After saying our goodbyes at Ethandweni Children’s Home, we set our sights forward to the next group of projects, starting with a trip back to Mgadla Community School.
Returning to Mgadla a week after our first visit, we threw on our painting clothes and set to work alongside members of the community to provide some finishing touches to the second school block. Breaking out the rollers and brushes, we managed to prime the whole building inside and out, and even had the chance to put on a coat of ‘Mains’l Blue’ before we had to be on our way (spattered from head to toe in paint!). It was wonderful to see the progress of the second school block and teachers quarters at Mgadla!
The team then traveled 3 hours to the Hwange area where the work continued with the Dete Old Age Home, Mabale Clinic, and the Ivory Anti Poaching Unit.
Our visits to Dete Old Age Home once again focused on relationship building and spending time in community. We took turns playing mancala (a group effort requiring considerable coaching from the sidelines!), working in the garden harvesting sweet potatoes and chomolia, helping in the kitchen to prepare lunch for everyone, and assisting with projects like cleaning out the pigpen and chicken coup. The gardens were healthy and a new roof was being installed as well!
On our last day at Dete, we held a much anticipated fishing competition in their brand new fish pond, built by the M2T10 team last September! Nearly everyone caught a fish and there were smiles all around. For those who preferred a different kind of competition, there was of course bingo! With the prize being a generous helping of candy, everyone was a winner.
We bid farewell with hugs and smiles, and some small gifts to say ‘thank you’ for the time and memories.
Our last day in the area took us to the town of Cross Mabale and the Mabale clinic, where we were able to bring a small donation of much needed medical supplies. We toured the facilities and learned that the clinic serves the entire community with just three nurses and a visit from a doctor once a month for one day.
After the visit to the clinic, we drove to a nearby village where, with the help of the Anti Poaching Unit, we built a lion proof boma. The boma, which will serve the whole community and hold up to 25 cattle, is built using large poles, chainlink fence, and barbed wire. The community members celebrated with music and dancing after the boma was finished! This was the fifth boma built in collaboration with the Mains’l Mission Team, out of the twenty eight total boma’s built by Mother Africa Trust.
Our last project was a patrol with the Ivory Anti Poaching Unit, who had recently graduated from their intense 2-week training program. On our patrol we got a first hand look at their efforts to deter poaching in the area, including a demonstration on how they track and apprehend poachers!
Our time in the Hwange area was a reminder of the importance of community, from spending time with the madalas at the Old Age Home to celebrating the completion of the boma, the work we do would not be possible without the many, many hands, in Africa and at home, that help and guide us along the way!
Next time we’ll share a new project we will be embarking on – exciting stuff!