equipment for the bigger kids at WCS. The LIVING WELL team built a playground for the littles last June. So, now the bigger kids have one too.

It is exciting to see Zambians donate to Zambians. The Gomes family hosted the LIVING WELL - Zambia 2013 team in their home and at their farm and park. Now they have donated the playground equipment. They donated a slide, swing set, and teeter-totter.

We have to welded and painted and installed. A fence around it is being installed now.

WISDOM Prepares for the Next Step

Our contractor is working diligently to complete the high school building for grades 8-12. 

The education department has inspected the site and gave the staff requirements to open the 8th grade. The school must have two classrooms completed - one for the class studies and one for a science lab (which much be equipped). We will also hire 4 teachers certified for that grade level and reassign one current teacher who is already certified.

The staff is pursuing these objectives with hope of beginning grade 8 for the new term, starting January 13, 2020.

See the building progress:

High School Building - North side

High School Building - South side

High School Building - West side