This week, the Discovery School Special Education Team went to visit 4 special needs facilities in Burundi. I want to share some of our tour with you!
- The first place we went to was called Garderie Du Sacre Coeur.
Immaculee (above) has done a phenominal job of making small classrooms, working with just the right amount of students. There were three classrooms, with each group of students at a different level.
It still moves me to remember the peace and love I felt on that campus–the kids looked emotionally thriving. This is a facility that has the students all day- from 8:00 to 5:30, I believe. They focus on motor, language and singing in the afternoon.
What I loved was the themes she picks. Everyday items–this week it was a tomato. they were able to handle tomatoes, draw them, paint them, and I’m sure later, eat them.
Immaculee says she struggles with 3 things–funding, materials, and training for her teachers. We are looking into sharing items with her from Discovery school, and my team is talking about doing a training on autism once they finish their online special education course which talks about it.
Her school was really a house with some buildings in the back. Very homey and nice. I was very impressed!
2. The next place we visited was right on the compound–Ephphatha School for the Deaf.
As you can see, there was a lot of movement and joy here! I had visited the school before (and shared about it in a previous blog), but never when the kids were there! They live here during the school sessions.
I loved seeing the enthusiasm of teacher Eline, above. She was doing a skit with the students–to help them understand. When the students come to the school, they are taught sign language. It is hard to grow academic vocabulary, the teachers say.
They offer sign language classes to the general public 3 times a week, and teach the parents on Saturdays. The woman above is deaf but can speak as well, and has such joy! They use French sign language here. Imagine being deaf, having to learn sign language, and then be taught school in Kirundi and French to boot! Whew.
3. We went the next day to see the Kanura School for the Blind.
My uncle Harry Johnson started this school in 1989. The campus is beautiful! The paved sidewalks created (that teammate Emmanuelline above is showing) are great for the students to run back and forth.
We enjoyed hearing the students reading Kirundi, Swahili and French from Braille books. The biggest surprise came with a G7 class–we discovered this school was the 2nd inclusive school in the country (kids from nearby that can see are also attending)!
This young blind girl in the front right is the 1st in the class! It was such a shock for my team and I to realize this, and see her answering tough math questions using the manipulatives shown.
They also have the amazing talent to weave, as in this beautiful hand woven bag.
Ernest, the director, told us the challenges are they only have one thermoform copier, a machine that creates braille books. They have one Perkins brailler as well, and a printer that can translate and print to braille from many languages. The special braille paper for their books is not made in the country. I have to admit, I was saddened to see that students had to share braille books–which meant one at a time, so some just sat in class waiting while others worked.
4. The last place we visited was Akamuri Centre.
This one–too much to tell. They service over 120 special needs kids everyday from morning until 3:30. They have a kinaesthetic physical therapy area, massage, brace making area, classrooms for teaching life skills, social skills and even academic subjects. They even have a tree called the muringo tree that has many medicinal properties. They teach the students to be independent in soap making, jewelry making, cooking, domestic animal raising (chickens, pigs, rabbits), and agriculture.
The director is new–she has only been there a month, and has many ideas to improve the center. It was really interesting to see all that they do–almost too much to take in at one time!
I really praise God that these facilities are here in Burundi. Every person is a blessing–each has something to offer, and there is always something to love. God’s grand gifts! As we head into our 2nd trimester at Discovery School with the special education program in full force, we are excited to see what God will do. May He get all the glory!
Burundi Joy 