Kodumela Day Two ~ Make Yourself Useful!
Our second day started with retail therapy as the beadwork ladies had brought all their beautiful products to the project headquarters compound. We just about cleared them out and spent the rest of our time in South Africa wearing colourful bracelets, belts and bangles!
Our first visit of the day was to a creche where
children were quietly playing with Lego style building bricks. Some of the toys and
equipment had been supplied by Choko.
One brave little girl stood and told us "...this is
my hair, these are my eyes, this is my nose....." right down to her
feet. We replied by singing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!
A short distance from the creche was a meeting centre for people with special needs. This proved to be one of the most harrowing experiences of the whole visit.
The youngsters and their helpers welcomed us with song, just as
most other people had. It proved quite challenging for some of
them but they all did a fantastic job.
They can only meet when the weather is good because a
section of the roof of the building they use is missing.
If the disabled centre was
harrowing then the creche we visited
next was the the most surreal.
Some of the children were given Santa hats to wear for a photo
shoot for the 2007 Choko Christmas cards!
Some members of the group stayed at
the creche and painted parts of the building that need freshening up.
One member, Graham, became Pied Piper to
playful children as he led them dancing
round the yard!
The rest of the group went on to Metz School where we were introduced to the staff and the children performed Choral Verse for us; they have won several trophies for this which the headmistress was very proud to show us.
Once again we were treated to a display of traditional
dancing by the school children. They, and their
teachers, were eager and very proud to show us their skills and
talents both inside and outside the class rooms. The remainder of the group
went to another school before we all gathered together again for a visit to Lily, a young woman who is the head of a household of children in the absence
of living parents.
Some of the group stayed at this school to visit class
rooms and chat to teachers and students. One member even ended up
making an impromptu speech to the school next door when we
made a quick visit there!
Lily is barely out
of her teens and looks after her own child and her younger
siblings as there are no living adults in her
immediate family. Choko recently
provided a new roof for Lily's house when the existing one was lost in a
storm.
The family has been given goats and chickens from the World
Vision Alternative Gift Catalogue so they can start a milk and
eggs business to generate income.
