Africa

When you have acquired a taste for dust,
The scent of our first rain,
you're hooked on Africa for life
And you will not be right again
Until you can watch the setting moon
And hear the jackals bark
And know they are around you,
Waiting in the dark.

When you long to see the elephants,
Or to hear the coucal's song
When the moonrise sets your blood on fire
You have been away too long.
It's time to cut the traces loose
And let your heart go free
Beyond that far horizon
Where your spirit yearns to be.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

December greetings

collecting coconuts in the village

As this little school is so very far away, I dont get to go there as often as I would like.  Inbetween visits we collect books and school equipment into boxes which we can then deliver on our next trip.  Most of these wonderful boxes are collected by our dear friend Angela Schmidt  who lives in Germany but has taken these children into her heart.

This year  we handed over the funds to rebuild the school room. The roof was blown away in the cyclone of 2007 and the school was managing with makeshift shelters of poles and banana leaves.  I have yet to see the finished building but Lucas, who is managing the project and who ahs two children at the school, assures me that the building is finished and the roof is on.  Congratulations everyone and big heartfelt thanks on behalf of the children, parents and teachers at the school.

Hopefully we will go there in the new year and i can report back with words and photos.  In the meantime thought i would add a few photos from our last trip.


One of Geli's boxes ready to leave Germany


opening boxes at Matsopane School before watchful eyes



thanks Geli xx

brothers and uncles fishing on a reef
in the midday heat

sisters


So many more pictures but downloading time is finite so those are for another post.  Any suggestions always appreciated!
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5 comments:

  1. AngelaJanuary 4, 2011 at 8:05 AM

    This is lovely, Val! You know I love the packing here in my home in Germany. I have made visits to the Portuguese Catholic Mission in Hamburg where the lovely Filomena gives me NEW Portuguese school books for the children in Mozambique, all for free! And I open my hands and get left-over pencils and stationery and even money from my neighbours and friends who have all never seen any of these kids or their parents. And then I carry the 20 kg parcels to the post office and send them off to you in South Africa, hoping they will arrive.
    Each one of them has, more than 30 so far, and then you put them in your car and set off for the coast of Mozambique, over terrible roads with potholes and either dust or mud, depending on the rainy season. And THEN you arrive, and the children sing for you, and the teachers beam. I LOVE thios moment, shown on your photos!
    This is how we can really help, and how our help REACHES the ones who need it.
    Yes, I love this! Thank you, Val!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lori annJanuary 4, 2011 at 9:03 AM

    It's so exciting to see this project have the respect it so deserves, a blog of it's own. I'm looking forward to many more posts with wonderful news and photos of the children of matsopane.
    hugging you both Val & Geli,
    xxx lori

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eleonora BaldwinJanuary 4, 2011 at 9:47 AM

    Lori and Geli couldn't have said it better!
    Wonderful to see the project on a site of its own.
    Hopefully by promoting it Matsopane will receive all the attention it deserves.

    2011 starts off happy indeed!
    Lola xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 4, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    hey hey hey
    well done gals on getting this up and running

    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 4, 2011 at 10:47 AM

    Wonderful to be invited to read this new blog. I'll be sure to put a link on mine so others may know about this little school.

    ReplyDelete

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