Creche times

Hey there!

We have had a busy few weeks here and now that I stop and think about things I just can’t believe that we have a matter of weeks left! Where has the time gone?!

Anyway, we now find ourselves at the end of the projects that we started just after our mid-trip holiday over 6 six weeks ago! Just to recap; on our return from our holiday we decided that we would be much more effective and build stronger relationships if we spent a long period of time at one particular project. After much discussion and prayer Abi, Kez and Emma felt called to work in Brookdale Secondary and Pippa and Catherine in Amaoti 1 Primary with the intension of taking small groups of struggling kids and helping them learn to read and write better. I felt called to work in the crèche.

It has been an incredible 6 weeks for us and while in hasn’t all gone according to plan (particularly for Catherine and Pippa as we’ve talked about in other blogs!) God has been so present and at work in the things that we have been doing.

Pippa reminded me the other day that as a team we have a lot of initiative and when I think back to our 2 week placements at the crèche at the very beginning, I remember the worksheets we started making and the games that we thought up and I’m really proud of my team and what we managed to do! So when we came back from our holiday I felt convicted to go back and carry on the work that we had started and hopefully try to make a difference. This all sounds a bit clichéd I know, but now that I look back I really can see that the crèche has improved. For example, when we first arrived at LI there was very little structure in the crèche, and not a lot of learning took place. We spent a lot of time being human climbing frames which was quite tiring and, at times, the lack of structure was frustrating. The kids were given plain paper to draw on during the activity time, which was great! But what came back were 30 sheets of scribble; I knew that with a bit of help they could turn those scribbles into writing letters or drawing pictures - all they needed was a bit of guidance.

I think my biggest challenge at the crèche has been with organising and preparing the craft activities (usually in the form of worksheets). I have really enjoyed thinking up, preparing and leading the activities for the children but on the days when I didn’t, nothing was prepared by the staff. I found this really hard because I enjoyed the work that I did but didn’t feel that as a volunteer it was my place to be leading. After talking this through with Zanele we decided that even if it wasn’t sustainable I could continue doing what I was doing because the children would at least learn something during my time there.

It is frustrating that Nombuso (the crèche principle) doesn’t really prepare activities for the kids to do but I have come to realise just how difficult her job is. She looks after upwards of 30 children from 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday and, although there is usually someone else helping her, there have been days where she looks after them single-handedly. The age range of children is from about 18 months to 5 years, which is massive! And at the end of the day she goes back to look after her 7 children! What she does is incredible with such little support. With a very tight budget and only two pairs of hands looking after the children it’s very easy to see how Nombuso is stuck between a rock and a hard place. How can the crèche develop when just getting through the day is a struggle for her?

Thankfully a local charity, Domino Foundation, who work alongside LI, has been very involved in crèche development. Each day it provides soup and porridge for the kids to ensure their growth and development, they also have a monthly workshop to help crèche workers all over Amaoti improve their skills.

I have learnt that development can be a very slow process and that you have to be patient but also stubborn in making sure that things happen and get done properly, so that people don’t forget the vision and what needs to happen to get there. I have also learnt so much about material poverty; my first thought when I first arrived at the crèche was that they need more toys, more craft materials, more space etc. (and I still believe that they really could do with more), but actually children can find so much enjoyment from simple things like bark rubbing which requires a piece of paper, a crayon and a tree – that’s it, simple.

Since our arrival:

·         The crèche has moved to be closer to the LI offices (funded by Domino Foundation) so that the kids are closer to the toilet and the water supply

·          A kind woman at a local church has donated an incredible climbing frame

·         The team have made a number line and alphabet which have been put up making the crèche look much more colourful

·         We have printed and put up pictures of each of the crèche kids to help them feel part of the crèche

·         The kids have been on a school trip to a local primary school

·          We have done lots of painting and crayoning and making of worksheets

·         We have even had a go at planting African daisies

·          We brought in a CD player and watch them have fun playing musical statues

·         Some tyres have appeared (not quite sure where from!) which the kids have loved rolling down the little hill

·          We have introduced morning exercises where the kids enjoy coming outside and doing lots of star jumps among other things (the idea of this was for them to release some energy before they came back inside to play – I think it just makes them a bit more hyper!)

