Week 7 - a week of good news :)

Hey everyone!

How are you all?

This week has been filled with lots of good news which I would like to share with you all.

The first is that the MSC Health Officer has donated a cow to the Home to enjoy during the Jubilee Celebration which is taking place next Saturday (26^th October). A cow costs a minimum of R13 000 (nearly £1000), as you can see, this very kind donation is saving the Home a huge amount of money!  We are expecting over 500 guests next Saturday (all of whom need to be fed) therefore any help we can get is very much appreciated. By the way, if anyone would like to make a donation to the Home, below are their account details:

Bank Name: First National Bank

Account Number: 53145434999                

Branch Code: 270324

If you decide to do so, please let me know in advance so that I can tell the book keeper and Malume (the director about it).

Since I arrived, I have been working on a report of the Home. This is a booklet which contains great detail on the Home, its history, what it does and lots of pictures. It will mainly be given out next Saturday but because of the details it contains, it can also be sent to churches to raise awareness as well as to future volunteers so that they can get a better understanding of the orphanage. Originally, Malume just wanted me to check the English however I also took it upon myself to organise the formatting, work on the layout and add colour whilst making sure it still looks professional. After lots of amendments and discussions with the printing company, I finished the report on Monday and it is now in the process of being printed! This was another huge investment for Saint Anthony’s as 2000 copies costs R25 000 (£1 700) however after a kind email to Father Edmund, he has agreed to cover some of the costs J Father Edmund is originally from Glasgow but he was a priest for a very long time in this area. Malume was very happy with the report and has said to me numerous times how grateful he is for the work I am doing. On Tuesday, he told me I should never stop smiling because it helps not only him but the children too... He made me promise to never stop hehe! Once the report has been printed (and I have Malume’s approval) I will try and upload it onto this blog so that you may also read it, download it and even print your own copies if you wish to do so.

Before the school half term, Slindo (oldest girl in the orphanage who is currently in Upper Sixth) had a geography exam. I helped her with the sections she was struggling with and tested her on all of the chapters. A few weeks ago, I also helped her with her tourist homework which consisted of putting together a tour guide for Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The reason for telling you this is because on Tuesday she came to me and told me that her grades in both subjects have hugely improved. In tourism she has gone from 43 to 53 and in geography was has gone from 43 to 63! She was really excited to tell me and gave me a big thank you hug! I am so proud of her and really glad I was able to help! This has also given her motivation to revise hard for her final exams, which will start next month. I will be helping her with those too! She also received her report this week and wants me to read it so Sis Mabu (the Health and Education Officer) will make a photocopy for me J

The fourth piece of good news is that the little toddlers are finally learning my name! Since I arrived, they have been calling me Bettina or Valeria who were the previous volunteers. I didn’t mind as they are too young to tell the difference but it is nice to have them call me Isabel/Isabelli/Isabella! As this is a new word to them and they get my attention from saying it, they like to repeat it again and again and again... too cute!!!

As you can see, the week has been filled with lots and lots of good news for the Home, which makes me very happy! Unfortunately it isn’t all good news as Malume’s mother isn’t very well. She has been in and out of hospital all week. I can tell from Malume’s facial expression when he speaks about her that she really is unwell. I would be very grateful if you could keep her in your prayers.

Now that both the report and the Reach for a Star are completed, I have started work on the staff and child database (I explained about this project in a post a few weeks ago). This Excel sheet includes information such as date of birth, date of arrival at Saint Anthony’s as well as why the children are here. Although I already had a general idea of why the children were here, creating this database means I am finding out on an individual basis why each child is here. I find this particularly hard especially when it comes to the children I spend a lot of time with. It makes me realise even more how lucky I am and that some of things we worry about, are sad about or stress ourselves out about are in fact ridiculous. These children have nothing, they have been abused/neglected/abandoned and some have been at Saint Anthony’s for more than 11 years! Nevertheless they have the biggest smiles on their face; they don’t complain and are grateful for the smallest of things. They are an inspiration...

Isabel x