A volunteer mother building fire for two pots of Arroz Caldo (rice soup), a favorite Filipino dish on Saturday. (More pics after story)By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
A Friend of Tembari Children
THE Tembari schoolchildren have started their special tutoring on Saturday.
A weekend affair, the activity aims to help them cope better with their respective day-to-day school activities.
This year, Tembari has 74 schoolchildren enrolled in different schools in Port Moresby. Some of the school fees were paid for by the Children’s Foundation and some were paid by the money raised by Rishabh Bhandari, Founder and Co-President of TCC while he is in the USA.
Majority of them are attending the Wardstrip elementary and primary schools in Gordon, Port Moresby.
Janet Tema, Tembari’s administrator came up with the idea of Saturday tutoring after five of the preschoolers, who graduated last year, were immediately moved to Grade 5 and 6 – all because they are already in their early teens.
Janet felt that the move from preschool to Grade 4 and 5, instead of settling in Grade 1, which is the normal process, would be tough for the five children.
She said the five kids – Nicholas Hivi, 15; Rua Raymono, 14, Joyce Nancy, 13; Audrey Steven, 12; and Emily Pange, 13 – just had a year of experience in school at Tembari’s preschool but were made to by-pass Grade 1 to go up to Grade 4 and 5 levels instead of taking Grade 1.
These kids entered the preschool at ages 12, 13, 14 and 15 – a first in their lives.
“They could suffer from Grade 4 and 5 shocks … “ Janet said.
Yesterday’s first-ever Saturday tutoring class concentrated on phonetics, aimed at helping the kids pronounce English words correctly.
I observed them for a while they pronounced the words written on the blackboard and my impression was that I thought they had a good training while they were at preschool under three teachers.
The first session lasted for more than two hours, held while I was cooking the day’s special lunch of Arroz Caldo, a favorite Filipino dish.
With the Saturday tutoring, something that many community-based schoolchildren in PNG not experience, Tembari’s children could perform better in their respective grade levels.
We would like to commend Janet, our administrator, for taking this important initiative that I’m sure would further help our children in their studies.
Education, as they say, is a big step towards becoming a good and citizen.
Truly, the Tembari children are off to a good start, thanks to our generous supporters and sponsors.
This is something we, at Tembari, are proud of.
Volunteer mothers busy themselves with cooking the day’s special lunch.
A pot of boiling arroz caldo (rice porridge) being garnished with sliced cabbage and snake beans.
Two pots boiling at the same time … soon its contents would be devoured by our hungry kids.
An old man, one of the volunteers at Tembari, poses for a picture, with some old tires showing in the background.
A Tembari boy helps cleaning rice grains that are soiled.
… while other kids play with used tires …while waiting for lunch to cook.
Children collecting 10 bags of rice from the blogger APH’s car. They are a donation from some Filipino friends.
Tembari preschoolers kill time inside the classroom while waiting for lunch to cook.
Older kids looking bored while waiting for lunch.
While these girls play nursery games …
Schoolchildren carry chairs to the classroom to prepare for their Saturday special tutoring to help them cope with their day to day school activities.
Children fall in line to wash their hands before lunch.
Children fall in line to wash their hands before lunch.
Children crowding over a basin of water.
Two mothers carry a pot of arroz caldo.
Mom scoops arroz caldo into a food bowl.
Food bowls to go…
Kids having lunch while sitting on the blue mat.
Kids carry chairs out of the classroom after their Saturday tutoring. (All pics by ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea)
Email the writer: alfredophernandez@thenational.com.pg
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