·         The majority of the kids have learnt to count to 10 and can draw the letters of the alphabet, the oldest kids who are going to school next year can even say the sound of the letter when I point at it – it just makes me so proud of them!

So much has been achieved at the crèche and I just want to give God the glory for it all!

It’s sad that my time at the crèche has come to an end but it was such a rich experience that I will never forget and has equipped me with new skills. My prayer for the crèche is that it will receive more support so that it can continue to go grow and educate children out of poverty.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support,

Love to you all!

Hannah x

Photos Photos Photos

Hello lovely blog readers!

This week I've decided to go for a different approach to blogging, by uploading  a few of the 3,836 photos I have taken over the past 19 weeks!

Although at times this beautiful country has given us experiences that can't be captured on camera, I have made it my challenge to take photographs that will at least remind us of the amazing journey that this trip to South Africa has been.

I couldn't upload the photos to the blog itself, so follow the link and enjoy :)

Abi  xxx

https://www.flickr.com/photos/124732887@N05/

After 4 months of avoiding doing the blog post I have finally taken on the task. I've never been the best with words or sharing my thoughts but felt I needed to highlight the challenges we face doing mission in a beautiful, frustrating, diverse country such as South Africa.

I came on mission to step outside my comfort zone, experience life in another country and of course, serve! The popular song by Hillsong 'Oceans' sums it up 'spirit lead me where my trust is without boarders'. But I never quite expected to face so many challenges or to be so far out of my comfort zone that I thought I would never make it back. However here I am writing about some of the things we have had to face while I am forever closer to being back in my depth (which isn't very deep considering my height ;) )

Working in Amoti 1 has never been easy but has always been exciting. It was in the middle of all the madness that it struck me; where do you begin to help where the need is so great ? The answer I do not know, but what I do know is you just have to rock up and roll with it. This is never the easiest thing to do when you have grown up in our western culture where the systems are far from perfect but are more established and structured compared to the places we work where communication is lacking and corruption is rife.

For example trying to work with the social workers to get a young girl out of her home where she is being sexually abused and all that is stopping this from happening is a phone number of a guardian is needed. It is in these situations where I can't help but question how there can be so much injustice and corruption, and these situations where I have learnt not to give up but persevere through the frustration and to fight for justice.

Last week was different in terms of projects, our house turned in to a small factory and we spent every waking moment making hanging heart decorations, bracelets,  journals and drawing logos on what felt like a million pieces of brown card. All to sell at the Hope Market which was took place at Grace church and supports local charities/businesses. The market went well and helped to raise valuable funds for LI.

In all of the challenges, each day we see glimpses of hope and it is these small mercies which keep us going.

Pippa

the story of Sbo (to the tune of one direction)

Greetings people of the world, Catherine here (again!)

Thought I would take some time to tell you about Sbo- someone who has been an inspiration to us lately. Sbo works for LI and is based in amaoti 1, at first glance it may seem that she doesn't have a huge role but in fact she is the only person who is prepared to work there. Amaoti 1 is a tough school,cooperation with teachers can be hard and there are so many harrowing stories of children's home situations. During our time in SA I have been struck by the fact that God doesn't call us to live comfortably, we are called to love the unloved even if that doesn't look how we may hope, not a glamorised hugging of cute babies who have been abandoned but sticking by the kids who are being abused no matter how many times they try to push you away. amaoti 1 may not be an easy place to work but that doesn't mean we should ignore it. Sbo is a vital link between the school and charity and knows all the back to school children, she distributes uniform and is a friendly face for children to talk to. With about 60 children in a class teachers can't invest time in individual children but if they are worried about a child then they will tell Sbo.

