Camp Sky Success Story

I am happy to report that Camp Sky 2009 was an absolute success!! I know it occurred nearly two months ago and apologize for not having written a blog entry to fill you in.

We had nearly one hundred students, including junior counselors (those who participated last year) and this year’s campers. The students had a fabulous time. We had to shorten the length of the camp a bit which meant that we volunteers had to fit as much into as little time as possible. I think we did a great job, our cooperation and often sleepless nights really paid off in the end for our students.

The camp was held at Lilongwe Girls Academy, a government school in the capital city. The location was great and the facilities were amazing. I served as the Dorm Amayi (Dorm Mother) for the girls hostel and had a great time singing songs with the girls, making sure they were ready for classes and activities, instructing them on the use of indoor plumbing and wishing them goodnight when it was time for lights out.

Upon arrival, each student was placed into a group based upon their career interest: Environment, Health, Public Service or Business. Their core and extra-curricular classes were focused on these areas. For example, I taught Physical Science for the business track and in doing so talked about the use and manufacturing of organic compounds and the chemistry behind soap-making, which I demonstrated in class as a potential IGA (income generating activity).

Other activities included astronomy class, a disco (dance), sports, field trips to the airport and Mawian National Monuments, Tae Kwon Do, Salsa Dancing, and an awesome interactive performance with a Malawian Drumming Group.

All in all the camp was educational and a ton of fun! Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures to share yet but I plan on getting them in about two weeks time and will definitely post them then!

Thank you again to my friends, family and the Northern Illinois Poker Tournament who donated to the Camp Sky fund on the Friends of Malawi website. Your contribution really made a difference in the lives of our students!