Volunteer Trip April 2023

It's up........early early and today we are of to visit the children's home and old friends Nosihle. It's a bitter sweet for me as Rachel the lady I have now for 10yrs the head of the children's home has retired from that position and now lives in Pietermaritzburg. Nosihle who I have also known as long has taken on the post. Debs meets Nosihle with the biggest of hugs and they start chatting like only ladies can and do. Catching up with the last 3 years that we hadn't visited because of Covid.
With 27 children that now currently live in the children's home it is a delight to see them all piling into the therapy room to be introduced to us and preform a few dances, song and words of poetry. A pure delight.......
Nosihle continues the next our with a presentation on the Reach out to a child program and the partnership of the CoCos Foundation so the volunteers have a good understanding of how this wonderful partnership has worked over the passed 10yrs.
Before we visit Saziso who will be taking us into the local community we visit another truly amazing freind Dorothy at the Chrstoph Meyer Science & Math Center. Visit this academic centre that we built 4yrs ago is always a complete join. Dorothy the principal has nothing but abundance of energy and passion for educating the next generation of the future.
We make our way to Saziso in an area called Mduku where we have built over 66 houses in the past, homes for many vulnerable children.
As we pull into Saziso house an hour late "African time" we are met with his usual smile and an enthusiasm for life. A quick into to the team with his one liner and if you have been a volunteer o trip your know what I mean....lol
The first house we are taken to as soon as we pull up you can feel and see the need. An old GoGo meets us with many many children. Yet greets us with open hands and an open heart. It never ceases to amaze me how humble African people are.
The GoGo is a neighbour and has come across to check the children are ok. Nkosie and Saziso chat with her and she greets us once more. I glance to my right and to my left, both houses seem as bad as each other. Yet we are here only to see one. I ask Saziso if we can take a look at her house to, she seems to have as many children.
A thought pops into my head....!
In 2024 we are bring out a team of Girl Guides and we always build two house side by side. This would be perfect 👍🏼 A short chat with Debs and Nkosie confirms it's a great idea.
We visit to more houses equally as bad Volunteers, those that haven't been out here before, and even those that have really struggle different things trigger different emotions for some. It is the way that the Interveiw house looks for others. It's the way the children look for a couple of them, it's the way a little puppies are so skinny. But for each volunteer it's their personal journey.
We visit two more houses with equal amount of challenges. So we have some tough choices ahead.
On this trip we have the honour of bring our to ambassadors for the CoCos Foundation Ruth & Geoff. Ruth and her mum Mildred who has now passed away have followed the Journey of the CoCos Foundation since we started. Ruth & Geoff have always been taken by the three boys story Siyabonga, Sph and Sifiso. They have been so supportive and that support has carried on through today when they offered to build the boys a house. So Siyabonga with a spring in his step and his brothers took Ruth & Geoff and the rest of us to visit the land where the house is to be built. It was a complete joy to see the smile on all of their faces. The smile face that gives and the smiley face that receives. Thank you Ruth & Geoff. But also thank you Mildred.
With the day complete it was down to the beach 🏝️ to walk chat and just be. Then home for a lovely meal.Okumaya devam et