so,
we are leaving to durban wednesday. today there will be a party with the kids. very hard to leave...
last night we had a talk. I was thinking about a very dear friend of us from the village. she's a mother of 3 young children. we heard that when the little one will stops breastfeeding she will leave, as always, to south africa, where she has work, and the children will stay with their sick grandmother again. I was thinking to myself- what if this woman start baking one extra loaf of bread in the morning, and when the lodge finally opens she will send slices for breakfast? (it's yummy and very different bread, and we've seen it done successfully in other places). so what if she sells a loaf for 5 M, and makes an average of 25 per day? that is about 700 M per month, a lot of money here. so she doesn't have to leave. and her children will not be neglected... and she will make sure they go to school every day. ... and they will finish school..... and can afford be sent to high school.... and go to university/ find a good job. ....and so on. ....and other women see that. and start their own initiatives. and make money. the ripples are immeasurable.
I mean, I knew that before theoretically, but now these people have faces, and we know their lifestyle from experience, and the problems they're facing. and it's not just this woman. she's just one example of a very common situation- husband far working in mining in south africa, if alive at all, or shrunk and useless. many children. no employment. so many daily chores, which the children have to take part of, many times instead of school, with its' fees and high school tuition.
so if we just find the money to finish we can make a huge difference...
and so today I open my e mail account and...
3,000$!!!!!!!!
remember the story about clowns without borders? someone in ireland raised it after watching their video for the lodge to be FINISHED!!! it's almost everything we need. we only need a little bit more and can open.
so this is our goodbye present, and all it took was inviting a clown for lunch of papa and meroho.
love you all, next time I write will be in Durban, on the way to india.
kisses and hugs
pafi