The first image is the orphanage BEFORE construction began.
The next two show the orphanage after construction!
I can't wait to get some hugs from some African babies such as these...
And the latest from Vanessa:
You guys are not going to believe this!!!
First before I tell you my story, let me tell you that this morning, I went to see mama and the kids, and check on the construction. First, I have to tell you, I was shaking while on the road to Nyanga. It was a very emotional moment. When I arrived, those little souls just ran and grab my legs. When I met Mama, it was very intense. She is very shy. Xholani was translating all of my words to her, you should see her smile, she is sooooo happy. The building is UNBELIEVABLE!!!! 3 bedrooms and one bathroom with bathtub and toilets!! I met with the builder, check on all aspects that need to be finished such as water connection etc..
This new building will change everything: more space for the kids, a bathtub so they don’t need to wake up at 4am for each to get washed in a plastic basin outside anymore and more importantly, real walls! No leaks, much less humidity, a such healthier environment for the babies. And yes, with this, the social services will be able to provide them with grants. So I hope you realize that this construction is so much more than few walls and windows, it is a brand new life for the orphanage and for its growth. I spoke to Mama about the colors she would like the walls to be: grey, blue, orange and cream white it will be and I promise I did not influence her on the orange!!! Get ready to work hard, there will be lot to do!!! Undercoat + 2 coats. In addition to the deco, they will need:
n 1 single bed for mama
n 2 bank beds (4 beds in total)
n 2 wardrobes which I asked for a quote to the builder.
n one washing machine. You should see how they do the laundry….. by hand, outside,in little plastic container.
I have attached some pictures if you want to show them to the team. The second one is how it was before so you have an idea. The first attachment is a folder with the photos of the new house, and mama, the kids and Xholani who have been following up project from A to Z with us as we needed someone to speak Xhosa. The kids are going to pre-school on Monday so you may not see them in the morning, but they will be back at 2pm and I have heard that they have prepared some dances for us! We will also have breakfast with Mama as she insisted to cook some steamed bred for us as a welcome.
Now I have to tell you what happened after my visit there… I wanted to start looking as some prices for the beds so we can evaluate if we will do have enough to buy them all. So I took a cab and went to different places to compare the prices. The last one I visited, I met with the Manager and asked him to do something with the final price because it was for an orphanage. He gave me a good deal. Anyway, I got stuck there because I did not have any more money to take another cab, so here is this woman in the shop, she asks if I needed any help because I looked very confused!! Long story short, she actually drove me back to the lodge. But before she did, I explained to her our project in the car and she got very touched. So you know what she did??? She drove me to a discount paint wholesaler and helped me discuss with the boss for the pricing. More, she actually contacted her friend so she can donate the curtains for the rooms. And better! She is going to fundraise in her community for the washing machine!!! It is an expense we cannot afford but that is so important though. Anyway, I needed to tell you this because this is all what this project is about. Attracting good people for a good cause, and connect them together at the right timing so their energy is combined for the best. No I am not crazy, things are coming to us and will keep on coming. It is a miracle honestly that we have collected enough funds in time, it is also a miracle that the construction is just over the week we are arriving, it is a miracle that so many people got involved without even expecting it. I could not believe it this morning. Why did I meet this person today and when she was about to leave the store (I could have arrived an hour earlier or later), how she will help now us and the babies and more importantly, how her life will soon be changed too. As she said in the car, she was grateful for our meeting and get to know about the project; she said the past months she only found wrong reasons in her life to not believe in anything, and I guess we were supposed to meet today because she has now found ONE reason to think life is good and each CAN do something about it. She will help us next week to go to a discount place to buy the plastic tile for the floor. This is called magic and I just loooove it! This is only a start guys, just only a start.
