Ally MacNeill

Hello. My name is Ally MacNeill. I first came out to the project in April of 2004 and I taught English at the school. My daily routine included taking classes, preparing classes, making material and spending time with the school children. At first it was tough teaching the kids as resources were minimal and there was no set syllabus. So before returning to England the following Christmas I had already decided to fundraise to buy school books for English class. Back home I had a lot of success with raising money not only to buy books but also to fund my return. Thanks to the Lord, my family and my friends for making it possible for me to come back and to continue my work in setting up the English department at the school.

Primary one to six use their own workbooks that they can write and draw in. Primary seven, eight and all of the secondary classes are able to follow the English program with textbooks bought especially for the school. The kindergarten and pre-kindergarten children enjoy singing and learning the actions to songs. There is also learning aid software in the computer laboratory for older pupils.

In addition to the textbooks, English is taught through church songs, prayers and bible verses. The older children also get to enjoy pop songs. And of course, it’s always good fun putting the voices of volunteers onto cassette and playing them in class!!! Naturally, some of the children get the chance to make and record their own scripts too! Please pray for Cintia Barrero de vaca, the Bolivian lady who teaches English to the primary schoolchildren. Please pray that she has success and enjoyment in all of her work. Please pray for the growth of English learning in this little school and the arrival of English teachers as they come to help out.

Special thanks to: The generous donations from the congregation at Penn URC and the weekly coffee mornings (Wolverhampton), West Bromwich URC (West Midlands), Burnside Church (Glasgow), The Sure Foundation, Staffordshire District council URC, West Midlands Synod, St. Peters Collegiate School (Wolverhampton), Woodfield Junior School (Wolverhampton), Elena Barnes, Elaine Stacy, Helen Morrison, my grandmother Muriel Hamilton, Iain Hamilton, my parents Moira and John MacNeill, Waitrose supermarket, Roger and Pete at the Barley Mow in Penn Common and finally the lads at footy!