GVI Phoenix volunteers run the schools in Ecuador as the teachers have a conference.

Due to a teachers´ conference in Loja, it was left to the volunteers to run the schools this past week! Without their dedication, the children would have received no education, reaffirming the importance of our continued long-term presence in the communities, with or without the local teachers.

The weather has finally changed, with hot sun and cloudless skies replacing last week’s torrential rain and cold, meaning two layers instead of four!

In Larcacunga, Patrick worked with grades 2 and 3 while long-term volunteer Tom Mortimer took grade 1 as usual. A surprise sight one morning was seeing 7th grade Lisa, stick in hand, walking her family´s cows through the playground like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The kids revelled in having the playground to themselves without the older ones...even Frank Johnny was getting involved in a little footy match. Seeing the kids enjoying themselves and having the extra responsibility without Lucila, the local teacher, was very rewarding

In Urcusiqui, it was decided the only way to succeed in teaching 60 kids for the week was for Victoria Allison, another long-term volunteer, to take the lower 4 classes and for Gita to spend time upstairs with the older kids, which worked well.

For the younger students in the mornings the focus was on vowels and being able to identify them in storybooks, simple addition problems, new vocabulary and handwriting whilst in the afternoon the focus shifted to bingo and board races with simple sums, paintings of their community, word-search´s and the occasional physical education session.

Wednesday brought it´s own issues with no mum turning up to help cook lunch, so Gita, spent the day in the kitchen with two of the girls, Ida and Marcia. Armed with a vague idea of what to cook, when and how, Gita did an excellent job with not a child going hungry!

After a slow start for Kat and volunteer Alex Spain in Huayrapungo, with Monday's turnout of seven (including Kevin and Edwin, 2 pre-schoolers) and no more than two of these seven in the same class, the week went well, culminating on the last day with two groups consisting of three different grades each, with Alex taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade, and Kat taking 4th to 7th grade.

On Wednesday and Thursday, there was a distinct varied range of ages, though managed it through Senorita Katelina's different activities including a bit of DIY art involving most of the local plants and drawing chalk outlines of bodies in the playground and labeling the various body parts etc.

GVI Phoenix volunteers run the schools in Ecuador as the teachers have a conference.