Day:320, Words:320

This Thursday is a big day for the young ones in the primary school. The occassion is the forut cafe, followed by the overnight experience, paradise for the kids, a world of pain for the teachers. The forut cafe is an indoor market organised by the kids themselves in order to raise money for children living in poverty in a small village in Malawi. All week, the school kids in Øksfjord has been looking at world maps and watching videos of kids of the same age, living a life that seems so alien to those sitting in cosy classrooms.


The coridors of the school had been constructed into a jungle theme with various animals hanging from the ceiling and some large trees stuck to the walls.

At 6pm the doors opened and the masses poured in. By masses, of course I am refering to the 20 odd parents who had begrudgingly spent a good part of their Thursday evening watching their children sing a couple of Africanish tunes, buying some puzzles and books and digging into the plethora of cakes, positioned next to the large thermoses filled to the brim with strong, hot, black Norwegian coffee.

The kids aged from 6 to 10 were in charge of manning the different sales stations. They were armed with a tray full of cash and a pen and paper. Øksfjordians are not likely to wait for their coffee, so as the swarm of parents attacked the coffee and cake queue, the small boys and girls behind the tables started to feel the stress. Most of the adults waited patiently as the children calculated the price of coffee and cake on their fingers and toes.

After the cake, the parents assisted their kidlets' bedding arrangements. Although only for one night, some of the matresses, doonas and pillows coming into the classroom looked as though the sultan of Brunei had moved in for three months.

 

Posted with Blogsy