A couple of weeks ago a teacher alerted Sbo of a child who needed to go to the clinic due to a broken leg, so we dropped her off (that was Thursday), on Friday morning she arrived at devotions with the girl having helped her get ready due to family members not bothering. We took the 2 of them to the hospital and it turned out that her leg was infected due to her aunt (a witch doctor) trying to treat it. Sbo stayed with the child till Monday, sleeping on a short wooden bench, her selfless love for this girl led to other people in the ward thinking they were mother and daughter. This led me to wonder what I may do in this situation, would I be prepared to stay with a child for 3 days with only the things I left for work with in the morning, I like to think I would have reacted in the same way but the reality is I probably wouldn't.

On Wednesday we received a phone call saying the child had been discharged, without questioning it Sbo left aftercare, this is when me and Pippa got to see the child on the ward, within a couple of hours we were beginning to get frustrated at the slowness of everything, and I wondered how I would have survived being there all weekend. Sbo's actions reminded me of the parable of the lost sheep and the farmer who leaves the flock to find one sheep, her love was sacrificial. She could have asked someone to swap positions or bring a change of clothes but she didn't, she selflessly stayed with the girl showing her Gods love. She sacrificed a weekend with her family for a child she barely knew but who cried when Sbo left, she invested time in that girl when she needed it most.

Gods love doesn't need to be shown in a flamboyant way but going the extra mile behind closed doors.

We love Sbo!!

Xxx

It's Kez's turn to blog!

Hey lovely blog readers, Kez here :)

Two minutes ago I was sitting comfortably wearing my cosy loungers and slippers, on my own (a rare treat in itself!) in our living room. Picture a perfectly content Kezzie on a beautifully chilled South African Sunday, humming away to some acoustic mellow musical goodness, trying desperately to get from 4 to 5% of Eliot's 'Middlemarch' on my Kobo, contemplating making my third cup of tea of the day. Now imagine the distress and terror that gripped my heart when I heard the fateful 'ding' from my phone, signalling the call to battle that I've been nervously anticipating since Catherine set me up in her last blog. Message received from Pippa and Catherine who are out doing a little food shop:
"We have decided that we would like a draft of your blog post for when we get back this afternoon ;) good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour."
So here I am, scribbling away on my hastily-grabbed paper with the first pen I could find, writing to you good people and wondering whether or not the odds will be in my favour. The pressure is indeed on. 

Firstly I'll update you on the team's whereabouts and goings on over the past couple of weeks ...

- Team Amaoti 1 Primary School (Pippa and Catherine): To continue where Catherine left off in the last blog ... Unfortunately, in classic African fashion, the meeting that the Head Teacher needed to have with the staff in order that the girls could read with the Back-To-School children, hasn't happened yet. But, in classic Pippa and Catherine fashion, they've been stars anyway! For the first few days they gathered drawings and letters from LI's children to be sent to their sponsors, keeping the communication ball rolling. This week, though, an emergency case involving an LI child occurred, meaning that trips to and from Amaoti, social workers and hospitals were vital ... *Enter Pippa and Catherine!* Team Amaoti 1 transformed into Team Taxi for the week which wasn't quite the plan, but hey, TIA! 

- Team creche and LI office (Hannah): Our lovely little Hannah has been splitting her days up by spending the morning in creche and then early afternoon in the office helping Innocent with LI admin (e.g. organising sponsors' files, finding information on the Back-To-School children and sorting paperwork). She's been such a blessing to the creche staff, this week in particular; Gugu took a day off in order to revise then sit an exam, leaving Noombosa alone to look after the 30ish kids ... *Enter Hannah!* This meant that Hannah spent Tuesday looking after the 8 youngest babies for the morning - playing games, singing songs and being a blessing!

