Tour of Vilanculos Hospital & Volunteers Giving Blood

Volunteers had an interesting and eye-opening tour of Vilanculos’ hospital. Warmly greeted by the doctor in charge, volunteers had the opportunity to see the inner workings of the hospital and see the examination rooms, labour ward, and laboratories. One of the most interesting aspects was touring the tents set-up after the cyclone damage in 2007. After the tour, six volunteers generously donated a pint of blood to aid the severely depleted blood reserves. Our translator Ricardo was a master at calming nervous volunteers and the juice boxes served after were a highlight of everyone’s day.

Testing Day with Pedro at Vilanculos Hospital

The volunteers also had the opportunity to work with Pedro a doctor working with HIV/AIDS patients at Vilanculos Hospital. The volunteers experienced first hand the procedure of someone coming in to be tested (as well as getting tested themselves!) and the aftermath care and counselling for those that were positive. This amounted to a really informative and humbling experience for the volunteers involved.

HIV/AIDS Testing day with CARE at Pembara

In addition with working with Sofia the volunteers had the opportunity to work with CARE International on one of their testing days in the community. On this occasion it was just out of Vilanculos at Pembara. This was a great opportunity to see how testing for HIV/AIDS is accepted by the community. With the help of dvds based around HIV/AIDS, true and false games, acting out situation with dolls as well as stories the volunteers entertained and educated those waiting to be tested. In total CARE tested 30 people. There was a great deal of positive feedback from CARE and the community so the day was a great success.

HIV project with Sofia's Family

An HIV Project has been created to work one-on-one with a family. The most delightful family was found – Sofia, an HIV positive woman, and her daughter and two sons, one of which has a girlfriend and young daughter living in the home. Given how taboo the subject is in Vilanculos, it was fantastic to find such a remarkable woman who was so open with her situation. After a couple weeks of discussion, education and awareness around HIV/AIDS the volunteers asked the family if they would be willing to go for an HIV test. Much to our delight, they eagerly agreed and all were overjoyed when the results came back negative.

In addition to the counselling and education, volunteers have also provided tangible support in the form of assisting the family prepare seed beds and plant this year’s crop and build a new home for the family. Volunteers just finished putting on the roof last week it was amazing to see so much progress in such a short time. The aim for the future is that Sofia and her family will use the help that they have been given to develop the farm further to enable them to sell the produce and have an income.

What a turnout for Edson's English!

The Edson’s English Class has shifted sites to the Catholic Church just up the road, offering more space and an indoor option in case of rain. Registration was immensely popular – over 100 students enrolled in total! Numbers got so large we actually had to close registration to new applicants, a tremendous testimony to last year’s volunteers creating such a positive vibe in the community – well done all! Two beginner sections and one intermediate section have been created with a number of returning students from last year.

A new school year at Preschool

The new preschool year was welcomed with great enthusiasm from the students. A strong contingent of 60 kids show up every morning anxious to play and learn with the volunteers. Thursday trips to the beach continue to be highlight of everyone’s week. Land has been cleared and seeds planted for the new crop of tomato, carrot, cabbage and onion. We, with the trusted help of Lourenco, have started harvesting peanuts and are using them to add some protein to the children's lunchtime rice.

Aguia Negra - Our New Home!

March has been an exciting month for AI-Mozambique. After closing for three months during the Christmas holiday, we welcomed our first volunteers at our beautiful new Aguia Negra home. The new site provides a scenic pool overlooking the coast, regular electricity, and close proximity to preschool. It was a delight to have each and every one of the twelve volunteers in March. They who worked strongly together as a group both on projects and socially.