The Orphanage

On Saturday 22nd May we went to the Orphanage in Pembarra. As well as the children that live at the orphanage, many children come from the surrounding communities to join in with our sessions. It was an incredibly successful afternoon, which both the orphans and volunteers enjoyed immensely. During the morning the volunteers planned the activities which included football and cricket, bracelet making, colouring in pictures, maths sessions and one to one tuition. The highlight was seeing the children fully engaged in the activities, whether for learning or enjoyment. Well done everyone!

Seventeen Children Sponsored!

Through our charity, The Happy Africa Foundation we have our Sponsor a Child (SAC) programme which has gone from strength to strength. We have 17 children sponsored who all (but one) attended Preschool and now roughly half have graduated to Primary School.

To begin with we had four children sponsored, however the popularity of the scheme has been fantastic and we have had a steady increase in donors coming forward. We started meeting last September at the Preschool and have since met on the second Sunday of every month. We sit with the parent, relative or guardian and establish the needs of the child that month.

Donations can range from a blanket or mosquito net to school uniform and food packages but sadly not a house, which has been asked for! This is also a time when health issues are raised and the appropriate treatment is either bought for the next meeting or more immediate aid is given.

We have been having trouble with attendance so now our meetings will take place every two months. This means that the families are not so disrupted (they can attend church and do farming) and a larger, more substantial donation is given.

Since we started SAC we have given, amongst other things, the following items: Mats, blankets, mosquito nets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Vitamin C & B, Multi Vitamins, basic first aid, school uniforms, rucksacks, pens and pencils, clothes, food packages and much, much more.

To find out more contact Lucy Pollock - lucy@africanencounter.org

www.happyafricafoundation.org

Football Mozambique Style!

In the Volunteers spare time some have played football on a Wednesday afternoon with a group made up of Edson's English students. Here one of our volunteers, Darren Scott (aged 42 from England) gives his account of one particular session. Sadly Darren had to sit on the sideline after experiencing an injury to his foot (off the football pitch!).

What professionals!

Volunteers were invited to train with the local football team. Many of the team platers are from the English classes were the volunteers teach. We started with a half hour warm up even though it was 26 degrees celsius which involved rhythmical dance like moves and slapping our thighs to provide a beat sound. We then played football in the sand. It was a great experience with so much fun and the team has invited us to play again. They told us they enjoyed the day and it seemed they were laughing at our inability to play bare foot in the sand. Hopefully this can become a regular weekly session for future volunteers.