I went to Jamalpur to work with the women this time. They started a new batch in the sewing class in March. So I went and gave my health and hygiene lecture to both batches. I think this is really important to do, especially since culturally the women take care of the family and kids, and basically teach them everything they learn. So I started with this point - that whether it's as an older sister or a mother, they need to lead by example. Especially with these women, they understand and believe in being empowered, and that starts with education. The women were great. They engaged in the conversation well, especially since it was a small group so they asked lots of questions and made lots of comments. They seemed to acknowledge their shortcomings in this area and what all they should focus on being role models and teaching the next generation. Let's see if it actually sticks!
After that I went to the new Muslim tuition class - Rahim Sanskar Kendra. I just popped in to say hi and see how much they remembered from my health and hygiene lecture. They remembered a lot - even that you should brush for 3 minutes twice a day! Whether they actually practiced that or not is another story...then the kids told me they were going to learn English today. I wrote out the ABCs to see what they knew...it was actually really fun to see the kids getting excited about it! Then I asked them basic English words - like head, and they didn't know it! So I taught them the song Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes...it was an utter mess, but it was lots of fun! I had them give themselves a round of applause after, because it was their first time singing a song in English. But I am of the belief that these kids should not be learning English right now. The kids who cannot read and write in Gujarati should focus on that, not learning English. It was lots of fun spending time with the kids and seeing them so happy and excited about learning something :)
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