Clever Cubs School

Here at Na/an Kuse we have a small school for the kids of the staff/bushmen that work on the sanctuary. Given that we are located an hours drive from the city, these kids had no/limited access to the education they deserved. So in 2009, the Clever Cubs School was set up to educate the little ones (before going to school in Windhoek) and help the older kids with their home work after school.

Over the past couple of weeks i’ve dropped by quite often. The kids are really great and always have a huge grin on their faces. I’m one of the few volunteers who enjoys playing with the kids!! On that note, I’m already their favorite. This however does have its consequences! I can’t pass the school without the kids running out and shouting my name and persuading me to push them on the swings or throw them around on the trampoline. 

Playing with the kids!

The Classroom

Funny Faces!

And Again!

Some afternoons I skip my activity to help out at the school. Helping the older ones with math and physics, and the younger ones with simple addition (Elliot you could join this group!). After 15 minutes they finish their homework and play outside. Yesterday, after refusing to get my face painted by them for about 20 minutes, I finally gave up and let one of the girls, Jessica, paint my face… The moment I sat on the chair I had about 14 hands and brushes completely smothering my face with paint… soo much for the lion face paint!!

Its all good fun though, you have volunteers who go there (on a 6 group rota one of the afternoon activities is school) and sit and watch the kids and have no interest in them at all, and then theres people who play with them, have fun, and make the most of the experience!

I have also found out that being in fluent in Dutch really, really helps! Given that Afrikaans is based on the Dutch language, I can understand about 80% of what they say and what they have to read. They do also speak very good english but its always a plus to know their local language!