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Bubbles, Butterflies and Beanbags
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Starঞng a Preschool in Burundi
36 | July-August 2020
Bubbles, butterflies and beanbags — some of the exciting contents of fairy godmother Connie Green’s suitcase as she boarded a plane on Valentine’s Day 2020 for three weeks in the impoverished country of Burundi, East Africa, to begin a small preschool program for 25 four- and five-year-olds. The vision of Connie, who is professor emeritus in Appalachian State’s Department of Reading Education and Special Education, included a plan to eventually have an expanded early childhood education program, with four classes of 25 children each. Her second goal was to train a group of teachers to guide the preschools. Dreaming for Change, the brand-new organization founded by Janvier Manirakiza (who met Connie at Appalachian’s Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute in 2017), is making possible the opening of the preschool in the village of Butanuka. Already up and rolling are a porridge feeding program for 450 malnourished children, a micro business training program for women and kitchen gardens with 50 homemaker caretakers. From its beginning the new preschool was a jumping place to be. Connie started right in at the porridge program, singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” to give the children a taste of what was to come. The kids joined in, learning the motions right away. On the first day of school Connie was surprised that not one of the 25 chosen kids hung back or cried after being left at school by their mothers. These children are used to being on their own in the village, even at times taking care of younger siblings. Connie and prospective head teacher Claudine began right away, enticing the children with a bean bag toss, and blowing bubbles in pans of soapy water. They traced their hands on paper, drew with magic markers and created shapes with popsicle sticks. They fashioned butterflies with coffee filters dipped in food coloring and tied into wings with pipe cleaners. In small groups the kids experienced what Connie calls “book joy.” They enthusiastically perused Connie’s stack of African children’s books. One book told the story of children in Chad who built their own school with handmade mud bricks. “That is like what our school will be,” exclaimed Janvier. The song “Old Mikamba Had a Farm,” a favorite of the kids, was all about African animals and the noises they make. aawmag.com
