June 2012

School Exchange

The Party

At some time during the year a work colleague of Mike’s mentioned about having a party for the children in the Day Care Centre and was willing to contribute towards the cost. At the time it was a good idea, with hindsight a party for 180 children was a mammoth task. Angie and Jane spent a whole day making biscuits and cupcakes, with the evening taken up with making paper chains and blowing up balloons. We put up a suspended cloth full of balloons that was dropped at the appropriate moment showering the children in balloons. Oh yes, the party bags - another afternoon spent making up 180 party bags. Each bag containing four sweets, a lollipop and a small toy. In total about 150 children showed up at the Day Care, little did they know that a party was happening. On arrival Jane started with face painting, we did not realize that the children were putting on a play about the crucifixion. Jesus with his face painted was different. The children had bread with mango juice, followed by cupcakes and biscuits. The cup cakes were decorated with jellies and hundreds and thousands as well as being in paper cake cases, all this was totally alien to many of the children and one of the teachers had to demonstrate how to eat the cakes. Once the food had settled, about five minutes, we let the balloons go along with a bubble machine; the children screamed with excitement, in a word it was pure ‘delight’ if not slightly manic. Before they went home every child got his or her party bag. We had a moment of reflection looking back to when we first met Sister Terfatu and a couple of children were sitting under a Mango Tree with Sister Terfatu teaching them and their mothers some basic reading and writing. Today over 200 children are being fed and educated in four classrooms, if we do say so ourselves, some achievement!