Tuesday May 22nd 2001 and I was about to begin my first day at Kigaa School. Imelda had reversed the car out of the garage ready for me to drive to school. What a nightmare - the roads??? Were dreadful and there were people walking everywhere. The worst moment was when there were people both sides of the road and the only vehicle we saw came straight towards me. At the entrance to the school there is a huge hump and a gully to avoid - by this time Imelda was white!

In spite of this I had a wonderful day and everyone was so friendly. I had taken several sponge balls and some skipping ropes with me and the Headmaster and I took them to the nursery class. Their little faces were wonderful. Thy have so few toys to play with and even though there really were not enough balls to go around they had such fun chasing after them, playing football and other games.

I spent most of my first day there marking and talking to the staff. One of them told me that after fifteen years teaching his annual salary was ?720 (UK?s).

The conditions in school are very difficult. There is no water or electricity and very few resources. Everyday children have to collect water from the river which is used to damp down the dust in the classrooms as well as for washing and drinking. Mostly it is very dry and the dust blows into the classrooms as there is no glass in the windows. But when it anis, as it did whilst I was there, the whole site becomes an orange quagmire. Nobody warned me not to wear white!

One of the teachers invited me to jump, fortunately he didn't mean that and I helped him take here classes (about 150 children) for PE. As they have no apparatus this involved races around the field. The children not running at the time sat in a huge circle which marked the track. There were some excellent young athletes, but I don't know how they ran so fast in the hat. At the end of the races all the children sang to me. In fact they sang to me whatever the occasion.

I taught some English grammar, a little maths and science, but it was so different to my teaching experiences in England. It as mainly "chalk and talk" because those were the most easily available resources. In maths we measured curved edges with pieces of grass and straight with "Rosie and Jim" rulers supplied by Julie. But the children were enthusiastic and bright, and very eager to learn and I had a lovely time talking to them and leaning from them too.

It is hard to imagine how some of these children survive. If they cannot pay their school fees they are sent home and some of the older girls are particularly vulnerable.

Obviously I took lots of photographs and all the children want to be in them. Wherever I went there were crowds of children - I felt like the Pied Piper! It was almost impossible to take natural photographs because as soon as I appeared with a camera they would stop whatever they were doing and pose, and within seconds there would be dozens of children all trying to get in the shot.

My last day at school was a day of mixed emotions. One of the classes sang and danced for me and in of the songs they had inserted the words "Jose we love you". It was wonderful. I spent the afternoon surrounded by children and when I tried to escape to the staff room they crowded around the door. At then end of the day the whole school gathered together and sang to me again and waved and waved. I was looking forward to seeing my family in England but I knew I would miss these beautiful children and their wonderful teachers. This was something I had wanted to do since I left school - and I can't wait to return.

Jose Hendly