jambo...
amazingly...i can write from this ica office...we have a vodafone stuck into this computer...which connects us by satalite to some kind of network...which disappears every 10 minutes or so, but with patience, and basically that is all you need here, i can receive and write emails and connect with this blog! it is nothing to us, but to people working here without internet cafes or access to easy high speed, or even dialup..this is a miracle!
Im reading Dead Aid about how much money gets sent over to Africa, and where it goes, usually into the pockets of government or corrupt agencies, never reaching the people who really need it, billions comes through as Africa gets poorer and poorer...also about the absolute need to provide aid to help people learn skills to earn their own money, not just to take handouts. i am obsessed with this right now.

with an orphanage,it is different...we hire great people to run it, with 2 cooks, 2 teachers, 2 cleaners and 2 who run the place..all working at minimum wages, needing to supplement their incomes by farming or some other means.they are working around the clock, how can we expect them to create industries to raise money, to pour back into this orphanage..and yesterday, they are proposing, why not have majengo grow its own produce to feed thekids, themselves...this is what i dream about, but how do we do it! It is truely wonderful to see, how they are so committed to these children, never asking for more for themselves. yesterday ...at 6 Grayson,the teacher has 10 of the older kids in the classroom, each one writing like mad at their desks, fillingin words from sentences written on the blackboard...with such intent! we have 19 now taking off every morning and walking 3 miles to primary school where they study for the day...our kids at Majengo way ahead of other kids in the neighbourhood, standing at the top of their classes, because they had a year or more of pre school at the orphanage before they began primary. It is exciting to see!! the teachers ask, but what of the 6 who were at pre school last year with us, but who now are at primary school, but who live out, can we help them,assist their families with school fees, uniforms.they ask...
my feeling is yes.
if they start out at Majengo either living in because they have absolutely no one out there to help them, or living out, but whose relatives or neighbours cannot support them except for a matress for sleeping...these live outs are part of our extended family as well. and because this year we have 9 more going to primary, as they are 7 years old...we are now able to accept 16 more new little ones from the neighbourhood into our pre school with meals all day, but who sleep out somewhere...
the numbers grow..the responsibility grows...but we have help from our elected village leaders who will choose the most vulnerable and needy children to join Majengo, they know all the families...
a big meeting with the Majengo staff and village leaders tomorrow to discuss these new kids..and how the Majengo neighbourhood and community can begin to take more responsibility for their children, not only the donors...
Each year i come, i learn so much more...
more complex, more issues, more trying to understand the big picture..
last year...all i focussed on was renovating a house, moving 40 kids in, choosing staff, and making budgets....getting the structure in place...great!
this year, all of that is in place, but now, furthering....the internal structure of all of this....especially during the months when we are not here, it is possible, for sure, but as each year we expand, the logistics become more complex...and most important the monitoring, keeping the records, receipts...important always, to devise methods which prevent corruption from beginning..so far so good.
good people want to further their education...our staff at ica...dying to take a couple of years away to go go university, to get their masters...
and with everything they are accomplishing, with all the work they are doing,HIV AIDS workshops on prevention, volunteer testing, HIV AIDS positive groups here meeting every few days...mostly women discussing their disease,how to maintain it, their drugs,nutrition, jobs....micro financing and lending to create small businesses...it is the only way to grow.
our staff here...Charles, Peter....hoping for university, and if they go,who can replace them, who can we train to take their place...who can we trust to keep our operations running so smoothly..
it will happen...it takes time to put it in place.
in the meantime i am worrying about what the 6 kids from majengo will wear to the swimming pool tomorrow as they take their very first swim class, blowing into the water...jumping, holding hands...and in a few weeks they will be swimming..very exciting...they have no fear!
i just sent a long list to Diana and Yvonne to bring over.. 65 pairs of underwear, 30sox, shoes, clothing, rain gear, glue, detol, vasceline, chalk, medial things, math, english and science books, picture books, art supplies, watercolours, brushes, toothpastee and brushes, a calculator, flashlights, skipping ropes, footballs, hand balls, rulers, pencils, sharpeners....!!!!
oh man, its a huge list....thank you Yvonne and diane..i have no expectations!!for whatever you can bring over...like i said, they need everything!
see you tuesday!!
have a great weekend everyone...hugs...Lynn