St. Philip's Hostel for Children Newsletter
September 2002
On
the diet front, the children are enjoying vegetables from our community garden.
Sisters Speranza and Anna Maria grow all sorts of vegetables including cabbages,
lettuce, beans, beetroot, peas, tomatoes, carrots, spinach and onions. They
are helped by two Swazi men who maintain the garden. We also have pawpaw, papaya
and mango trees growing and the children enjoy these when available. It is
citrus time in Swaziland and we have been buying oranges while they are fresh
and cheap.
Each week Henk and I travel 100 km to town to do the Hostel food shopping. We have found an excellent wholesale trader from whom we purchase supplies in bulk. These trips to town are always jam-packed with other activities such as e-mailing, shopping for the Cabrini community, attending meetings, paying bills, visiting the bank, and if we have time a quick cafe latte! We generally leave the mission around 8 AM and return around 6 PM on these days.
We are now giving the children multivitamins to enhance their health status. They enjoy lining up before bedtime to receive their orange flavoured pill and we have had to warn them that if they try coming back for seconds and thirds they may develop diarrhea. The children have not had milk for several weeks as it has not been available from our local supplier and it is very expensive to buy commercially. We are thinking of purchasing some cows which the children could look after and milk.
Henk and I have just completed two major projects over the previous two weekends. A fortnight ago due to an increased incidence in scabies infestation we decided to treat the entire group of 82 children. As you can imagine, this was a big operation. Fortunately we were blessed with fine windy weather over two days so that we were able to get all the bed linen (including 50 blankets) washed and dried. We dealt with the girls' dormitory on the Saturday and the boys' on the Sunday. On both evenings all children washed thoroughly and then were painted with benzyl benzoate lotion from neck to toe with special emphasis on all their creases! Most of the children enjoyed this activity although some thought it was a bit strange. One 14 year-old boy who is renowned for his wit commented while laughing, "Make(Mother) Diana, you are trying to kill us!" Once painted they dressed in fresh clothing for bed. We shall be repeating this process (weather permitting) next weekend.
Last weekend we treated the children for worm infestation. Many have been complaining of stomachache and have developed swollen abdomens indicative of worms and some have been passing roundworms in their stools. On both evenings we had the children line up and dispensed appropriate doses (according to their weights) of piperazine elixir. For some children the sweet taste appeared to be a real treat, whereas others were not so keen. We plan to make this treatment a regular event, especially when they return from the homestead visits where infestation is a problem.
I have also commenced routine health checks of the children. This entails taking children to the clinic where they are checked over by a registered nurse and treated for any ailments. We have commenced monitoring their growth and it is pleasing to note that when they were weighed last weekend no child had lost weight since admission to the hostel. In fact many children have gained over the last three months and are looking generally healthier. There are some children who do not appear to be thriving like the others. We do not plan to test for HIV status at this stage as we have no treatment available. There is the occasional case of malaria amongst the children and they are treated with chloroquine. The weather is exceedingly dry and it is not malaria time right now.
One Saturday recently we involved the older children in a HIV/AIDS education session. This was a terrific session and was facilitated by a youth group from the mission area. At first the children were shy and sometimes embarrassed but by question time were more relaxed. One of our main aims with the children is to give them the facts early and keep reinforcing them at regular intervals as they grow. There is also HIV/AIDS education through the school. Many of the children have been orphaned because of this sinister virus and we feel with so many of their parents' generation dying we must concentrate on saving the next generation.
On
the weekends special activities are planned for the children. Most of the children
enjoy drawing very much and I have collected their artwork to send to you so
I hope you enjoy it. We were able to purchase several reels of newsprint from
the Swaziland Times Press and the children enjoy helping me to cut it into
individual sizes. In fact they enjoy helping with most things, for example,
checking names on lists, handing out medicine (with supervision), handing out
plates at mealtimes, hanging washing on the line or bringing it in, folding
their quilts before bedtime and mending clothes. All the boys and girls learn
sewing and knitting at school and some of the bigger children can be seen sitting
on the veranda at the hostel at the weekends bent over a garment which needs
mending.
