Dreams

"We have been working on a car since school started this term. We completed it on Sunday, we will be going for a test drive today. We want to pick our mother at the market this afternoon. We will build a house tomorrow. We are building our future"

The Abia Community( Prampram)

"My father is very hardworking. He shows keen interest in our education. He makes sure we all get up early and get us prepared for school. I have 4 siblings, the first one graduated from high school recently, the second one is in high school and the other two are with me in the primary school.

I mostly study under this bright street light. Sometimes the other neighbors come and join me study. Last week, most of my friends came around ,we shared so much jokes, I couldn't complete my homework. I convinced them to come along with their books and comport themselves when they come.
 These days, I make sure we all complete our assignments and revise our notes before we leave for our various homes.
We are getting on well, they call me Headmistress now. Very soon we will be running a big evening school in our community. I am proud of myself for discovering this spot"

Prampram D/A Basic School. (Episode 9)

"He's very gentle and nice but he has problems with his hand writing. He finds it difficult to write on the blue line. He doesn't have electricity at home so I mostly help him with his home work right after class.
I found a new method yesterday that will help him do a neat work. I will put my finger on the red line, that way he won't be able to write outside the green line. I've done it for the past 7 minutes and we haven't used the eraser since we started. I think I will maintain this till I find a new method."

Prampram D/A Basic School. (Episode 8)

"On Mondays I feel different. I get the feeling everything is going to restart again, the long classes, the test, class work, home works and the lashes.
Most Mondays, I keep my bag in front so as to control my heart beat. Today will be different. We are writing exams so we will not stay in school as long as we used to. There will not be home works either. This is to give us enough time to prepare for the next paper.
I have a math paper tomorrow and that means my brother will have to wake me up at dawn and help me practice some math. I feel lazy sometimes but I know he wants the best for me"

Weekend Vibes.

Great Young Men!

Prampram D/A Basic School. (Episode 7)

"Its Friday again,we had an early class in the morning and went for the weekly Singing Service immediately after our first class. We are glad the service finally came to a close. Hunger almost took away our attention at the Singing Service.
We have to hurry up and return the bowls so that the next batch will be able to eat. We have a football match with our seniors today. We hope to beat them"

Prampram D/A basic School. (Episode 6. 2/2)

"Our parents brought us up very well. My father never laid a hand on my mother. We have always been a happy family. My father takes my twin sisters to school every morning before he goes to work. He has much respect for education and quite different from the other men in my community. My mother sells food to the fishermen and fishmongers. She does other businesses too.
Recently, my teacher said, "ladies who do not get higher education are normally been taken advantage of by their partners" My heart beats and I get scared when I think of it, I see my sister ending up like that if she does not change her mind.
I want to further my education after here. My deepest fear is to give up on my schooling and end up  like my older siblings. They are not doing bad but I feel they can earn enough if they further their education.
 I wake up very early these days and read my notes before I join the 30 minutes route to school. I don't want to end up like my older siblings and I don't want them to be victims of what my teacher mentioned the other time. These days, I pray God changes their mind and return to school someday.
 I am not really certain about my future career but I know I want to setup a big business, help the young girls in my community and build a better house for my family someday"

Prampram D/A Basic School. (Episode 6. 1/2)

"I am in for 1. I am the 4th of 7 children. My older siblings dropped out of school after J.H.S. They are all working now. My brothers come home on weekends.
My big sister is very hardworking and disciplined. She is very different from the girls in my community. I believe she will go far if she continues her education but she doesn't want to further her education anyway. She's been working for almost 3 years now. She never complains of the load of work.
I am afraid she will end up working for people all her life since she hasn't got much education and hardly speaks up. The 5th child is different from all of us,she prefers to sit behind a book than to run errands. She seems to be very focused. We know she will go far."

Prampram D/A Basic School. ( Episode 5)

Today in micro-fashion.

Prampram D/A Basic School (Episode 4)

"I have been working with the lower primary for a very long time. Such classes are mostly managed by older teachers since it is assumed they have more time, patience and work with little children better.
I don't like office work, it keeps you tensed up and you can't forget your problems. It comes with too much pressure and seriousness. I like working with the children, they make me forget my worries. There is always something to laugh about. I barely go to the Staff Room, I don't want to miss the fun in class. The children are very smart and interesting.
Anytime I have a bad day at home or receive a phone call that negatively affects my mood, I know the classroom is the remedy to my problem. The classroom is the cure.
It has solved all my problems, it is my counselor. I find happiness here.
 Recently, one of the kids did something that made me laugh out loud so much that I started shedding tears, I had to stay outside the class for a while. I was scared they will stop doing all the things they did to heal and make me happy if they saw tears coming from my eyes."

Prampram D/A Basic School. Episode 3.

"I am in form 1. I am the only boy in the school who puts on a blue short to class. I'm very popular in the school.My friends call me "Ashaiman". Some say I walk and dress like a "gangster". The children in the lower school are my fans. They always come to me when people bully them, I don't fight back,I just warn the bullies.
I love to make  things out of wood, I work with a carpenter now. My friends normally tease me about my love for carpentry but the last time a nail tore a lady's dress, I was the first person who was called to take it out. I help the teachers and my colleagues at home sometimes. The job can't be done without Ashaiman's hand.
I am not really good at classroom work. I had a poor primary school education. I was also very truant in school and I am paying for all of that now. There are many things my colleagues in class can do that I can't. I don't feel different among them, I am able to work with them and a few help me sometimes.
I love carpentry because it puts money in my pocket. I go to the workshop after school each day but I don't get the chance to learn a lot. These days I don't come to school on Fridays, I spend the whole day with my master. I saw you at the primary block on Thursday,and I heard you will be coming again on Friday,so I told my master after school I have a test on Friday.
 This Friday was quite different from the others, I enjoyed the class and had the chance to play soccer again. Maybe, I will have to tell my master to let me work full time on weekends"

Prampram D/A Basic School

"I am in class 4. I am the shortest student in the class but the smartest among the rest. My mother runs a provision store in town. I assist her at the store after class everyday. I mostly help with writing all the names of items that people normally ask for when they come around but my main job is to assist customers who can't communicate in the local language. Most of the customers like me, they normally allow me to keep the change. I make more money on weekends because I stay longer.
Sometimes, people come to buy on credit, others try to play tricks on me when they come, a few come to beg but a large number pay fully. Recently, a friend helped me design and paste "Items are not sold on credit" on the gate of the store. I can't tell if it wasn't seen or it wasn't understood but I know since the day it was pasted, more people come in to buy on credit. I think I will have to explain  the phrase to my mother this weekend.
 I love working at the store. It helps me with calculations and I get to meet and talk to many people. I get lots of advice from the older people too. I had the highest score in Math recently. Someday when I grow taller into a woman like my mother, I want to have a bigger store and make lots of money"

Prampram D/A Basic School (Episode 1)

"We have been friends since class 4. We are in form 1 now. His mother is always scared to see him stand on my bike this way,so he meets me a few meters from his house every morning. I don't have a bell on my bike,so he mostly makes a funny noise when people cross our path. We ride around for about 30 minutes visiting friends before we finally set off home.
 We don't have much chores because our elder siblings are mostly around. Last term I took the 5th position in class while he was 4th. This term,we both want to set a new record, we want to take the first position. I'm very good at math, he loves reading but I still help him with his math home work.

The last time we fought,he walked 2 miles home alone and I pushed my bicycle home alone. Since that day, we've been looking out for each other. We are more like brothers now. He wants to be a Doctor and I want to be a Pilot. We have big dreams too"