Chipulukusu School

Lots of good things are happening at the Chipulukusu school! The enrollment is up to 291 and they have capped registration knowing they cannot handle more children. They hold two sessions everyday – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

I was super impressed with the way the teachers have organized the program. They are now giving the children an exam (I obtained a copy) at the end of each term. In the past a 50% pass rate allowed the child to progress to the next term. The teachers themselves have determined that a 50% standard is too low and they are planning to raise it to 60% and eventually to 70%. They have created a nice form to track each student's test results.

They have now completed weighing and measuring all of the children for the second term. In reviewing the report I noticed most of the children had gained 1 or 2 kgs (2.2 lbs = 1 kg). There were several, however that had lost 3 - 5 kgs in weight. A huge loss! The teachers said the children who had lost weight had been very sick. They are now back in school however and recovering.

We continue to hear sad stories about the orphans. One of the teachers told me some of the orphans are kept home from school to work and make money. They are told if you don't work you can't have food. Those children especially want to come to school because they know they will receive a good lunch.