This morning we started with an official meeting with the Malindza
chief. He greeted the community and begged us to continue supporting his needy
community. We then held a clinic for the entire village. Just as we thought the
line was getting smaller, we saw people coming up the mountain. Its always a miracle
to me that the medicine we purchase and bandages/materials never run out until the
final patient in line. Including yesterdays two clinics, we saw upwards of 400
patients – mostly children.
Afterward we delivered food to our 15 sponsored Malinda high
school children. The challenge is that the children live in homes that have no
road access so our partner Nomfundo organized the children to meet us under
various trees with wheelbarrows. How the children knew which tree we were
referring to, I will never know.
In May, a design team from IUPUI will be joining us in Swaziland
to build a tire pyramid playground at our New Hope Children’s Centre. Today we
ordered the tires from a mechanic and already 34 of the 100 we need were
delivered.
Back at the guesthouse our volunteers sanitized 978 used hotel
soaps to give to the schools to distribute to the orphans to prevent contagious
disease. This is a program we’ve been doing for about a year now and school
attendance has gone up in our two primary schools where we are piloting the
project. We hope one day for the Ministry of Health to take this program over
and make it nationwide. It’s a shame that soaps are thrown away when they could
be used to save Children’s lives. More tomorrow…
……………………………..
Today we met all of our new children in elangeni. We sponsor 13 high school children there and
6 of them are new. We met Senzo, the school prefect (anti-corruption officer)
whose job is to write names in a journal for students who are breaking school
rules. I’m not sure id want that job!! Senzo
wants to be a psychiatrist and likes to read people. We met Nomcebo a girl with
a small stature in form 2 who lives with her 6 brothers and sisters and her
grandmother and she loves geography. Bonginkhosi is in form 4 and he likes
sciences particularly biology. I cant wait to spend more time with these eager
children!!
We then played games with Philo and Mazwi. We gave them our
cameras and sent them on a photo scavenger hunt. One of the questions was ‘take
a selfie’. You should see Philo’s! Sassy pursed lips and all!! She then tells
us she needs to go to the church to clean because when you do what you love for
your church, you are doing it for God and she loves to clean. I wish I loved to
clean!!!
We checked on sethus home one last time. Raymond and his
team are doing amazing work!! Only need a roof, windows and plaster now… it
will be completely finished by Wednesday. In May when we return we will build a
home for Amanda, an hiv positive orphan living alone with her elderly
grandmother.
Last but certainly not least, we delivered food to our ‘Dancing
GoGo’ (grandmother). Myles asked why we call her the dancing gogo but he soon discovered
as she danced her way to our car and then danced carrying food back to her
home.
I never had the honor of meeting Carl Murphy, my grandfather
in law, but I always hear how wonderful he was. He was passionate about helping
others while he was alive and continued to do so after his death through his
foundation. Just recently, the daughters gave his final grant and chose Give
Hope, Fight Poverty as the recipient. We could not be more honored! When one of
his daughters Teresa was in Swaziland, she helped build our dancing GoGo’s new
home and a bond was formed. We have allocated Carl’s grant to assist our
dancing gogo and the 4 orphaned children she tirelessly raises. Tonight we
presented the GoGo’s family with a mural painted by the sisters in Carl’s
memory. It is an adorable brightly colored ‘under the sea’ painting designed by
artist Sarah Dufner of ‘Paint Out Social’ with ‘CARL’ spelled out in an
octopuses tentacles. I hope Carl and Mickey were watching as the happiness
spread across the Children’s faces and the grandmothers dancing legs… a beautiful
way to end a powerfully productive yet emotionally and physically stressful
trip.
When I get home to America, I will post a recap
blog with photos. Until then, find us on
Facebook: www.facebook.com/givehopefightpoverty
or on our website: www.ifightpoverty.org
You can donate by mailing a check to 2436 N Alabama St Indianapolis IN 46205 or
online at www.ifightpoverty.org/donate.html
or by emailing me (Annie) the amount you wish to donate and I will send you a PayPal
invoice. None of our work is possible without you! Siyabonga kakhulu….
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