The Writing Contest

My time with Mphungu School was limited.  I knew that I needed to develop a relationship with the teachers and administration before the stories from Kids 4 Kids could be appreciated.  This took time.  My time was limited because I had other projects I was working on in Lilongwe, Malawi.  

I thought that perhaps a writing contest might be the best way to get the children from Mphungu (standard 4 - 8) involved in building a writing relationship with Brandon.  The stories they would share could really be valuable pieces for children back in Georgia to understand what some kids in Malawi think about.  

I had to work hard to get the teachers and administrators interested in conducting a writing contest.  It was an added burden, and they already had a near impossible job. Although the students in standard 4 - 8 have their lessons in English, the headmaster was worried that the students might not be able to write stories in English. I assured him that it didn't matter if the stories were in Chichewa or English. It was important to get the students writing. I would accept either.  The teachers could do the judging of the stories, and I would just be sure to publish them as they were written.  I knew the students would love seeing their own stories in print. We ended the conversation with the agreement that I could come on July 4th to collect the stories and give out the prizes.