5 schools and around 150 students

To date, around 150 children have been taught some photography skills and 5 classrooms in 5 schools have had the opportunity think about the environment and how they can show Canadian children what they are doing to help theirs, thought the kids to kids program.  

Well it has been an epic three weeks here in Jorhat working with Prakiti: Save Nature, and the school kids here.  It has been a learning experience for me and great teaching experiences too.  I am so honored to have had the opportunity to partner with a great NGO here that is really doing some great work, in the education of farmer and now with school kids to raise the awareness of organic practices and sentimental awareness. 

Teaching in Assam is really a joy but a challenge as I am not a quick learner of languages so the support and teamwork that made this program happen was really important.  Each of my explanations needed to be translated and explained in such a why that would be understandable to the kids and with the support of many of the  Prakiti volunteers this was possible. Mahan a major volunteer and organizer with  Prakiti has been my partner in this process and has helped me with the classes and understanding ways to teach so that the kids will learn better.  When I watch him speak on matters regarding the environment the kids are just spellbound and really enjoy his talks, so this is really inspirational to me.  My classes are covering simple things such as how to turn the camera on and take a photo along with some examples of how to take better photos.  Letting the kids have time to use the cameras is most important and then trying to give them some one on one examples, but this is hard as there are more 30 students and more the 14 cameras in use at one time.  Keeping them all charged and running and getting the photos off the cameras and printed has been a full time job on its own. 

When I arrived at the school there would always be a major commotion, as the kids would come out to the western woman.  Smiling faces and long stairs and giggles and screams of from the little kids they are always so funny. The older kids all say “hello Mama” and that is also quite funny and cute too. 

I think my favorite day is the last day when we go to a kid’s house to do a field day.  We gather and the kid that lives there are asked to name a tree in their name and plant it in their yard.  They have a lot of fun with the and I think take it really serenely, as I think Mohan does a great job at explaining the importance of this friendship and responsibility of the life of this tree to the child.  Then the kids are asked to take photos of the house and family and most importantly cultural things that make Assamese life unique.  The photographing of things like hand looms and silk spinners is always a hit with the kids.  Then at the end of the class we have been asking the kids if anyone knows a song or can do a performance for us.  Some have been class prayers other traditional songs from tribal communities and in one school a boy did an outstanding job of a theatrical monologue.  I am really looking forward to cutting these all together.

The last two days of being in Jorhat we have visited two of the schools and worked on the collages for the kids to kids project.   What we have asked from each class of kids is to make a 4 page collage.  One page for kids and friends, one for the school, one for the home life and culture and last one for environment and good works they have done to help the environment.  This has been like a full circle and a good conclusion to see then kids getting to choose their photos they want the Canadian kids to see.  I am so looking forward to seeing what the Canadian kids have to present to the Assamese kids back.

Leigh Ann and Onyx arrived today in Digboy and I will join then tomorrow and start the next leg of my journey.  We will spend some days in the Singpho villages doing working with the school kids there on the kids to kids project as well.  That will take about a week and then we will make the very long and bumpy ride up to Sodyia were we will spend another week doing this work as well.  I am really looking forward to having a team of us doing this project and really to let Onyx do some of the teaching and playing with the kids.  I think this will be a life changing experience for him and Leigh Ann along with the kids that get to have time with them. 

On the 26^th we all come back to Jorhat to have a final celebration and inauguration of  Prakiti: Save Nature. This will be in the afternoon and some of the children will be there to talk about their experience and most of all show off their wonderful collages.  These collages and Leigh Ann, Onyx, Kel and Peggy will be going back to Canada from there and that will end Canadians teaching the Kids to Kids project for this year at least from this side.  I think there will be a flurry of activities once they all return and so does the spring and greenery to Courtenay.  

Well as they say let “let the journey continue” 

Sarah Kerr