Today was a day of new experiences for many of us. We started off the day by visiting Bright Future , who as always, gave us an amazing welcome which included performances from their dance club, kick boxing club and scouts.

After the welcoming, we were greeted by Ronald , the founder of the charity CEFOVID. Ronald ,along with 3 volunteers ,provides health care initiatives and aims to empower the local community and promotes sustainable development by helping people help themselves. We were then taken on a tour of the Kosovo slum areas where many of the Bright future students live. For many of the students it was the first time that they had seen such conditions. Despite four of us visiting this area two years ago , you never get used to the conditions. The area is densely populated and crowded and there is litter strewn across the streets. Sewage runs through the centre of Kosovo , making the village unsafe and unhygienic, yet we saw children no older than five paddling in the unclean water.

We were able to see the work that Ronald and CEFOVID do and met several women who have improved their living situations with help from his team. We met one women who had transformed her home constructed of wood into a concrete house for herself and her family. The tour relayed our thoughts that many of the people we have met make the most of what they have. For example, a woman we met today had made mats out of straw/Palm tree leaves which she is then able to sell on.

We also came across some hard hitting things on our tour. We were able to see the damage caused by the recent floods. In particular, we met a woman who's house collapsed and we were able to see the aftermath. The residents of Kosovo have little as it is but now they have even less. It makes you realise how lucky you are to live in a country such as England and have the opportunities we have.


This experience was incredibly eye opening for all of us.


In the afternoon , we returned to Bright Future and had a tour of the school. It was interesting to see how the school had changed in two years. There were brand new toilets and a water harvesterimg tank, a new green area where vegetables are being grown , a new teachers quarters and classrooms had been moved around to better facilitate the needs of the school. There were also many paintings which made the school aesthetically more attractive and a new reception area.

Following the tour, we were able to have some free time with the children whilst the staff planned the week ahead. The free time enabled us to dance and play with the children and generally get to know them better. We were taught many hand clapping games and dances and we even taught over 60 children how to do the Hokey Cokey and the Macarena. One thing we took away from today and we can all agree on is the fact that both students and staff are all eager and happy to learn.

Tomorrow we start our work in classes and preparation for the students plays which include : the little red hen, the enormous turnip , the boy who cried wolf, how the zebra got its stripes and the lion and the mouse.

We are all looking forward to the week ahead and bonding with the children and staff of Bright Future school.


Bianca