You may have noticed, yes, the internet is back. We hope it will last! :) Day two began with a great breakfast of toast, (Thanks for the toaster, Lloyd and Erla!), freshly squeezed mango juice, bananas, and coffee. Then off to the build site we rode, mostly bypassing the road so badly washed out from rain and riding on the much smoother meadow beside.
We began to carry more bricks from the production site to the foundation but it wasn't long before we were joined by 30-35 students from the school which was greatly appreciated. They contributed a lot, since there were over 200 bricks to be transferred. It was great to work alongside the students that will be using this classroom. We showed the students how we were sanding the end seams of the bricks with small rocks, and they worked with us again to get a big job done in such a short time! The next step in the process was to begin mortaring the joints. Jack quickly set to work using his cement mixing skills, while Fred and Jane went to buy some trowels. The Fundi (local foreman) ran after them, and suggested that flip flops (yes, shoes) would make great trowels instead, for a cheaper cost. So...Fred and Jane bought one pair, and we cut them in half to try them out. They worked! Another trip was made to buy a bag of flip flops, and the team set to work with the mortaring of the inside of the classroom walls.
After lunch, Corliss, Tammy and Jane joined Leisha, the director of Mama Maisha and two of her employees for a distribution of Days for Girls kits in a rural village. Mama Maisha is a no-profit organization dedicated to ensuring a safe pregnancy and healthy delivery for every mother and child. In Jane's experience, what normally takes place in a school or outside took place inside someone's home. As we removed our sandals outside the home and added them to the pile of shoes already in the red dusty soil, we were greeted inside by 42 women, and seven babies in a small living room. Our senses were overloaded with the visual of the beautiful, bold fabrics that these mothers were wearing, and the extreme heat, in a very small space. Most women were sitting on the cement floor, while we were offered a space on a comfortable couch. We were humbled to be there. The first part of the agenda was a listening forum to better understand the needs of expectant and new mothers in this community. The passionate and real concerns of these women included the need for better roads for walking many kilometers to the hospital for clinic visits and delivery, as well as their desire for better access to contraception which is supposed to be free. Tammy, Corliss and Jane were grateful for Miriam, one of the Days for Girls employees, who translated the discussion as it occurred, often needing to translate from two languages. The next part of the agenda was the actual demonstration and distribution of the Days for Girls feminine hygiene kits, lovingly made by the Kitchener chapter of Days for Girls, and some of Jane's students from KCI. This demonstration of the components of the kits and distribution was met with much joy by all of the women. After receiving their kits, the women burst into a thank-you song as they left the house. The hugs and thank-yous that ensued outside were overwhelming.
Meanwhile, back at the Diocese, Terry and Jack walked over to the hospital for a game of ping-pong with the locals, including Challo, an IT worker who works in the HIV ward, and some others who have never played before. Ping pong has become a tradition over Jane and Terry's previous missions to Shirati. Jack enjoyed getting to know some children playing on the playground in between ping pong rounds. Another great day!
We began to carry more bricks from the production site to the foundation but it wasn't long before we were joined by 30-35 students from the school which was greatly appreciated. They contributed a lot, since there were over 200 bricks to be transferred. It was great to work alongside the students that will be using this classroom. We showed the students how we were sanding the end seams of the bricks with small rocks, and they worked with us again to get a big job done in such a short time! The next step in the process was to begin mortaring the joints. Jack quickly set to work using his cement mixing skills, while Fred and Jane went to buy some trowels. The Fundi (local foreman) ran after them, and suggested that flip flops (yes, shoes) would make great trowels instead, for a cheaper cost. So...Fred and Jane bought one pair, and we cut them in half to try them out. They worked! Another trip was made to buy a bag of flip flops, and the team set to work with the mortaring of the inside of the classroom walls.
After lunch, Corliss, Tammy and Jane joined Leisha, the director of Mama Maisha and two of her employees for a distribution of Days for Girls kits in a rural village. Mama Maisha is a no-profit organization dedicated to ensuring a safe pregnancy and healthy delivery for every mother and child. In Jane's experience, what normally takes place in a school or outside took place inside someone's home. As we removed our sandals outside the home and added them to the pile of shoes already in the red dusty soil, we were greeted inside by 42 women, and seven babies in a small living room. Our senses were overloaded with the visual of the beautiful, bold fabrics that these mothers were wearing, and the extreme heat, in a very small space. Most women were sitting on the cement floor, while we were offered a space on a comfortable couch. We were humbled to be there. The first part of the agenda was a listening forum to better understand the needs of expectant and new mothers in this community. The passionate and real concerns of these women included the need for better roads for walking many kilometers to the hospital for clinic visits and delivery, as well as their desire for better access to contraception which is supposed to be free. Tammy, Corliss and Jane were grateful for Miriam, one of the Days for Girls employees, who translated the discussion as it occurred, often needing to translate from two languages. The next part of the agenda was the actual demonstration and distribution of the Days for Girls feminine hygiene kits, lovingly made by the Kitchener chapter of Days for Girls, and some of Jane's students from KCI. This demonstration of the components of the kits and distribution was met with much joy by all of the women. After receiving their kits, the women burst into a thank-you song as they left the house. The hugs and thank-yous that ensued outside were overwhelming.
Meanwhile, back at the Diocese, Terry and Jack walked over to the hospital for a game of ping-pong with the locals, including Challo, an IT worker who works in the HIV ward, and some others who have never played before. Ping pong has become a tradition over Jane and Terry's previous missions to Shirati. Jack enjoyed getting to know some children playing on the playground in between ping pong rounds. Another great day!
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, off to work we go! Tech student, Doug, Corliss, TJ Most of the Team at work
Fred and Jack Terry and Jason adding mortar First DFG distribution
Fred and Corliss parging joints Bishop Kateti hard at work!! Most of the Team parging joints
Fresh Tilapia for supper!