My daughter is your daughter!

These are the words that Justine's mother said when she started School on Monday, it was very emotional and again I cried like a fool. The smallest things mean so much here, one of the items I bought for Justine for her school trunk was a flask which they keep safe drinking water in, in the UK the flask would probably have cost approximately 3 pounds, and the look on their faces ( you will see the pictures) was worth all the money in the world, such a simple thing caused such delight! I think it was the red hearts which did it. Now Justine is at School I feel as protective as her mother, I have to check on her every day to see that she is ok, she has a bit of an eye infection so I said she must see the nurse tomorrow.  The staff of CALM and Jolly Mercy keep saying to me how is your daughter :-). I am also extremely fond of a few of the other children, a little girl called Lorda who looks about 3 but is actually 7, for most of her life so far she has lived with her grandmother and since she could walk she has been sent to look after the cattle in the woods and fields during daylight hours only coming home in the evening and has experienced very little motherly love and affection . Her mother recently got a job at the school so went to fetch her daughter who is now seriously under developed - she is so smal, everday I pick her up and give her a long cuddle which she loves and funnily enough in just a few days she has actually started talking, very quietly whispering 'thank you teacher', but according to the school this is huge progress. She has just 2 dresses one of which is about 10 sizes too big and the other one falling apart. So this morning I took a needle and cotton into school and stitched up the shoulders which were tired together to stop them falling off her shoulders. Well that opened the flood gates and by lunchtime I had 4 little girls queuing up with clothes (which we probably wouldn't even consider sending to oxfam) that needed mending, so that was my job this afternoon and I even ended up bringing some home to fix and take back tomorrow. Those of you who know me well will know that I  can hardly stitch on a button so these childrens clothes will not be being 'professionally' mended but at least it may make them last a little bit longer.

If anyone at all has ever been interested in sponsoring a child do let me know, there are so many children here who need help. To sponosr a child at day school is approximately 150 pounds per year and a full time boarder is approx 300 pounds per year. My email is alison_michie@yahoo.co.uk.

So we have also now finished the painting and I will try to attached a picture - the kids started it off and we just tidied it up a bit, the kids and the school were delighted.  Next we are going to paint the newly constructed walkway (well the concrete which defines the walkway anyway).

Anyway, enjoy the photos below.  More soon.

THE flask!

Justines mum says thank you again!

My daughter is your daughter!!

The master piece!

Leaving our mark!

Morning cuddles with Teacher Ali

One of many drawing the kids do for me, this one reads, Dear Teacher Ali, I love you so much, may god plass (bless) you!!

Ivan, how gorgeous is he, he lives in a mud hut with his grandmother and 5 brothers and sisters!!!