Big Building Projects!

 Everywhere I go people need help building things.  My school needs a new classroom building, a new water supply, the orphan garden needs a shelter and kitchen, the primary school a new everything!  At the end of April I helped my deputy principle to write a grant to the US Embassy asking for funds to build a new classroom building.  The grant is for R50,000 and the approximate cost of a new two classroom block is around R200,000 so if they will even consider us is up in the air.  My classrooms now are very crowded and my form D math class has 70 students.  Whether I want to put in the effort to raise all this money on my own for a new classroom I am not sure and I am not sure it would make a big impact on the functioning of my school.

Lynn is helping my school to build a new water system for the school because sometimes water runs out during the dry season and the school water use puts a lot of pressure on the surrounding communities water supply.  I am really excited to help because of my background and it is something I actually know something about unlike teaching haha!  The surveyor is looking at possibly connecting a source to the school with an organization close by that does plant preservation for herbal medicine.  Hopefully I will get a chance to talk to him the next time he comes out and help out by writing a project proposal.

The orphan garden is an amazing place.  I visited their last weekend with Liteboho (my closest Basotho friend) and Caitlin.  Liteboho organized some really fun small games for the kids.  One involving strings and stacking cups to try to teach team work and another goofy circle game where one kid went in the circle and said simple English phrases about having a ball, dancing with it, and passing it to another person in the circle.  The kids loved it and it was really fun to see their confidence grow as the game progressed and they went into the circle alone.  The orphan garden is an uplifting place and I feel such a positive energy when I am there and the bo-mme are incredible people.  All the kids old enough to carry a shovel help with planting and preparing new plots.  They are asking me to help them to build a new building to house the orphans when it is cold and a place to cook.  It is possible that I will be able to apply for grants through PEPFAR and hopefully will learn more about this in June at an in service training.  Lynn the picture of the baby cow is for you!