September Project: Week 2

Monday morning began the hard way: clearing an area for a vegetable garden. All vegetables grown are to be given to the local community. All 4 girls worked quickly (initial enthusiasm!) and in no time had an area ready for digging and raking. After a well-deserved lunch, Emmanceau (translator and volunteer helper) fetched the children (from the local area) and the crèche was born. Playing games, making bracelets, having fun.

Tuesday they had to build a fence. The volunteers learnt how to plait coconut leaves (initially fun, after the 50th leaf plaited relaxing, but a little less novel!!!) and started erecting a fence around the newly cleared patch to keep out dogs, goats, chickens and anything else that might fancy wandering across newly dug earth.

From day to day the crèche is growing and growing, with more and more children arriving, providing us for ideas for improvements. We have now organised a small piece of land, where next week’s project is to begin clearance, then build an informal structure to provide shade (eventually to be converted into a brick classroom), a jungle gym (one day, we wish!!), a vegetable garden (to provide a feeding scheme for the children) and any other ideas that come to mind at a later date (we have BIG ideas…Agh our bank balance!)

The rest of the week carried on in much the same way, and the local dive-school’s Labrador popping 2 volley balls and leaving the crèche’s ball supplies severely depleted!

In other news for the week, Bali Dog had his first surf lesson, and in no time will be riding waves with Scott: Mozambique’s first surf-dog!