The training we were doing was based on something which Michael and Ihave developed and it is designed specifically to encourage non english speaking teachers to practise how to ask questions in maths in English and to develop their basic maths vocabulary. We are really proud of it!!! And we know that it works well - and also that other volunteers like our training and are starting to use it too. BY the end of the week we could hear the difference and could hear the teachers using english with each other and singing the songs we had taught them. It is very satisfying to know that it will help them.

It was quite a challenging week in many ways, not least because of their lack of basic english language. The rooms we were working in were the classrooms of the school which has 4000 children. Each room was tiny possibly a half at the most of the size of an english classroom. There are only four small gaps in the mud walls for the light to come in and of course no electricity.
When the clouds and the storm came on the second day we had to huddle the woooden benches together in a corner so that they could even hear myself and Celestin (congolese trainer i was working with.) We couldnt see because we had to shut the door as it was so cold and then the clouds actually starting drifting in through the space which was the window.
It was miserable and cold and dark and wet and one young man only had on a short sleeved shirt. I asked him if he was cold and he answered "Yes but I don't have a sweater". At which point I took off my pink pashmina and wrapped it round him and he wore it for the rest of the morning looking like a strange male madonna in pink.