Two retired Canadians, Philip Dodd and Sharon Macdonald, are challenging themselves and other kindred spirits who've been there and done all that, to get on a plane; suitcases and excess baggage overflowing with new and gently used sets of Lego, Tinkertoys, Cuisenaire, Mecanno, Brio Blocks, puzzles, board games, plus beautiful books of children's literature and non-fiction; and head out into the former Transkei of South Africa. These priceless goods will become the foundation collection of a toy and book library, in an impoverished area where deeply rural children have no manipulative materials on which to focus their reasoning abilities, and no children's picture books to lay the foundations for literacy. If those sentences seemed long, convoluted, and difficult to parse; that pretty much sums up the route, both figuratively and physically, for children trying to tread the path from Gallileo's prison cell to The International Space Station.

Retired teachers who are proponents of active learning, are urged also to come. Armed with their favourite hands-on learning materials, and ready to assist seriously-under-resourced, yet hopeful rural teachers, in setting up active-learning classrooms; they will support the development of intentional teaching strategies, along with the special features of the world renowned High/Scope Curriculum.

This direct process will lead the way for struggling school communities to start moving away from the pervasive rote-method of teaching; and to see their way to preparing an environment where learners share control of their schooling with a teacher who guides children in making plans, following through on their intentions, and then reflecting on what has happened.

Ten years ago, the people of The New South Africa demonstrated to the rest of the world, how to make peace with their former oppressors. Many, many, however, having had their initiative stolen from them, under that dehumanizing regime; remain ill-equipped to participate fully in their free democracy.

The education of current teachers was not designed to help children develop their basic thinking skills; and the teaching of science remains in crisis. Worse, many individuals are teaching by default; and so, so many, rural primary teachers, are abandoned to mud-walled classrooms, many with floors smeared with cow-shit. I could have said cow-dung; but somehow it wouldn't have conjured up the correct vision.

Retired hobbyists and artisans too, of all trades and crafts, are invited to bring suitcases of the materials and hand tools of their former passions; and to share knowledge with impoverished victims of the former apartheid regime who are anxious to develop skills that could bring income to their families. None are more deserving.

By sharing previously loved, but now redundant surplus resources; and by forming personal relationships with individual teachers and learners of all ages and stages; talented and privileged retirees from away, can become, in formerly soul-deadening or non-existent learning environments, points of inspiration and enlightenment.

In such places, where people who have never experienced the joy of learning, and believe still, that a handout or prayer is their only salvation; we who think differently, can help them find the greatest resource known to humankind: in the space between one's ears, and, in the power of positive thinking and doing. It is the power of High/Scope's plan/do/review sequence. It is the power of the human mind to reason and create. It brings the uniquely human joys of productiveness, purpose, benevolence, justice, and freedom.

If you are ready for such an adventure, and could consider spending a month or three living comfortably without modern amenities (the Edwardians did it) on a mountain in the beautiful Eastern Cape Province; kindly contact us for more details, or Google: Anna Thobeka Dumani, and read how a few suitcases in 2004 are changing the lives of many children and a few women. Give her cell-phone a call even; but be mindful of the time zones. Her new telephone number is: 01127 73 983 9741. She'll be thrilled to know you read about her on Squidoo.

Philip and Sharon
hinterlandchildrenshouse@yahoo.ca