Wednesday home visits, and some of Thursday!

Hi everyone! It’s Molly, Issie, Jenny and Mary hereJ We’re having such an amazing time and thought we’d tell you a bit about our day, yesteerday.

In class 5 (with Molly and Mary) we’re really starting to know the kids better and they’re even teaching us some Amharic! (amseginialo – thank you). Today we did maths, biology and history and they got fully involved and seemed to appreciate every second of it. It really made us think about our work ethic in school. In maths, the kids didn’t give up, event when we gave them harder questions that we couldn’t even answer. Incorporating football into our history lesson was great because their lives seem to revolve around football. In biology we saw their competitive side and they couldn’t believe how long the digestive system is. They’re really fast learners and they're always up for any activity we suggest.  When they don’t understand us, our translator, Million, is so patient and funny and we really get on with him.

After school, we (Molly Mary Marianne and Mia) had the opportunity to go on a home visit. After hearing some of the stories from yesterday, we were all a bit apprehensive about it. We visited a boy called Getnet’s home. He is the sweetest, most polite 15 yr old boy and taught us some Amharic on the way there. He seemed so excited to show us his area, pointing out all of the important buildings and the compound he lives in which houses 13 other families.

His mother is a very shy, yet strong and inspirational woman. She has been on the WAR programme for 5 years now and it was nice for us to see how much the charity has helped her (particularly after hearing the stories from yesterday).

She is currently living in temporary (so temporary she could lose it tomorrow) government housing because it’s the rainy season here and her old house is not waterproof. WAR was able to get her one with luxuries, such as electricity, a kitchen and a TV. When we asked her questions, it was great to hear first hand how much the charity has helped her. It also highlighted how much she’d been through and how grateful she was for all the support she’d received.

The thing that she is most grateful for is how much WAR has been able to help her two boys. She said that the only thing she wishes for the future is their success. It’s been a really eye-opening experience and has really made us think, as lifestyle contrasts starkly to some of the others we saw later at the Hilton hotel where we went for a swim (except they’d drained the pool!)

Lots and lots of love, Molly and Mary J xxx

Today we (Jenny, Issie Maisie and Rebecca) were given the opportunity to go on a home visit to a boy in our class who is only 12 and called Hermarell. His mother is called Yamata and she was a prostitute for 19 years and has been on the WAR programme for 2 years. She was one of the most inspiring women we have ever met; she was so strong and really wanted to give her children the best opportunity that they can have. Hermarell is the cutest boy, he is so polite and will help you clear up and is finally coming out of his shell. He is so clever, his maths skills are truly amazing; the first time we did algebra he picked it up almost immediately. He always has the biggest smile and never lets anything get him down.

It really changed our views on life especially as we went straight to the Hilton afterwards that was a 3-minute drive from their ‘house’. It really put their situation into perspective, as the shack was 1m x 2m and 4 people were living there. When their mother was working as a prostitute, the children had to stay on the top bunk bed whilst their mother was ‘working’. Hermarell was 10 years when she stopped, his sister was 7 and his mother was still pregnant with his youngest sister at the time. WAR has really helped this woman and she is truly grateful.

It was a great but heartbreaking experience, we have all realized how truly lucky we are.

All our love, Jenny and Issie xx

And now a bit about today up until the home visits (which you will hear about tomorrow!)

Today we woke up bright and early this morning (7.00 to be precise). As usual we were so excited to see the kids again especially as we only had two days left with them:'( when we arrived in our vans they all came running up to us and swarming round us with the biggest smiles on their faces. After we said hello to all the kids we went into our separate teaching groups some of the older groups taught the class about eye, and some younger groups got taught about the human body and made paper airplanes for physics. In the afternoon we all came together and jimmy did another one of his fun and crazy activities where the whole school joined in a circle to the hokey cokey and duck duck goose. It was so great to the smiles on the all the kids faces even the older ones really enjoyed it. So sad that it's our last day tomorrow but it has been an incredible experience that will live with us forever! If you're reading this please contact other parents to comment on the blog.

Love Molly and Issie xx