Zoom into AIA's After-School Program

Third Quarterly Summit

Hey there! In case you missed it, on the 17th of September Action in Africa (AIA) hosted its Third Quarterly Summit on Zoom. The summit was focused on the AIA After-school program and staff at the center spoke about the different activities that take place. Thanks to everyone that attended, and if you didn't, here is a rundown of everything that you missed. You can also watch the recording here on AIA’s youtube channel.

Team Introductions

The Summit kicked off with introductions from the AIA staff in Nakuwadde and in the USA; Sarah, Rebecca, Amber, Collin, Kimera, and the rest of the team introduced themselves before we took a deep dive into the After school program, where AIA opens the gates of The Center in Nakuwadde to 100-250 Students every school day to get help with their homework, participate in the Creative programs and have a nice warm cup of porridge.  

Homework

The after-school program always starts with us helping the kids with their homework, before all the fun starts everyone must do their homework, this part of the program is handled by Ms. Mary Nalweyiro AKA Mama Melan. Mama Melan is also the Head Chef of the AIA Center. She helps the young ones finish their homework before they get to do any other after-school activities.

Creative Programs

The after-school program advances a fundamental part of Education- Creativity. Sadly just like most education systems around the world, Uganda’s Education System is mostly rote learning, therefore AIA offers and facilitates a wide range of Creative programs that help the students relax from the long school day as well as learn useful, fun, and creative skills. Emphasis on Fun!

Acting and Drama sessions are facilitated by Acting professionals; Collins and Kimera AIA Staff who are both creative graduates, they spoke about their passion for Acting and how Action in Africa offers a great opportunity for students to explore their creative selves through Acting in different plays which are some times scripted by the students themselves.

Yoga Sessions are facilitated by Latif, a professional Yoga instructor that guides both the students’ and staff's yoga sessions. At the summit, Latif remarked that Yoga is a very healthy and relaxing activity, especially for kids, who can enjoy it more because of their flexibility.

Call this fate, but the famous zoom interruption happened during the Music Session coach Joseph’s speech, guess what was playing on someone’s unmuted mic- Beethoven’s Fur Elise. But when all the zoom drama was done, Joseph got a chance to talk about his program and how it contributes to the holistic development of the students especially in learning a skill like playing one of the instruments available in our music room; a piano, guitar, or flute.

Dance Activities are a popular part of the After school program. I got to share my experience having been part of these activities and how they were a very cool and attractive way to bring students to the AIA center. Sarah reminded me of the one time we got to perform at national celebrations of International children’s Day in 2017.

Porridge Programs

I am sure you have heard about our porridge program, you can read more about it here. Ms. Harriet Babirye AKA Mama Harriet is in charge of the After School Porridge program and she says rumor has it, that Action in Africa's Porridge is the best in the whole of Nakuwade. 

The last item on the After school program is a nice warm cup of porridge before the students go home, for a lot of the students this is usually their last meal so AIA ensures that it is always super nutritious and sweet with sugar and milk, it is prepared by Mama Harriet who spoke passionately about AIA‘s contribution to the community, highlighting that many parents in the community remark AIA’s major contribution to their children's Education, creativity and discipline.

With an interactive Q&A session; security concerns at the center were addressed and AIA’s Capacity to accommodate the growing number of students was one of the questions raised by the audience as we closed the summit. Our next summit shall be on December 10th at 8:30 AM MT / 5:30 PM EAT. You can register for it here. We hope you will be able to join us!