Welcome to Africa. That’s what went through my head when I stepped into the assembly hall. Three hundred plus kids in a tiny hall and more piling in. Hordes of kids standing on tables trying to get a decent view.
Petrified. Complete and utter fear. So many expectant eyes and faces staring at us. Who was going to make the first move?
When we could put it off no longer, ‘Monile mose!’ (hello everyone) was met with a roar of approval and laughter - we haven’t quite grasped the accent yet.
I couldn’t help but smile. Feeling more assured and confident we took control. ‘Let’s talk about Peer Pressure’.
We got the kids involved, it was the only way we could hold their attention. We asked the questions - ‘what is peer pressure?’, ‘is it bad?’, ‘can it be good?’, ‘give us some examples’. Then they got up on stage and took over. The energy was crazy. I loved it and the kids seemed to like it too. We ended with a role play from Hannah and Kadir and some games based around peer pressure.
Round one came to a close with the lunch bell and the kids disappearing significantly faster than they arrived. Round two is scheduled for next week. We’re already in training. Roll on the next session on self-esteem.
Welcome to Africa. Welcome to Malawi. Welcome to Mzuzu.
Ding! Ding!
Written by ICS volunteer Garret Lennon
