Monthly Archive for June, 2002

June 2002 - Hilary Price

Published by Hilary Price on June 2, 2002 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

It seems every month gets busier - and June has certainly been NO exception!! What a joyous, victorious, momentous month it’s been!!

Heralded in with the arrival of five chooks given to take up residence in the palatial ‘chook house’. The month was clearly focused toward finishing the home for the opening on the 29 June. Thankfully we had four students on practicum placement for the final two weeks. What a Godsend!

The indoor painting was finally finished - yippee!! Plastering was done followed by beautifying the interior, water blasting and painting the exterior followed by a final burst to level, rake and seed the field! The week before the opening the velocity increased to force 9 as carpet and lino layers, awnings and sun sails technicians worked at a frenetic pace to finish renovations.

To promote our Homes of Hope we have also been flat out making a short video. This has entailed getting all the personal together to take part, as well as conceptualizing and editing the script. Hannah, the daughter of Colleen (co-founder of Homes of Hope) has written the most beautiful song called “Hope had found a home” to be used on the video, we’ll also put it on an Interactive CD to be distributed for a Dinner Dance Promotion. Yes! That’s also on the boil!!

June has seen us developing the promotional concept for the Dinner Dance - “Dreams are Made of This” to be held at Baypark Stadium on 30 August 2003. PLEASE COME!! Email me hilary@homesofhope.org.nz. We’ve got Tom Sharplin performing so we should have an absolute ball! $85 a ticket and it all goes towards helping a Kiwi kid on their way!!

This month has also seen the continued process of recruiting and assessing House Parents. Three assessments, one panel interview and a final specialist panel deliberation have seen us arrive at a decision in favor of the applicants. We now have 14 children for consideration - an incredible and amazing privilege and honor. We can’t wait to begin the process of caring for them.

Which brings us to the opening!! THE OPENING!!! The day dawned overcast but at least not raining. We had decided to hire a large marquee in the event that the weather did not hold - what a good thing we did!! It was very damp and drizzly most of the day. But hearts were warmed and spirits flew as 180 people came to celebrate with us. The service began with a beautiful powhiri and waiata, Rev Keith Hooker and Pastor David Dishroon officiated at the service, Janet Ness read from the Bible a beautiful promise for the children of Homes of Hope, and Hannah sang her gorgeous song. Larry Baldock MP cut the ribbon and we celebrated with afternoon tea as folk viewed the home. We were delighted to have Judy Turner MP attend as well, a very overwhelming and awesome day. We are now ready to roll….

Hilary

June 2002 - Graham Nobbs

Published by Graham Nobbs on June 2, 2002 in Diary Updates. 0 Comments

I have been in Boma Sudan now for four weeks. Time certainly passes quickly especially as now one third of my year here in Africa has gone.

During the month I have been here I believe Stephen Luga my Sudanese colleague and myself have achieved a great deal and have laid the basis of what will be an ongoing teacher training program here in Boma for the next five years. We have concluded three basic Teacher Training programs in:

Boma ( 18 teachers)
Pakok (13 teachers)
Upper Boma (6 teachers).
This is a total of thirty- seven teachers.

Probably the most noteworthy development of the month spent here in Boma was a new school we established amongst the very backward Jia settlers on the outskirts of Boma.

The people are basically cattle herders forced by drought to live near water supplies and turn to cultivation. They work very hard in their gardens on some very fertile land. However they live in very squalid conditions and get employment as domestic workers cutting firewood or construction poles.

Their homes are oval shaped huts packed closely together and made entirely from grass, they do not even posses latrines.

Disease is a serious problem and mothers sometimes lose all their babies (three or four) in some instances.

The registered school children are taught to wash their faces and eyes and bathe before coming to school.

The Jia Nadyapuru Primary School named after the tree it was formed under evolved in twenty minutes. The children swept the area clean of rubbish, collected stones to sit on and were then registered beneath the tree. The school now has in excess of sixty students who gather around the blackboard beneath the tree.

The teacher Alia has only had six years at school but is dedicated, talented and hard working. The children are bright and use slates for copying. Later we shall give them exercise books. They have cleared a football field and are enjoying games of soccer every school day using the ball we have given them.

A cook -house has been built and seats constructed from tree trunks. Latrines and hopefully a covered classroom will follow this in the near future.

The local churches and the military have started adult literacy classes for adults in the community. The education team is supplying them with stationery and textbooks.

My program for the remainder of this year includes:

A training course for Principals and Deputy Head Teachers starting on August 4th.
The training of school Supervisors around mid August.
Phase One of teacher training from mid October.
The training of PTA reps from all the schools in November.
Building a Community Training Center hopefully commencing in August.
Moving on… Our Across “Rock Base”at Boma is developing steadily. Six sleeping tukels are completed although two have to be given cement floors including the one I occupy. The tukels are very comfortable and a huge improvement on a tent.

I have been setting up vegetable gardens in rather rocky soil in beds built around some middle-sized trees. We have raised carrots, eggplants and tomatoes in a nursery and transplanted these as well as beans, corn and melons. The main problems include lack of heavy rain and the increasing population of chickens we are breeding plus our young pup “Bindus”.

We have two hatchlings of chicks totaling fifteen in number and a lovely little kitten “Unity”. Two Sudanese trainee carpenters have built two brooding houses for the chicks. We also planted four small Mango trees and some Banana palms.

I next return to Nairobi in early September. I expect to be in Boma for four weeks and then may spend a week or so in Rumbek - after which I will be in touch again.

Graham