Progress already! by Prensa

Progress already!

We have all come back to the hotel after a really successful and positive day! Everyone was buzzing on the way back because we have all managed to make some visible progress in the different projects we decided to work on today. It feels great after today to think that even just two weeks here we can make a difference to the children and community who live on the dumpsite. After a slow start and delayed transport it was looking worrying that our progress may be slow but today proved otherwise! Fingers crossed this continues.

Our work for the two weeks is going to be based mainly around these projects at the PCF school:
– Painting and preparing the Home Economics area
– Cleaning, tidying and sorting the library (sadly this hasn’t been used in while even though it is full of books)
– Painting and preparing the Wella room (which is going to be a hairdressing training area so the young people can learn a trade and earn money)

– Tidying up the playground area (which was put in in 2010 during the last trip)
– Building a new playground in the housing area next to the school (the site for this was confirmed today – excellent news!)

– Painting and preparing ‘Rainbow room’ which is going to be a special needs/trauma room (for counselling of children who have been abused)
– Taking students out on field trip days

– Helping out as classroom assistants

I decided to work on the last one and helped this morning organise with the Headteacher, Miss Grace, which of our students were going to work in which class.
They went off with the teachers who teach English to them help out for the day. I then spent the morning with the two IT technicians (I was impressed that they even have these!) who were really helpful and we got the computer room ready for use in the afternoon. When we came to visit the school for the first time yesterday we found out that the library and the computer room (which has 12 fully functional computers with the latest version of Windows) are not being used! This seemed crazy and frustrating to believe because the school has been open for over a year. We hope to set this right while we are here and set things up so these rooms can be used as the students have so much to gain from them. The technicians and I turned all the computers on and sorted any problems with them then sorted out a schedule with the Headteacher to bring 3 different classes down for 40 minutes each in the afternoon. It worked and the kids really enjoyed going on the computers. This was the first time they had ever had a lesson on computers! Even though the children mostly live in shanty houses a few of them have computers or have been able to access them somewhere so they knew the basics of using a computer. Others, especially the little ones, seemed unfamiliar with it all. I showed them how to use the mouse with their tiny little fingers to make something happen on the screen which made them light up once they realised how to do it! The computer room was on the 2nd floor and from the windows you could see over to the dumpsite where the kids live. When we had the windows open to catch a breeze the smell of sewage and waste came right into the room. It doesn’t bother the kids so we won’t let it bother us.

It’s hard to put into words how the children seem to really appreciate us being here and doing things to help. They are unrelentingly smily and friendly and the little ones run up to you and hug you even if they have never spoken to you before! It is an incredible thing to see that they are like this despite the poverty they live in, they certainly do not feel sorry for themselves or show any sign of self pity. We should not show pity for them, instead we will do what we can to help improve the areas in which they learn and play.

What we are doing here could seem small but then we are each only one small part of this huge world!

We can do no great things, only small things with great love. ~Mother Teresa

Before departure