We've pulled desks together for some unscripted fun while waiting for other teachers to join us. We're visiting Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi with a group of teachers from the U.S. to celebrate the opening of Ebenezer Academy and to put on a teacher's workshop on trauma-informed classrooms.

A School of Excellence

As IAFR, we've been walking with our friends here in the camp from the inception of the dream for a school like this—a school of excellence, where every child has a desk and a workbook and every teacher has a textbook to teach from. The classroom walls are freshly painted, and the rooms contain new desks and blackboards. The teaching staff has been hired and is eager to begin teaching when the school opens in September. I am so excited to see our shared investment coming to fruition. This school will give children quality education and empower teachers with resources and spaces that edify learning.

Dream Trip Come True

"Neema, do you have a song?" I watch her shyly turn her face away, uncertain. But soon, she steps into the fun and leads a song, too.

I watch these teachers from different schools in the camp and across the world brought together in this moment of singing and dancing to tunes of playful learning songs.

It is another dream come true for me to take teachers from the States on a trip to this part of the world to share in the joy and celebration of people I love so much as they realize their goals and dreams for educating the children of Dzaleka.

Circle of Hope

Photo: IAFR team with some pupils and teachers in Dzaleka

As I pause to see Dzaleka through the eyes of my friends who make it their home, I am inspired, once again, by the incredible beauty, resilience, and hope they carry in spite of their stories of displacement and hardship.

In the rich singing and laughter of the teachers preparing for a new school year and the humbling awe I witness as teachers from the States bear witness to the courage and investment of teachers in Dzaleka, I know I am privileged to be part of this circle of hope.

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