First Day at Camp!!!

Hannah Rae - 3rd Year Volunteer

MURAHOOOOOOO!!!
First day of Hope Shines Camp 2015 and what a day it was!

I'm Hannah, this is my third year volunteering with Hope Shines and second year as International Fundraising Coordinator (I fundraise at home in Scotland).  I am soooooo excited to be back in Rwanda, my second home, and with a great team of Hope Shines volunteers and translators.

Today we travelled to the centre in the morning raring to go and excited to see the kids.  This first meeting with the kids after a whole year is really special, especially for returning volunteers to see how much they've grown.  Once all the BIG HUGS were complete we handed out the Hope Shines t-shirts and water bottles to each child and officially opened Hope Shines Camp 2015!

We started with some ice breaker games. This was a great opportunity for the new volunteers and translators to get to know the kids.  This year especially it was important as we have 20 new children from the local school joining us for the whole week.  The kids got to know their fellow campers and new friends and got pumped up even more when we injected a little competition into the mix.

The next step was to split the kids into four teams, each with two volunteers and one translator. Once the teams were formed they were challenged to learn each others "Camp Names" (e.g. Huggable Hannah, Super Stephanie, Delightful Dan etc.) and a team name and cheer (that's always the hardest part).  Each team performed their cheers in front each other, so got to scout out their competition for the first time.

Our first English lesson was based on a first aid theme.  As a whole camp we brainstormed words in English to do with first aid and after used the words to construct sentences to explain how we do first aid.  The children responded well to learning new words and asked many questions.

The Hope Shines Mama's cooked a fantastic lunch for the whole camp, but today's lunch was extra special as we had a new type of beans that were actually part of the next camp lesson.  As the kids unknowingly ate the special beans, four volunteers officially introduced themselves.  Curly Kyle, Sunshine Sarah, Notorious Nama and myself entertained and informed the kids through our very creative "rapping" and poetry skills.

After lunch the secret of the special beans was revealed as we had a nutrition lesson by our guests Harvest Plus.  The kids learned about the importance of the right kind and amount of food.  They learned that the beans they had for lunch were filled with special vitamins and proteins.

Our last official lesson of the day was an interactive first aid lesson, introduced in fabulous fashion  by Magic Mike's hilarious skit.  The kids learned how to treat burns and bleeds.  They practiced bandaging a bleed using first aid supplies, but also practiced bandaging using household materials that can be used to replicate bandages, for example; sanitary towels, scarves, t-shirts, a very important lesson for many who do not have access to first aid supplies.

Skit prior to First Aid Lesson

Kids practicing First Aid on each other!

To finish off a fantastic first day at camp we had our first dance session.  Every year the Hope Shines kids learn a dance and perform it at the end of camp in a fierce dance competition.  This year's dance is to a popular song with the kids 'Up Town Funk'.  Each team practiced their moves and started to incorporate in their own unique styles!

It was a day packed full of fun and varied activities that challenged and excited both the kids and the Hope Shines team! We can't wait for tomorrow!

Nahejooooooooo!