- Team Brookdale Secondary School (Abi, Emma and Kez): We've just finished our second week of taking LI's Back-To-School children, who are really struggling with English, out of class to run our own reading 'lessons'. We take 4 groups with about 10 children in each, aged around 13-15 years. The reason they struggle so much is because they've fallen behind with reading in primary school and aren't given the opportunity to catch up. *Enter Abi, Emma and Kez!* We've loved getting to know some of the after care children better and just show them some individual care and attention. Teaching a teenager to read who is barely at primary school level can be really draining and feel like an impossible task, but God is good, the kids are good and I think we're doing well at trying to be good too! 

Although I love the projects we're working on and the people were working with, I'd love to share what's been on my heart, this week especially.

If I can be honest, sometimes the 'routine-ness' of it all wears me out. To think that my day has consisted of Brookdale -> office -> after-care -> home for the last two weeks and will be the same for the next five weeks, makes me tired. I find myself going through the same selfish thought process, seesaw-ing between "oh, it's fine, it's only five more weeks - I can get through it" followed by "what difference can I possibly make in such a short amount of time when there is so much to do?!".

Although the fact still remains that my daily routine will be more or less exactly the same for the next five weeks, whether I choose to see that as a long time or not enough time, I've realised that actually there's richness in the routine. I can choose to see it as 'mundane' and 'everyday' or I can choose to see that it's what I'm called here for. Not because I'm supposed to have a boring time or to dread the thought of having the same old week - not in the slightest. But because we are called to action, and in our action, to be effective and to show Jesus's love. The routine reminds me that being effective doesn't necessarily come in the form of living the classic #gapyah life; a group of young white girls all-singing/all-dancing surrounded by beautiful, wide-eyed, gap-toothed African children clinging onto us for dear life. No, in reality, being effective in this time looks like driving around and then waiting for hours in a hospital car park. It looks like wading through documents from 2006 in order to make the cupboards tidier. It looks like sitting with one child for however long it takes for them to be able to read one sentence. 

I think I've had a bit more of a heart realisation that this adventure has been and will continue to be about relationships and community. In reality I don't think that can happen without simply humbling ourselves, plodding on and pressing in, even if it feels like we did that yesterday. And the day before. And on Monday. And all of last week. 

There's richness in the routine.

Hello!!

A lot has happened since we last blogged..... (This is being written at midnight, every dog in Durban seems to be up and barking- maybe they are discussing todays election result....)
As many of you may have heard we have had some problems with our car recently. Let's start from the very beginning (its a very good place to start)
We have had a lot of issues with our car from the beginning.... For the first couple of days in SA Abi and Pippa spent most their time at the airport trying to hire a car which was a long process due to problems with licences and funds being in the wrong account and took a lot longer than hoped. We had a car for a month and all was well but then in our second month we reversed into our gate causing damage which we fixed using 'panel beaters'- a local company. We were impressed with the result but the hire company weren't and when they discovered the damage withheld money from us. Once we returned from our holiday it was uncertain if we could get another car as the company didn't want to give us one but once again this was resolved and we had another car (an automatic this time- a new experience for everyone!) Then last week whilst we were painting a wall at the safe house a woman reversed into our hire car, we reported this to the police (another new experience) and then took the car back to the hire company. They said that we needed to pay 17000 rand (about £1000) in order to get a car, if we paid and the woman paid at a later date we would get our money back but there was no guarantee she would ever pay. We sent messages home asking for prayer and refused to be defeated, that night we went home and praised God, struck by a song saying 'I will praise you in the storm'. The next day we were overwhelmed by people offering to cover the cost for us but this wasn't needed as tearfund found that our insurance will cover the cost, praise God!! Those days were filled with lots of emotions!! Please continue to pray for the car.

