Corn rowed hair, shaved eyebrows, climbing trees, eating mopani worms, drumming, playing, holding babies, painting, building, cleaning, laughing, sharing, and so much more was done by this group of monkeys and the rest of us (Eric, Hae, Jen and me). I can't wait to see them all again, as all but Juju and Aiden have left to return to their homes. What a joy to share AFCAids' work with them, as well as a million memories. Thanks to the parents who placed their trust in us!
More memories made while in Zimbabwe on a Vacation with a Purpose – here are some photos from the Saturday spent on the farm, feeding the pigs, goats and sheep (part of AFCA’s livelihood’s program) as well as a day teaching how to play games, how to do martial arts and doing repairs to the matron's room.
Sally and I arrive at the farm twenty minutes before the team and we discuss the #AFCAids goat multiplication center she houses for us. Each goat I see looks great...friendly, happy, healthy. It is good to see names I recognize and to see all the babies prancing around. Thando, the man who oversees the care of the goats, walks towards us and says that one goat, Goosie, has likely lost her baby before she gave birth. His face is calm, but he is concerned, so the three of us walk over to check her out. I stand back, watching Sally and Thando at work and observe how gently they handle [...]
Here are just some of the photos of the Vacation with a Purpose team in Zimbabwe with memories of playing soccer, building the braai pit, cleaning walls, painting of the fish tank, handing out food in the community.
Yesterday's greenhouse photos with white clouds. Today's, with blue sky. All signs point to good weather tomorrow, with little wind, which means the plastic can be put in the massive structure. This is so exciting, as so many children will eat from the produce grown here! And, papaya trees are being covered for protection from the morning frost. If half the trees make it, i will call it a giant win, as they will produce thousands of fruits, full of vitamins and deliciousness. Grow, little trees. Grow!
Just me and my 18 pizzas for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow as a treat for the team.
13 of us arrive ready to work so as soon as the tour of the orphanage is over, we break out into two teams - one painting and one building bar-b-q pits for children's homes. Everyone works hard and consistently, wanting to reach our goals by the end of the week. It is SO cold this morning and misery is evident in everyone's faces. I remind them that I told them that it would be cold and in one voice, I am told, "we didn't think it would be THIS cold"! Ha! One day volunteers will learn that I mean what I say! By lunchtime, though, the weather changes and [...]
What was the purpose of visiting Congo? Why all the crazy travel and excitement? Despite many days of travel to arrive to Gemena, DRCongo and then, the days of travel between sites, we got a lot done! Here are some examples of the things we did: Picked up donations sent from USA for our Congo programs, including all sorts of instruments for a youth education project Visited with two site supervisors to see how they are doing with their work and how the families under their care are faring. This falls under our Livelihood program: animals, gardens, lights, and water filters Delivered seeds for three hundred families Traveled to a [...]
The night I cooked rice in a small hut, Toussaint cooked dried fish, which I found out is dried eel. We purchased three skewers of the little guys and they, of course, were tied to the back of the bike for easy transport. Once we arrived at the village, he washes them and boils then, adding ground up peanuts and onions to the pot. After a while of cooking, the dish is deemed to be ready and we plop the whole thing on the rice for a good dinner. It is super tasty and I do my best to avoid the heads because Mandaba had told me about the possibility [...]
We take off two hours later than planned because time in Congo is flexible, to say the least. Therefore, waking up to shower at 3:30am was a waste of good sleep time. Yet, we hit the road on the motorcycle loaded with my carry on bag, two backpacks and Mandaba's overnight bag, headed to the northern town of Zongo. The plan is to arrive by 1pm, allowing us to cross the river into Central African Republic (CAR), from where I will fly to Zimbabwe (via Cameroon, Togo, Ethiopia, and South Africa. Something in my head says, "Ask Mandaba if he packed his ID" but I don't listen to the little [...]