Sports Day

At long last. That phrase means so many things at this point. I will gladly elaborate. Another important aspect of this project was for our supporters to provide some athletic equipment such as soccer and volleyballs. I made a weekend trip to the city of Arusha which is about an hour's bus ride west of Moshi towards the Serengeti National Park. I checked the availability, quality, and prices of the equipment at a few different shops. I settled on one shop which had all of the equipment we were seeking. We purchased 2 soccer balls, 2 volleyballs, and a pump with a few additional pins. These were in addition to 2 soccer balls which I had acquired in Canada prior to my departure. The school would now have access to a greater variety of equipment whereby more children especially female students would be encouraged to participate. I was anxious to return to Moshi to deliver the goods.
After a mix up in the timing of the holiday of Maulidi which actually took place today, Tuesday, I returned to Moshi at midday on Monday with the intention of taking all of the items out to the school.
I arrived early at the campus following my dala dala ride which frankly I had expected to take somewhat longer. In any event both staff and students were delighted with my news. I presented the balls and pump to a staff member who prepared an adequate storage space. She then proceeded to hand them off to two student monitors who were responsible for the taking and return of the equipment.
We proceeded to the pitch at a leisurely pace, still with plenty of time to enjoy a full period at the field.
Along with a couple of the other teachers I began playing volleyball with a small group of students. The group increased in number as we encouraged the girls to participate. Eventually, there were about a dozen people playing bump. We demonstrated the proper hitting, bumping, and passing techniques to the students, so they could play more effectively without injuring themselves. It turned into quite a vigorous game.
Out at the pitch the boys had warmed up and were already having a match. With the extra balls other boys were training/practicing and enjoying the afternoon. They were even including children from the local primary school with whom St. Theresia shares the field. In another area students from Njoro primary were playing with their home-fashioned soccer balls made out of discarded plastic bags and bits of rubber bound together with either some sort of twine or extra piece of rubber.
In yet another area a group of fifteen or so girls were engaged in what appeared to be a game of chase which involved a two handed overhead pass to a partner followed by a short run to replace the other person some 10 metres away. It was quite strenuous as I quickly discovered. The girls were really enjoying the game and the opportunity to actively participate.
There must have been about 120 or more children in total between the secondary and primary students who were actively engaged in physical activity which has so many health benefits. This is a dramatic increase from the numbers of students who were similarly engaged when I started coming to the pitch with them almost two years ago. It was truly a fantastic sight to witness.
We will be attempting to acquire a volleyball net in the coming days, so that we can begin having matches and teaching more skills.