I am very impressed with the designer skills of many of the children. There are some who are able to cut out material and hand-sew garments for themselves. You can imagine how excited they become when they obtain a scrap of material or find some yarn to knit with. I noticed one girl recently who was using two long thin nails as knitting needles and she was knitting beautifully and others use bits of wire as needles. There is also a group of boys who sit in a circle under some trees in their car factory fashioning amazing car models out of pieces of wire and other metal scraps they have found about the mission. These vehicles are so detailed. They have car bodies the shape of real models and doors that open and shut. The boys attach long steering wheels to their models and spend much time driving them around the mission grounds. This group has also constructed a large garage in amongst some bushes nearby in which to keep their fleet.
Every Sunday morning the children attend Sunday school and part of the church service. They love singing and dancing and revel in any special occasion or celebration. Last week one of our Australian visitors Rachel Ball who had been very involved with the children left for London. At very short notice the children staged an amazing concert, arranging benches before the hostel veranda which was used as a makeshift stage. There were small groups singing, dancing and performing short plays. This was a gem of a night and we felt so privileged to be part of this wonderful group of young people. Make Agatha (the hostel Swazi mother) sat in the front row and directed proceedings in SiSwati and the three other women helpers stayed behind for the concert. When the concert had finished there was more dancing and Rachel gave out some sweets she had purchased for the children. They seldom have treats like sweets and become very excited in anticipation. We have to resort to crowd control and get them to form a long line with the preschool children at the front and the oldest children at the back.
About a month ago the school closed down from Wednesday through to the following Monday so we decided to send all the children to their extended family members in the homesteads. We feel very strongly that the children should connect with their roots whenever possible during school holidays, long weekends or for special family occasions. We know that there are only remnants of family at the homesteads, for example, an aunty or uncle, brother or sister, a cousin or perhaps a grandparent. We also acknowledge that there will probably not be enough food for the children as the failure of crops and drought conditions are paying their toll on the poor Swazi people. However, we know the experience is rich in other ways and even though the children return to the hostel perhaps a little lighter and hungrier we know that we can build them up again.
The children were so excited on the Tuesday evening before their departure on the Wednesday morning. Make Agatha helped them to pack their few items and the following morning Henk and I piled them into the two mission cars (in batches of 20 per car!!) and set off to drop them at the roadside close to their homesteads. The children were so happy and sang loudly as we drove along the gravel road. At various spots we dropped small groups of children off and they melted away into the bush. They had been given a thick jam sandwich from the kitchen before we left. Some children kept the sandwich in their hands and others could not resist eating them on the way, knowing that they would be quickly stolen at the homestead.
When we were returning from a community outing on the following Sunday evening at dusk we drove past the Hostel and saw a small group of children huddled on the steps of the dining hall. It was cold and windy & there was no electricity as there had been a power cut for some reason. We had been informed that these children would be returning a day earlier than the others but it was a bleak sight. Make Agatha was heating up a huge kettle of water on the gas stove in the kitchen to make sweet black tea for them & it was not long before they were hopping in to Swazi-style jam sandwiches (bread cut about 5cm thick) in the dining hall & enjoying their mugs of tea`by candlelight.
Henk and I went out early on the Monday morning to pick up the remaining children. They had been instructed to be by the roadside by 7am. It was a crisp, misty morning and we managed to get them all back to school on time. The atmosphere in the cars this time was more subdued with no singing - Henk and I both commented on this and wondered whether they were just tired with the early start, cold, feeling "flat" at leaving their homesteads or maybe it was the memories of lost loved ones that lingered. Anyway, within 48 hours they had settled back in to Hostel life again.
I am sorry that it is taking so long to provide you with a current photo and information about your child. There are problems with obtaining details of the children as often it is difficult to find someone who knows the details of the child's family. It has been suggested that during the month-long school holidays (which begin in mid August) when the children are at their homesteads we may have more luck.
