After an early start from the farm we decided to stop off in the St Marks area to await instructions for the day. This came through just after 8:00 and we proceeded to Cofimvaba first to find a dirt road that was the start a journey that was certainly one of the most memorable trips of all the school visits for me. It was close to 4×4 roads despite small sedans coming down the road towards us.
We crawled in first gear on many occasions passing many children waving at us from other schools and huts. The further we went the higher we climbed necessitating more and more stops to take in the breath taking views of the area. At one point we started to descend with a vulture flying past us at eye level. Everyone was so excited at these events and the anticipating grew as we entered the poort to find a small school nestled in a very small community. The quality of the houses indicated a lower income relative to the other communities but this did not detract from the warm welcome that we received.
The decision was taken to host the demonstration in the open air once again to facilitate greater interaction rather that the traditional classroom demonstrations. The table was arranged so that it was half in the sun and half in the shade to facilitate the solar demonstration. This time all demonstrations were completed and all aspects of the demonstration were interlinked with the Hydrogen Fuel cells.
Key points from this visit include the fact that some of the university students had not seen a long drop as a toilet in the past and went to view one out of interest. The principal also noted that this was the first time that many learners had seen a “white” person in this community which fascinated the learners. The girls also reported that they were not accustomed to the learners touching their hair to see what it felt like and yet they created quite a stir when they moved around to see the school after the demonstrations.
Wherever there is a camera one is mobbed by excited learners keen to get their pictures taken. It is something special to see and experience first-hand the joy in the faces. This continues to create mixed emotions for me every time I go into a school of this nature.
| Sidubipoort | ||||||||
| 26-Aug | ||||||||
| Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8 | Grade 9 | |||||
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | |
| 11 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | |||||
| 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||||
| 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 15 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| 17 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| 18 | 1 | |||||||
| 19 | ||||||||
| 14 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 10 | |
| 22 | 10 | 16 | 18 | |||||
| 66 | ||||||||