At the Orphanage

Yesterday we had a driver from Help Lesotho bring us to Maseru with all our heavy bags and groceries. Doug, the other volunteer, will only stay 2 days so I can orient him .
It was a fantastic feeling to see and hug the children. Many handshakes and smiles with the boys and I tried to ask as many kids as possible how they did at school and how their Christmas went. Forty out of 60 went away to relatives for the last 6 weeks and they are just returning to school. Great excitement all around. Sr Margaret was very happy to see me and get her new ( reconditioned )laptop. I was put up in the nuns dorm and Doug had the one available room in the rondavel.

We got out some toys and skipping ropes and soon had the kids engaged. Also did a tour of the farm They have expanded to 700 chickens and Me Puleng is worked off her feet.
There were 300 when I was here before. Ntate Mafisa, a social worker, has an office here and has filled in the gap left by Sr Victoria going to university. He counsels the kids and organizes tutoring and debating. Great man. The farm had just had a bucket irrigation system installed over the last 8 weeks by an American volunteer and his wife. All the gardens now have small tubes thru them and there are new gardens and many more pigs. So thing move forward.

We are going to a livestock breeder tomorrow or the next day to pick out a young milk cow, one of my projects. I will also take a photo of each child anad present them all with one on Friday night when I run a BINGO ! Saturday night I hope Sr Victoria will come to see me and I may get to see traditional dance one more time- my favorite.

Another wonderful spontaneous moment for me....last night I asked if I could read to the little ones in the dorm room. We took in a chair and I tried to get them to settle. Many dont speak English. They were crowded in , two in some beds. The orphanage is overfull. The small ones had food on their faces and dust on their legs. Not back to routine yet. But everyone was so happy. We found a perfect book called Brown Bear, simple, big colored pictures of animals, one per page and a great rythmn. We read that thing 3 times, each time faster with more kids participating, and they loved it. I was so glad they agreed and even got to tuck a few in. I love many of these children and feel very happy to be here providing them with some extra care and mothering to them even for a few days It is a rare and meaningful thing for a volunteer to come back.

More in three days then flying out Sunday.