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Off to Zulu Natal to build a home Read more
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  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    Day 2

    Day 2

    April 5 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    Arrived in Durban which had wonderfull mosaic pillars in airport. Internal flight which was very very bumpy! 4 hour drive with goats, horned cows and antelop along the road side and in the roads. Arrived at wonderful lodge, at Sodwana Bay but just getting dark when we arrived. Gegos on the walls inside!Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    Day 3

    Day 3 morning

    April 6 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    An amazing day for many reasons! Monkeys in our garden, zebras on the side of the road.
    We visited a children's home this morning, the welcome was wonderfull, warm hugs and smiling happy children. We sang and danced together and they taught us a song in zulu.
    We had a talk about the history of the home and how it runs, it has been in operation since the 1950's and currently houses 27 children, all run by a lovely lady called Nosiklay.
    Next a school just down the road run by Dorathea a truly incredible, inspirational lady. She teaches science and maths , trying to change the approach nationally. She works with universities, runs robotics classes, teachs programming, to all ages including A levels. Uses lego and duplo, 6 duplo bricks is a thing. Sadly funding is hard and she has not had a wage for 4 months!
    We drove past a chess garden on the side of the road, with children all playing chess and being taught by a local doctor.
    A packed lunch followed.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    Day 3

    Day 3 continued

    April 6 in South Africa ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    We stopped at a supermarket, they sign your receipt at till and you have to show it to leavevthe store at the door. We pulled into a second one and Chris knew a market stall holder selling cashew nuts, nearly all of us brought some he was so happy they are so tasty.

    The children's home taught 3 main things for the children to develop good self confidence, self esteem and dignity.

    The afternoon was very moving, we gave out some food parcels and saw two homes, one slept 12 children and another had many all looked after by a grand mother who had a baby strapped on her back. They were told today that they each be having a new home built for them in August. They were so incredibly humble and thank full and happy. They keep thier current homes incredibly tidy and clean. With the very little they have. They did a zulu dance in thanks and happiness.
    We gave the children sweets, little books, stickers and a football. Their dog loved the football and soon burst it. No one made a fuss, one child put the broken ball on his head like a hat, and they were all sharing their gifts.
    The homes they have now are made of mud and can wash away in heavy rain! This year has been wet.
    Look at the two photos that show in side one.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    1
    Day 4

    Day 4 Sunday am

    April 7 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Had a very warm welcome in an incredible church today. So many hugs and smiles. Incredible singing and dancing so much love and energy. They shared their service with us and Dorathy from the school we met yesterday translated for us.
    We were invited up and I did a reading.
    The children were so incredibly well behaved, they could go in and out at leisure.
    I had to pop my hand over my ears a couple of times as soon loud and powerful!
    It was a very special couple of hours.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    Day 4

    Day 4 Sunday afternoon

    April 7 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    We drove to visit a home biult before covid for a lovely man sponsored by Sue who is our pastoral carrer on the trip. She was overcome with emotion on seeing him again.
    Here if you do not have an ID you get no money, you cannot work, so cannot feed yourself etc
    He had been living in a tin shack and was lost and poorly. But Sue felt a connection on meeting him 5 years ago and paid for a home to be built for him. He now lives in it and welcomed us in today. After research by Coco's he was able to get ID 2 years ago and the government has built him a new home BUT he will not leave Sue's one. He loves it. He still gets food aid every month from Coco's as he has no job.
    We discovered today he is same age as Chris 54 years old.
    He has chickens a home and now pride.

    The roads were wet, its rained! We had to push the van as it got stuck!

    We visited 3 brothers who were given a new home 7 months ago. They are growing their own vegetables and biulding a chicken cope. They were pleased to see us and had a terrific sense of humor.
    We visited the family we are biulding for and start tomorrow. We leave at 7am to get to the site. It rained today hopefully it will be dry for biulding.
    Saw storks, zebras, cows and goats, loads of chickens all free roaming and often in the middle of the road!    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    2
    Day 5

    Day 5 Monday 1st biulding day

    April 8 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We are up at 5.45am ready to leave at 7am for the hour drive to the home and family we are biulding for.
    On the way, we picked up two of Nkosie's children and took them to school. All the school children either walk or get picked up, they wear wonderfully colourful uniforms, and are very smart. The Mama's and Gogo's do the washing in bowls and hang it out to dry on tge fences, and washing lines between trees. Nkosie has 6 children between 2 and 10 years old.