On
20 September we are planning the official opening of the hostel. Sister Diane
Dalle Molle is coming from New York to represent the Cabrini Sisters and is
bringing with her a statue of Mother Cabrini with a child to be placed with
a plaque outside the hostel. We are inviting one of King Mswati 111's wives
(Inkhosikati LaMatsebula) to be the Guest Speaker and to officially declare
the hostel open by unveiling the statue. She has a particular interest in orphaned
and abandoned children and seems the ideal choice. Originally we had plans
to invite the King as he has a farm close to the mission and is considered
a neighbour. However we were advised against this because it was pointed out
to us that if he came he would be bringing 1500 "extras" who would
all need feeding! The Regional Secretary who gave us this information suggested
we could put the money to better use - for example,towards the orphan program!
It is certainly a learning curve for Henk and myself finding out from expert
community people about the correct protocol for sending invitations, drawing
up a guest list and planning proceedings on the day etc. It is the aim of the
organising committees to involve the whole of the community in one way or other
and it will be a wonderful day for everyone. Of course the Hostel children
will be very involved with getting the hostel ready for the celebration and
practising dancing and singing routines which they do so well. I look forward
to telling you all about the celebration in the next newsletter.
Thank
you for sending a parcel and/or letter to your child. The children are very
excited when they receive a gift from their sponsor . Unfortunately only a
few of the older children are able to write in English so I hope you will accept
their drawings as a sign of their appreciation. As many of you have found out,
it is very expensive to send parcels to Africa. As the government has finally
agreed to give us tax exemption on goods coming from overseas, we will work
on a plan to coordinate the dispatch of parcels by sea freight in bulk through
Cabrini. We will keep you informed of progress.
Items needed
I have been asked to include in the newsletter items which would be useful
for the children so here goes!
Crayons++
The children use these at school & at play - jumbo crayons for the Preschoolers
& the standard size for the bigger children (10cm long & 10mm in diameter
is the size the school likes). We received a donation of crayons from the
US recently in boxes of eight which are an ideal size for individual children,
but anything would be terrific
Biros
Once again, the children need these for school & love drawing with them
- blue, red or black would be great. They need to be very plain - anything
fancy is coveted by many & would "walk" from the Hostel children
very quickly!
Skipping Ropes/Balls/Totem Tennis-type games
The boys are keen to form a St. Philip's Hostel soccer team but have no decent
balls to play with so these would be especially useful. Some of the local
youths have offered to coach them and to be generally involved with getting
the team together which will be terrific. The children also play a lot of
other ball games in groups - e.g. tunnel ball, a type of netball and volley
ball.
Pre-loved Dolls & Any Toys with Wheels
I'm not sure when or how the gender stereo-typing occurred, but since the
children have been in the Hostel the girls definitely love playing with dolls
- dressing & undressing them, combing their hair, strapping them on their
backs & walking about with them whereas the boys enjoy anything with wheels.
Knitting yarns & knitting needles & pre-loved
knitting books
Some of the children are good knitters and would love having more material
to work with. I would also like to teach more children this craft.
Material remnants/scraps & pre-loved patterns
The children would get tremendous enjoyment from these items & I would
like to teach those interested more about cutting out garments & sewing,
even though they have lessons at school
Second-hand Magazines & Books
Books and magazines are devoured by the all children - any topics eg general
knowledge & factual material, books/mags about cars, sport, fashion, old
National Geographics etc. Really anything that you think would be suitable
would be great & encourage the children with their English.
Shoes
Reasonable quality second-hand - especially medium to large sizes for children
6 to 15 years, but all sizes would be welcome - school/sandals/sneakers/casual/dressier
shoes. The children are very heavy on shoes, especially when they are playing
in the sand and dirt frequently.
On behalf of the children and Hostel staff siyabonga kahkulu (thank you very much) for your support and interest - without your help and involvement the program could not function.
Please click here to learn more about Sponsoring a Child in Swaziland.