Everyday Africa Photography Student Samples
Below are some student samples that they submitted to be admitted to the Everyday Africa workshop
Health and Wellness
The Academy has a Health and Wellness Centre that provides access to comprehensive heathcare services.
The Health and Wellness Centre has a resident doctor assisted by two nurses. The main criterion of the wellness centre is the development of a comprehensive health programme, including liaison with local specialist doctors for routine health check-ups and emergencies.
Transport facilities for all medical purposes is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A school counsellor is available on campus for early intervention and pastoral care support. The counsellor is available during school hours and on call for any counselling issues.
Zawadi Bazaar 2016
Some scenes from the Zawadi Bazaar which took place on 03 Dec. 2016. It was a lively event full of fun, food, games and of course, tons of gifts for the buying!
Photo Credit: Inaara Gangji (DP2)
Shaivya Arya: Striving for animal rights
Animal welfare organisation Blue Cross of Hyderabad provides ceaseless support to animals in the city by improving their living conditions, and changing people’s mindset about animal rights. Academy students volunteer regularly at the Blue Cross as part of their CAS activities. Student volunteers walk and groom dogs, assist the shelter’s administration staff and run introductory sessions for new volunteers. Shaivya’s activities were centered around the dogs of the blind and disabled ward. She learnt about dealing with cases of dog bites and interpreting dog behaviour. During her time at the shelter, Shaivya also attended a session by Blue Cross of Hyderabad co-founder, Amala Akkineni.
In her time as volunteer, Shaivya found herself in situations beyond her ken but felt pleasantly rewarded when she worked through them. “Gradually, I learnt how to handle unfamiliar situations without anyone's assistance,” she says. “The work experience serves as a method to identify our strengths and weaknesses.” Shaivya says that working at the Blue Cross has improved her communication, organization and time management skills.
Shaivya is passionate about animal rights advocacy. Before her stint at Blue Cross, she conducted surveys for her personal project, ‘Ethical Treatment Toward Animals,’ to better gauge the issue of animal abuse. “What we do not realise is that activities such as visiting the circus, the zoo or even purchasing a certain product can contribute to animal abuse,” she said. Shaivya went on to lead a successful fundraiser for the Blue Cross at the Academy’s parent teacher meeting in January 2018, raising ₹34,000. The money went toward vaccination programs for strays in the city.
Shaivya’s group members at Blue Cross constantly supported her. She credits them with helping her through tough situations and reflects on how they grew together. According to her, the team’s diversity directly impacted the work they did at the shelter. Dogs would run away from baths or refuse to be groomed and Shaivya notes that that could have been frustrating if it wasn’t for her friends alongside her.
“Each one of us has the power to make a change,” says Shaivya. “To save an innocent creature’s life, to help animals. It is time we make this a better world for us, for them, for all.”
Rosa Jorge: Encouraging expression through the arts
A new arrival at the Academy in Maputo, Rosa completed the Academies’ Teacher Preparation Programme (TPP) at the AKA Mombasa in December 2019. Calling it one of the most rewarding experiences of her life, she lauds the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Sessions for pushing her to be a better teacher.
Looking back at her TPP journey, Rosa recounts, “I, personally, have seen myself grow as a teacher and a social individual. The experience has changed the way I approach the teaching and learning process. As teachers, it is possible to change the world through education – all we have to do is believe in that and go do it!”
Drama in the family
She began her now 20-year journey with drama from the nascent age of 14. When her brother and friends were taking up extra-curricular activities such as swimming and football, Rosa’s only interest was joining Mutumbelinhas, a local children’s theatre group. She credits her aunt, who ran the group, for helping her break away from her shy persona. “My hubsand put together a play called ‘Ziraldo’ based on the Brazilian writer's life. It was such a big change for me because I was a shy kid and through drama, I became a different person,” she recounts.
Since then, the stage has become her life. It is where she met her husband, who is a director of the Mbeu theatre group and a teacher at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. It is also the field of work for her son, a theatrical producer and her sister, an actress.
Empowering students with confidence through arts and drama
She hit the ground running in Maputo taking on her role as the Academy’s Drama teacher in January 2020. One of Rosa’s passions include organising workshops promoting self-expression, believing these are key in providing different methods of communication – be it, art, movement, singing, or dialogue and bringing children out of their comfort zone in a safe space. Rosa explains, “Through these workshops, children simply react to the directive and break out of their shell, forgetting that they were shy in the first place.”
Drama goes beyond the stage for Rosa who has been bringing to the fore issues of local cultures and traditions. Over the past few weeks, she has invited many artists to speak about the ethnic groups of Nyau and Mapiko, whereby the children have been learning through the method of mask making and movement classes. Drama has always been more than just performance for Rosa who said, “...it is a very strong tool to build various capacities within young students. It sharpens their communicative, social, collaborative and emotional skills.”
Geared to take on the years to come, Rosa shared that she can already see the seeds of transformation taking root in some students. “I believe that my training in theatre supplemented by the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum will present the opportunity to pick up the diamonds in the rough and shine them up,” she explained. “In my opinion, it is important to have Drama as part of a balanced school curriculum in order to develop a socially, emotionally and culturally-aware individual.”
Sian Virani – our very own budding Scrabble champion
We wish Sian the best with his Scrabble career!
AKA Maputo Parental Questionnaire: July 2020
Dear parents,
Please find a questionnaire below seeking your feedback on the Academy’s re-opening plans. As you will know, the President has recently announced the phased re-opening of public schools. We are, therefore, in the process of considering scenarios for re-opening the Academy.
We seek your feedback on four scenarios available to us currently:
- School re-opening on August 10th as per the calendar with a phased introduction of classes to ensure health and wellness.
- School postponing a phased opening until 1st September 2020 but with online learning taking place from August 10th.
- School re-opening in August with online learning until mid-term in October
- School continues to provide online learning until Jan 2021
Please note that we seek your views in order to help us make the best decision. We know that not everybody will have the same opinion – but we will, along with a representative group of parents, ensure that any scenario places the educational and social well-being of the students at the heart of the decision making process.
Caros Pais e Encarregados de Educação,
Encontrem nesta comunicação um questionário que servirá para obter o vosso feedback sobre os planos de reabertura da Academia. Como devem saber, o Presidente anunciou recentemente a reabertura faseada das escolas públicas. Estamos, portanto, no processo de considerar cenários para a reabertura da Academia.
Temos em análise quatro possíveis cenários:
- Reabertura da escola a 10 de Agosto, de acordo com o calendário, com uma introdução faseada das aulas para garantir a saúde e bem-estar;
- Adiamento da abertura gradual até 1 de Setembro de 2020, mas com aprendizagem on-line a tomar lugar a partir de 10 de Agosto;
- Reabertura da escola em Agosto, com aprendizagem on-line até meados de Outubro.
- A escola continua com aprendizagem on-line até janeiro de 2021
Note que buscamos as vossas opiniões para ajudar-nos a tomar a melhor decisão. Sabemos que nem todos terão a mesma opinião - mas, juntamente com um grupo representativo de pais, garantiremos que qualquer cenário coloque o bem-estar educacional e social dos alunos no centro do processo de tomada de decisão.
Shakespeare reborn!
Junior School Science Fair