    We arrive, and the biulders we are working with look a little bemused by us 7 Gogos who have come to biuld! But we get stuck in stacking breeze blocks in piles of 3 wide and 5 tall around the footprint of the home. We check for spiders and scorpions before lifting. It is hot work, but we pull together as a team.

    Next, we learn how to mix the mortor and run the water from the Jojo. That's the large green watertank that will be attached to the home to collect rain for the home, when we have finished.

    We work from 9 to 10, then snack. The son of the family helps us all day. The Gogo and daughter keep doing little dances and smiling. They are so happy.

    We lay 6 courses of blocks today! We use mortar to fill between all the blocks. We have an hour for lunch in the shade, and they apply more suncream. The chickens come to see us and an either thin doggy. So on way homecwe but a large bag of dog food for tomorrow, it will last a long time.

    The biulders are very patient with us but seemed happy with our work. We all smile and have fun together. We clean our tools, leaving us happy with ourselves. A great day, we havecaching arms n backs but wirth it.

    Chris has explained that this is like us being gifted a million pound home and watching being biult, decorated, and then, at the end, being handed the keys. This home we are biulding is a gift to them at the end we will hand them the keys, it is emotional.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    Day 5

    Day 5 continued

    April 8 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    (Day 5)Monday
    Bob, the builder, would be impressed! We got 6 layers of block work done!

    We drove home passing the cows as usual. And then going shopping purchasing bananas, which are far more tasty here, I ate 2 today.. and they enabled Chris to go on tour of the local bike shops! Sadly, we did not one.

    We had a restful couple of hours playing card games in the garden. Showered, then drove to Sodwana Bay and into the complex where we had dinner out.

    I sat next to Tamsine ac19 tear old from just outside Petersfield in Sussex, who has been living here for 7 months working at the children's home and living with the leaders family. She really enjoyed chatting with us and said it was great to speak English as she has struggled to learn Zulu. She hasc2 months to go then home to university in London to study tailoring.

    A wonderful choice of food, I had ribs n chips.

    A great day today, very rewarding.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    Day 6

    Day 6 rain stops biulding

    April 9 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Woke to a big thunderstorm, so had to change plans.
    Went to Ebenizer nursery school for 2 to 5 year olds.
    We spent the day with them and split into pairs to be with a class.
    I went with Lyn and helped Busy Bees aged 2 1/2 to 3 1/2.
    The theme this week is transport. It costs 1,200 rand a month for each child to attend. Straight away, they are learning English. Some can only speak Zulu, but they soon start picking up English.
    The morning is structured, with story time, maths, and learning about the weeks theme. Every child gets homework 4 nights a week.
    I joined in, and we talked about types of transport on the land, in the air, and on the sea. We sang the wheels on the bus and row row row your boat. The story was The 3 Billy Goats Gruff. All in English.
    One child put her hand up and asked for the toilet. They were all allowed to walk across the yard to the toilet and back again alone.
    Their behaviour was impeccable, and they slowly warmed to us.
    I drew a big bus on card and they pianted it. We let them sit in our minibus and drove it down the drive and back, they loved it. Then lunch, in the main room they all had the same cooked meal. When finished, I stood up, gave their bowls into the kitchen, and went outside to play. They all knew what was expected of them.
    The afternoon is freebie outside, we gave them a football and all played together. I was goaly it was great fun but quite humid and hot.
    No arguments or fuss durring the whole day! I played pat a cake hand clapping with our class of little ones before leaving.
    Another wonderful day.    Read more

  • TravelerSouth Africa Coco's Foundation
    Day 7

    Day 7 biulding in the sun

    April 10 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Up and out at 7 am off to biuld in the gorgeous sunshine. Our first sunny day.
    It was hot work, but we kept motivated with Heather's music, we sang and danced, trying to floss with the sister of the family. We found a dung beetle and wasp nest.
    We moved blocks across the site and stacked them up on the scaffolding, ready to use. I say scaffolding 3 planks of wood laid across a pile of blocks. We worked in teams, and I filed trowel loads of pug and passed them up to those on scaffolding.
    It was hot work, but it was great seeing how the biulders put in the mantels and windows.
    Today, I did counter poses to stretch my muscles and help stop them from feeling sore.    Read more

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