Joseph took a picture of me and the girls....behind us you can see other visitors still arriving...
Rebecca and Monica are both in form two and are part of the more than 11 students who have benefited from the CML Scholarship Program this year. They were particularly glad that we took with us bread and margarine for them to eat. Kids love when you visit and take with you something to eat that is not in their normal school menu. This was like a surprise to them because am known to forget that bit especially when I visit alone....I think Joseph made me remember.
I also took to the girls some of the text books that they had informed us were needed. The text books are part of the initial stock for the CML Library, which is a component of the envisioned CML Resource Center. The students get to borrow from the few supplies of text books and other materials that we have on stock. Due to the limited library resources we have at the moment, priority is so far given to the beneficiaries of the CML Scholarship Program. Otherwise, we intend the library to serve all as many students as possible.
Below are Monica(in red top) and Rebecca... behind them you can see other girls chatting with their visitors...
Monica is a true Sanguine...behind her are some visitors waiting for the students by the administration block...
Below is Joseph waiting patiently in the vehicle...
In a boarding situation, the visiting day serves various purposes:
The students get to talk personally to the parents/guardians. This offers an opportunity for students to share their personal and even academic challenges with the parents/guardians. Students get to receive replenishment of consumable supplies and needed books. Students get to socialize with family members. It offers a break from the monotonous school routine and studies. Parents/guardians get to counsel with and encourage the students.
The sad part is when a student fails to receive an expected visitor. They may get affected emotionally for some days thereafter. Failure to be visited may be misconstrued by a student even if it was due to some genuine or unavoidable circumstances. Rebecca's father, the only surviving parent could not manage to visit because of lack of finances, but thank God Joseph and I were there for her. We even called the dad for them to chat for a while over the phone. She was thrilled.
Many students asked to use my cellphone to find out if somebody was coming or not, and why they were delaying if at all they were on their way to visit. I was glad to have them use my cellphone to connect to their loved ones.
We encourage parents/guardians to visit the kids on the visiting days at the boarding schools. It makes them feel loved, cared for and thought of. The sense of belonging that comes with being visited has an impact on the student's self esteem. They get to feel that the family is interested in them and their studies.
They longed for us to visit for the whole day, but we had to leave after 2 hours because of other commitments. Other parents get to visit for most of the day depending on their schedule.
It was a blessing to be there for the girls.
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