Catching up

What a difference a few weeks make. Less than six weeks ago we were eagerly (very eagerly!) awaiting the arrival of our (late) little child! Five weeks ago we were in hospital, trying to get to grips with having a (very) strong and determined (not easily feeding) baby boy. Four weeks ago we were at home, dazed by the reality that we were now parents and have to try to cope with looking after this boy ‘alone’. Three weeks ago we were in the midst of Christmas celebrations, enjoying family help and ‘encouraging’ our boy to do as we were and keep on eating! Two weeks ago we were back in Devon again, trying to get into more of a routine. And last week we all, most importantly baby boy as well, started to relax a little more and things became a little easier!

We’d like to think that maybe we’re starting to get to grips with things as they are but we know (as all our friends and family are ‘happy’ to tell us) nothing stays the same when there’s a baby around! Tomorrow will be different, next week more so, and in a month's time… maybe we’ll have a little man on our hands!

Although, as ever, most things in our life are still very unsettled, one thing that is sure is the fact that we will be moving to Thame at the end of the month! Whilst another move is daunting, we hate packing (you may have thought we’d have got used to it by now but we haven’t!) and it’s always very tiring to have to ‘start again’ in a new place, we are looking forward to having ‘our’ own place again and starting another chapter of our lives.

A few months ago we wrote a short bit about what we might be doing when we arrive in Thame. We’d love to be able to share more about that, however at the moment things are still very much ‘up in the air’. There are lots of practicalities that need to be sorted out and so we probably won’t have more details to share until we’ve moved and Matt is ready to submit his dissertation. One thing we do know is there is lots of work that needs doing and so we are confident we can find some way to be of use! On the topic of Matt’s dissertation he is back at his desk working away, eagerly trying to put the ‘finishing’ touches to his paper. While he may not finish it before we move, he still aims to hand it in soon after our arrival in Thame.

In other news (as if there is any that isn't about Levi!), amongst our packing, we will celebrate Liz’s first birthday as a mum on Thursday! As ever we love hearing your news so please do write when you can. 

New beginnings

So, as feared/expected/promised it has been some time since we last wrote a blog! Thankfully we have a pretty good ‘excuse’ for not being as active online as usual. We hope that most/all of you will already know that just in time for Christmas we were blessed with the arrival of our first child, Levi James Wisbey. We are still getting used to being parents (does that ever stop?!) and so this Christmas period has been challenging and exciting in equal but different ways!

We’ve managed to get a few pictures online (at last) so if you’d like to see our son just click here. We hope that we’ll be able to introduce many of you to him in person over the coming weeks and months. Please continue to pray for us all as we all get used to our different roles and responsibilities at this time! We will endeavour to update some more in the New Year.

All three of us wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy start to 2012.

Changing steps

As we mentioned in our latest newsletter, we will be changing direction next year with Matt probably taking up an assignment focusing on literacy work in Asia. We wanted to take a moment to explain a little more how this might look and to introduce the group he will possibly be working with.

As with any large organisation working in different parts of the world Wycliffe partners with other organisations (both local and international) that hold similar values. As we’ve mentioned before Wycliffe’s primary partner is SIL International, with whom we worked in Mbeya as part of the Uganda-Tanzania Branch of SIL. We are currently pursuing the possibility of Matt’s new assignment being with another regional unit of SIL, LEAD Asia (which stands for Language, Education and Development). This team is working to help minority language groups access development opportunities in all areas of their lives. You can read more about LEAD here.

One large obstacle stopping minority language communities develop in ways that they want to is the opportunity for them to access education in a language that they understand well. Mother tongue based multilingual education (MTB MLE, or just MLE for short!), of which literacy is a huge part, is central to helping many communities around the world access development opportunities. If you’re interested in how and why, take a few minutes to check out this great presentation from UNESCO on why ‘Education Counts’.

Whilst this change in assignment may involve a change in geographical focus, it will allow Matt a real opportunity while based in the UK to help support MLE work in a tangible and practical way. It should also allow him to make use of many of our experiences in Tanzania and much of his Masters studies. Many of the organisations LEAD is partnering with, or would like to partner with, have offices in the UK and so relationships could be built here that could strengthen the work in Asia and elsewhere around the world. Equally raising the profile of the work internationally and helping to develop appropriate materials to support the work in Asia can all be done from the UK.

As details become clearer we will try to update the blog with more information. For now, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send us an email (look left) or catch us on Skype (have you added us to your contact list yet? Click on the link to the right to do so).

Just 11 days till due date!

We can’t believe it’s only just over 10 days until our baby is due! We feel pretty ready (well, as much as we can!) for the squirming bump to become a squirming baby. We have finished our antenatal classes and (hopefully!) done all the shopping/organising we need to do in preparation. Now Liz is trying to get lots of rest whilst completing all those last-minute tasks that are so much easier to do before baby Wisbey makes his/her appearance. Matt is working hard on his dissertation despite all the distractions (as soon there will be many more distractions to cope with!).

We are aware sometimes friends and relatives buy presents for new babies when they are born. We do not expect anything from anyone. However, if you would like to buy something then we’ve jotted down a few pointers here. J We have already been given/lent many newborn clothes and accessories by generous friends and so any older clothing (3+ months) would be better. We also don’t yet have many toys or books to read the baby, so they would also be good. For our own benefit more than anything (so we don’t forget things we’ve seen!), we have started a baby wishlist on Amazon. Feel free to take a look on there to get some ideas if you want.

Of course the most valuable thing for us is your continued love and support, which we know we already have! Thank you. We hope you enjoyed our recent newsletter (or will soon receive it if you haven’t already). Alternatively, if you lost it or it went to junk mail, it is available to read here on the blog (look left). As always we love hearing your news when you get time to write.

Challenging education

Today during my daily scan through the news I came across a very interesting article about education. More specifically about the progress of education in a selection of different African countries, asking teachers what they see as the biggest challenges currently facing African teachers and students. As the article points out, education is central to the millennium development goals with goal #2 seeking "to ensure that all children complete a full course of primary education", with the goal being measured by "enrolment, the proportion who reach the last grade, and literacy rates for those aged 15-24."

Obviously the last part of that sentence, 'literacy rates', is what we're all about! As I read through the article (and it's well worth reading the whole thing), I could identify with many of the stories and situations laid out by the teachers. The situations they face are varied in their challenges but united in their complexity. Education is not a simple equation to 'solve', but a living organism that must be given life, nurtured, grown and sustained. One such challenge is that of language. Whilst teacher training, numbers of students in classrooms and money for books and other resources are important, if the language used to teach the children is one they are unfamiliar with any other improvements will ultimately be ineffective.

One of the teachers, Enoch Abukari from Ghana, identified language as a challenge for his school environment. His words speak for themselves:

"Exams, assessments, the curriculum and teaching are in English. But most students in my class are Dagomba and rarely speak English anywhere else but the classroom. Students receive the first few years of their primary education in Dagomba, but have to transition very quickly to English language instruction by grade 4. That is why I decided to change from teaching grade 6 to grade 3. I wanted to support these young students' transition." [Read the full article here.]

Language is important. Enoch recognises this and is willing to do something about it. What can we do to help ensure that children all over the world, no matter what language they understand best, can get access to an effective education?