Me and Pippa are back in amaoti 1 (the primary school) and the craziness began on day one. We were helping Sbo to cover a grade one class and what follows is not exaggerated..... We won't tell you every detail but this is a 20 minute snippet of our day. Sbo had to go photocopy some sheets for the class so we were left alone with a lot of Zulu speaking children, after a bit of learning the names of shapes the chaos began, we don't really know how but Pippa ended up with half the class round her asking for toilet roll which she was distributing with a confused look on her face- hec-tic. A child then began crying so Pippa went to find Sbo leaving me alone.... In a attempt to keep the classes attention I began a copying game we had played earlier, it didn't take long for the whole class to be clapping but they then began to all sing a Zulu song, marching seemed to be a crucial part of the song and soon half the kids were marching on the tables.... My very limited Zulu doesn't stretch to 'get off the tables' and they then started copying my action which was meant to mean get down! Order was resumed when Pippa and Sbo returned! The rest of the team seem to look forward to hearing what happened on our mad days but we are hoping that next week meetings will happen that allow us to take struggling children out to help them with English. We are also aiming to get photos of all the 'back to school children' who are sponsored and get letters/ pictures from the children to the sponsors. We have a manageable target of 44 children in our school but as an organisation we need to find around 500 from many different schools!! Forming contact between children and sponsors is vital in ensuring sponsors continue to support LI and finding new sponsors.

Thats all for now, see you next time (on the blog Kez has promised to write!)

Byeeeeeee

Catherine

Xxx

HOW COULD I FORGET??! you might remember that last time we blogged we mentioned a singer called Matthew mole... Well last Monday we googled to see    If he was playing in Durban soon but Google failed us, luckily though Kez spotted a sign when we were out and after  driving round in circles to see it again we got the details! Next thing we know its Sunday and we are at a outdoor gig seeing Matthew mole and just jinger! Not only did the ticket cost convert to just £6 but we also all got photos with Matthew! Maybe in Kez's blog she will write something profound about some of his lyrics.... Pressures on girl!!!

P.s temperatures have dropped to 22° this week meaning we have experienced what its like to be cold (a problem we used to only have in the shower!) The 3 fleeces Emma packed along with a number of scarf's are finally being used and I'm hoping that it won't be long till I'm not ridiculed for bringing a wooly hat....

WE ARE EXACTLY HALF WAY THROUGH OUR TIME IN SOUTH AFRICA!

Our first week back at LI was spent in meetings and making bracelets till our brains turned to mush. We had meetings in 2 of the schools which some of us will spend most of the next few months in to discuss what we will be doing, we were encouraged by these meetings and can't wait to get back into Amaoti 1 (the primary school) and to go into Brookdale secondary (a school next to the office which we haven't worked in yet) and creche. We really want to work with the children struggling at school especially after hearing that grades in recent exams were very low. We decided to make bracelets to sell to raise valuable funds for LI, by Friday evening we never wanted to see another bracket again, we had been sat in the same place for hours not even moving to eat lunch, although we did manage 2 trips to the new shop down the road for food to keep us going (they were keen to encourage us to get our eyebrows done next door too.) At times it seemed to be a full scale military operation (as I type this I can hear kez downstairs talking about how many bracelets she has made today!) We have been given some opportunities to sell more bracelets in coming weeks which means we need to make more!

This week we are painting a room in the safe house and helping out at the LI pageant organised by Melissa (daughter of Theo and zanele the project leaders) to give the children something to do in their holidays otherwise they will just go and beg. The schools are off again this week having only had 2 weeks since their last holiday, we are in a period of excessive public holidays and with 2 days off this week the department of education decided it wasn't worth schools opening.

We have loved being back at LI and are getting used to our living in our team house again, me, Emma and Hannah are slowly adjusting to having a bed room light (something we didn't have till last week.) Music has always featured heavily in our team but now we have found our favourite south African artists which adds something different to the normal selection of Mumford and sons, Taylor swift and one direction which we sing as loud as possible. Our new faves are Matthew mole http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=EZvHZgii7XI and gangs of ballet http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=qFINg3DWhfY

Goodbyeeeeeeeee

Catherine (on behalf of the team trying to watch lord of the rings)
Xxx