I have mentioned before how the children at the Canaan school do not have a cafeteria to eat in. Instead they stand outside rain or shine and eat their posho or porridge. Here at the center the kids eat their meals in their dorm rooms; this will not be the case for much longer!!! We are building a cafeteria by the dorms; the structure and roof are up, so we began creating the cement floor today. Two of the uncles here and myself started this backbreaking work at 8am and did not finish until 5pm. I would have killed for some machines! Two of us had to mix cement and clay with shovels and then spread it out; we then made 24 trips with a wheelbarrow as we added rocks to the cement mixture. After that we had to fill 5-gallon jugs with water 60 times and add this to the mixture (we do not have hoses). Then Charles would mix all the ingredients and shovel it into a wheelbarrow. I would push the wheelbarrow to the building and dump it and James would even out the cement. We did this work to the sound of weaverbirds making their nests in the trees, (they are a chattery bunch) and the disheveled ice cream truck driving by playing Christmas jingles (so humorous). I was losing steam by the time the children came home from school, but was uplifted as Enoch and Ronald immediately jumped in and tried to help us. Their determination and work ethic helped get me through those last loads. These children never cease to amaze me or melt my heart. They are so blessed, they have uniforms and are able to attend school and come home to a safe environment. They lack a mother’s love but this village of Canaan is providing safety and stability for them. They find love and comfort in our arms.
Most of the village children do not have this safety or stability. Most of them cannot go to school because their parents cannot afford the $20 it costs for 1 term (a 3 month period). If the parents can scrape together their last coins to send their child to school the child may go for 1 term then skip the next and then go to the next. These children may not have writing utensils and may use scraps of newspaper as their note pads. It is crazy to me, that in America our children are being bought iPads to do school work on while kids in Africa have to scribble on old newspaper clippings with torn uniforms and holes in their shoes, if they are lucky enough to have shoes. I wish I could sponsor every child here so that they may go to school and have that chance of breaking this cycle of poverty.
As I kissed my children goodnight I prayed that each one would prosper and be able to help lead this country to a brighter future.
Children are our future!
Gypsy RN
https://www.gofundme.com/ameuganda
