Mzuzu "ragamuffins"
What happens to retired teachers?
They play golf, bridge, paint, walk and holiday...
Well, none of the above for Mary Coyne - except for the bridge!!
Her newfound passion is a group of “ragamuffins” who ambushed her emotions at an after school SJOG project for “street children” in Mzuzu, Malawi, when she visited in early December 2005.
She travelled to do some work on the wellsforZoë, water project, but will now “abandon” husband John in the water project for the new love in her life, the gang .
The former primary Teacher, Deputy Principal, Learning Support teacher and part time Lecturer in Education at Trinity College, Dublin, has decided that she could help the project and local teacher training in Mzuzu. We reckon that 25 years of “hugs” in Bawnogue and 9 years of helping young teachers in Trinity won't go astray. (The real reason is that she's not too good on small bridges.
Umoza After School and Summer Club, Mzuzu, Malawi
Children are the same the world over, whether it is ‘Cara' After School Club, Bawnogue, Clondalkin or ‘Umoza' After School/Summer Club, Mzuzu, Malawi. The ‘Umoza' programme promotes the rehabilitation of street children in Mzuzu city through identification, assessment, counselling, repatriation, and reconciliation with families, placement in schools and follow up.
My first introduction to Br. Aidan's street children was in the market area. They greeted him warmly and somewhat shyly. Peter Gondue assured Aidan he would be back to the club ‘soon' and sure enough he was there in the afternoon. He was one of the sixteen youngsters, from 7-17 years, I met on Friday November 25th, at the afternoon Summer Project Club.
Wezzie (Gift) Mzumara is eight years old. She has two sisters and two brothers. She was ‘found' in the market place having been ‘chased' away from home due to lack of food, by her mothers new husband, following her fathers death, She survived on waste maize and rice collected from the gullies in the market place. She carried large sacks on her head to the bus station for the traders and was taken advantage of physically and sexually. Luckily, Daniel one of Aidans' ‘Umoza' programme workers found her. After a change of clothes and a good meal Wezzie was reunited with a family member with assurances of continued support. She has returned to school and is now a regular at the club. She attends school and loves maths. She is the chess champion and enjoyed beating Daniel and ‘Wonderful'.
Wonderful is sixteen years old, and is a helper at the project. Br. Aidan is funding his secondary education. Wonderful was ‘found' in the local prison where he spent two months for stealing from his father to feed his mother, who was chased from home when his Dad took a new wife.
Janet is a lively twelve years old. She smiled continuously and wanted me to be her friend. She too loves school and wants to be a nurse because she loves the nurse's hat! Janet has three brothers and six sisters. She is the youngest. After a fight with her best friend Judith she dropped out of school. She was living on the streets when she too was rescued and brought to Br. Aidan's Club. Contact was made with her elderly mother and Janet was coaxed back to school, with ongoing outreach support available. She said it was better now that she was back in school, as she was away from the beer drinking and the fights at home, as her sisters brew and sell beer.
Janet and Wezzie sang two songs for me, which Daniel translated:
‘You come, God is calling you,
You come, God is calling you,
Thank John of God for the opportunity,
To be together as children and share.'
The football team returned from their game - fourteen ragamuffins! Their smiles were infectious especially when they realised I wanted to take their photographs, for their John of God friends back in Ireland. They lined up like pros! Afterwards they introduced themselves individually to me and told me what they enjoyed most about their club – table tennis, chess, bao (a Malawian board game), rounders, football, singing, dancing, and going on outings. Soon they had changed back into their own clothes, which they had earlier washed and hung out to dry, and were on their way back to the streets! Some sleep in the bus station and others just find space somewhere. Daniel felt it was easier for the boys as they form gangs and hang out together!
Robert Chirambo stammered as he introduced himself. He was the oldest, sixteen or seventeen years old. He suffers from epilepsy and is on medication. He was so shy and endearing.
Thomson Kayange, aged eleven, and Br. Aidan had a chat and then posed for their photograph. Thomson's mother remarried and her new husband ‘chased' himself and his two sisters away. They live alone but their mother visits them. Like Wezzie he too lived on waste rice and maize collected from the gullies. The outreach programme provides school support (a uniform and shoes) and guardian support as they fend for themselves.
Vitumbiko Ng'andu, seven years old, was the youngest I met. (I wanted to bring him home) His sister, twelve years old, and himself were ‘chased away' by their stepfather, when their father died. He was scavenging for waste food in the market place when Daniel first met him.
Daniel is the programme coordinator. He was a teacher in the local school, but had to leave, as he couldn't live and support his family on the low wages. He is very happy working with Br. Aidan and hopes to continue after his probation year. He hopes to study social work and counselling, to help him in his work. He had a great rapport with the children, and was gentle and encouraging of their efforts.
I had a wonderful afternoon with my new found friends. As you can see from the photographs I was truly at home! I'll be back for the handing over of the football and netball T-shirts. I placed my order with the t-shirt workers in the John of God Vocational Training Centre.
