Once again I am unable to add any pictures. I think it must be the connection here at my hotel. So, just text on here for the moment and I hope to add some pictures soon or will post the FB link!
Wednesday June 20th
This morning I had the opportunity to sleep in a bit was it not for the fact that my quiet room (away from street) was just below the hotel’s gym!! AND they start at 4:30!! I was woken up at 5 by such hard noices on the floor, well ceiling for me, that it just wasn’t funny anymore. Not only did they freighten me with every boink it kept me out of my sleep! So much for a quiet sleep in!! I did report this and told them I really was not happy with this! They were very sorry to hear this and the lady who gave me the quiet room didn’t know the gym was above my head so they reasured me that I’ll be getting a very quiet room for my next night and they will even put it in my file so that every time I stay here I will get the same room. Well, turns out I will be given the executive suite . Oh well, there are worse things I suppose 😉
Sylvester and Justus picked me up at around 10 am and we headed back towards Mama Tunza. Making a few stops on our way as by the time we arrived there our van was just overloaded!! The bottom of the car hit the road a few times.
What did we get them: 70 kg cow food, 50kg chicken food, 20kg of rabbit food. Sacks of rice 70 en 50kg, 70kg of beans, 20 baking flower, cooking oil 4O L, sugar, salt, washing powder, soap, ..
School uniforms for 6 girls and 3 boys! you should have seen the little angels in their new outfits 🙂 Adorable!!!
All the new benches and tables have been ordered and should be ready next week. I payed for the materials and left money with Sylvester to pay the workers once the work is done. I really didn’t want to leave the money here with them. Everyone can use money that is laying around and I just didn’t want to risk that.
Now, did I forget something? I think I have listed it all..
Oh no, the 40 mosquito nets for bunkbeds as well!!
Once we got here the unloading started, played with the kids and after a while I saw some more people enter the grounds. Turned out it were the Irish people who erected the buildings here!! Very nice people who come back every year to this place and another children’s home here in the neighbourhood. They are now an official organization who help the kdis here an in the other place. Sponsoring is possible but instead of giving the money to the homes directly they give it straight to the schools so that the schoolfees are being paid and the kids are garanteed to be able to go to school! Not bad if you ask me. I’ll look into all this once I am home again.
When all the older kids came back from school it was time for some football and netball IN their new outfits of course. The outfits got mixed so no real teams could be make but they played girls agains boys and I must say that the girls held their own! Of course I started talking to other people so I don’t even know the end result..shame on me!!
After the football match there was some netball game as well.
By the end of all that It was getting dark and I was asked to follow all the kids into the dinning/meeting room for a bit of dancing and singing just to say thank you!
It was wonderful to see and hear! Many words of thanks were spoken to me and of course everyone who had helped to make this possible! The younger kids sung their song and danced and than the older kids did. Really touching. Their lyrics however.. well, lets just say that they have been drilled really well. ‘We are orphans, we have no food, we have no money, we have no one to take care of us, we are orphans, we need money……. I suppose these are the sort of dances they perform when going out on the streets.
The youngest kids went to bed after this (I don’t recall them to have been given dinner) and Marie (Danish volunteer) and I were lead into a room where they had put 2 bowls and some food for us. Actualy it was really good but I was just thinking of the kids who had to go to bed without…
I am now in my room, window has been covered with a towel, I have a bunkbed to myself but I am not quite sure if I will feel my back tomorrow or feel it a bit too much .. I have electricity and my own toilet. Used it once but let’s just say I have not been drinking all afternoon and evening for a reason… The room smells a wee bit of urine as well.. No sheets or blankets so a good thing I brought my sleeping bag and serong!! I doubt I’ll sleep much tonight.
Every time I come over here it amazes me how much worse their living conditions are; what little comfort they have; the lack for toys or the children to play with…
Just makes you realize how well off and fortunate most of us are!!!
Lala salama
8 am Thursday morning and I must say I had a reasonably good night.Mr Rooster had some problems with his bio-rythme as he was making noices all hours of the night! He didn’t wait for dawn to arrive 🙂 I had forgotten how good my sleeping bag was as I woke up in the middle of the night being very warm so I had to take off my vest.
It’s actually pretty quiet for it being already 8 am. I haven’t heard many children yet. Apperently they have late starts. Pre-school, which is held here on the premices, doesn’t start until 9 am. I will join them for a little while and I think I will be meeting up with the home’s webmaster to see what we can do with the website. I still think they need to put more information on it so that people all over the world can read and see all about them.
And so the journey continues…
I thought I had smelled and seen the worst of this.. I was wrong.
When I stepped out of my room I saw Suzy with her school dress up, squirting on some grass.. she was just peeing.. There and than! They don’t seem to go to the bathroom and to tell you the truth I can’t really blame them. The smell in there is just, well, unbearable. It looks disgusting as well. Of course toilet paper isn’t used when peeing outdoors so pee just drips down the legs and shoes.. skirt down and back to class (they don’t wear underwear either). A little bit later this morning I notice two young boys running around without pants or diapers on. I was cold with my long pants and jumper on but the youngsters were running around without anything!! Just an old worn out dirty sweater. As I got closer to those boys I noticed something on his legs.. he had just had some diarrhea and everything was just sticking to his little legs!!! He was crying of course and the other boy was playing with a stick in the others… No need to tell you, right. I almost went over my neck. He smelled so badly as well. Poor little thing was dragged into a big round basin where his buttocks and legs were washed, well rinsed really and this time he got a diaper. This is just not thinkable in our world. And it’s not that they don’t have the means to give them proper diapers and clothes.. Gosh, I’ve been there twice now both times loaded with clothing!!
Hi Sylvie! It is very sad to read what you wrote but it is the reality and has to be told. I hope that the children do get what you bring and that it doesn’t go to others. That would be awful – not even thinkable! I think that your words described very well! Take care! Sheena
Hi Sylvie. I read your blogs with great interest and admiration. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us all. Africa holds a very special place in my heart and I also hope to make a continuing difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Take care ans well done!