Kibuye Kids Clubs

by Julie

We teachers and parents work together daily to do our best to bring our children a good education, making sure they stay current with their core subjects.  But, as we all experienced growing up, school is much more than reading, writing and arithmetic.  

For our children, French and Kirundi are daily classes, as they are growing up in a tri-lingual community.  Burundi doesn’t have theatres or museums for fieldtrips, so we have added a “composers” class as well as an “artist” class to expand their knowledge and interaction with the arts. 

But what about extra-curricular activities?   Clubs?  Lindsay and Scott Nimmon (our teachers) had a great idea to add a few Clubs to our school program this year and opened it up to any adult team member who wanted to offer a club to our kids.  This provides the children an opportunity to explore something they may not normally focus on, as well as an opportunity to interact with other adults on the team. 

I saw this as an opportunity to offer Ballet to the younger girls.  While I am far from Prima Ballerina, it is something I have loved all my life.  Many good life lessons rest in ballet: self-control, self-awareness, poise, grace, and patience.  Plus, little girls just love to dance!  

We don’t have a studio, mirrors, or a ballet bar of course, but missionary kids are raised to be flexible… so we make do with what we have!

Another club offered this year is Chess Club.  Logan takes a little time away from the busyness of the hospital a few times a month to spend quality time with the kids who are interested in chess.  

Chess is a wonderful game that can be enjoyed by the amateur who has merely learned how each piece moves, or the experienced player who has studied the masters.  Logan does a great job of challenging each student on his or her own level.  

He creates puzzles for them to solve, lends his chess books to those that are interested, shares his unique collection of chess pieces, and reinforces the hard-to-learn lesson of winning and losing well.

Scott Nimmon is offering a Logic Club to those who are looking to challenge themselves mentally.   They explore the mind and how each person receives information and perceptions that follow.  

They make observations, tackle problems, and ask questions.  Good thinking skills will definitely benefit these students in their future education, careers, and relationships.

The kids are having a great time with their clubs and are already buzzing with ideas for clubs next semester.  These children are blessed to be surrounded by adults who have such diverse interests, experiences, and talents.  

Stay tuned for what clubs will be offered next semester… Gardening? Running? Film-making? Choir? Woodworking? Baking? Mechanics?  Just a few ideas being tossed around…we will see!