Community Service - Dona Marta CAS Project Update

“Excuse me, what’s your name?”
The last thing that the British Consul General expected, as he visited the Casa Maria & Marta crèche project in the heart of the Santa Marta community in Botafogo, was to have a conversation in English with an 8-year old child from the crèche. But that’s exactly what happened! Please read on to find out why…..

Each Wednesday several IB students with their CAS tutor have been visiting the project, as volunteers, for their Community Action Service (CAS). They teach English to about 80 young children in 3 different age-group classes. The lessons focus especially on English language skills (grammar and conversation), but are also supplemented by interesting activities like stories, games and Mothers’ day card making.

Some of the English learnt is already beginning to be put into practice. On his recent Easter visit to the project, the British Consul General, Paul Yaghmourian, saw one of the computer lessons in progress. One of the children, Ana Carolina, surprised and thrilled him by coming up to him and asking him what his name was and having a short conversation in English. Ana Carolina is one of the children receiving the English lessons and she loves to try out what she has learnt.

Two other CAS students teach a smaller group of children how to use the computer. These children also have lessons on other weekdays led by other members of the British Community, many of whom are teachers at the Botafogo section of the British school. The project has 5 good quality computers, the money for which was provided from the Community Service Fund, raised by British School students in fundraising activities. The fund also pays for a technician to keep the computers working and train a member of the project. The children are learning how to type, to use Word, to make computer drawings and have recently put these skills together to make Easter and Mothers Day cards.

All this is made possible thanks to the generosity of British School students, parents and to the commitment of the CAS students and volunteers from the school and British community in giving their time and energy in sharing their skills with these children – skills which will prove an advantage to them as they grow up and seek employment.