What a couple of days. I have to keep this short as I have to get up early in the morning, I am working as a medic at an international basketball event, its an all day event but I guess I may be out in the sunshine a bit which will be quite a change!
Yesterday we had a first aid training session at a home for the elderly which is funded by The Lions. We were teaching the staff of course, not the residents, but what was astounding was the difference between here and the UK in the problems they have to deal with. They appear not to have any dementia nor do they have people falling and breaking the top of their femur all the time. The residents were just very elderly with poor mobility however few were having to use mobility aids and furthermore on the whole their hearing was still good and they appeared to be quite 'with it' Anyhow that seemed to go down quite well, as it seems to always and we left with a few more people knowing what to do if needed.
We went to the orphanage to pick up Arajuna to take him back to have his foot examined again as we left another boy decided to jump in the car, I think it had got round that the day before we took them to Mac Donalds. Happily the doctor said it was now very clean and less tender so it will heal properly. From there we went to see the boys play in the volleyball competition. It was a local, I believe, interschool event. The boys at the orphanage have little to do in their spare time but play volleyball so they are quite good. The day before we had bought a proper ball for them and given it to the captain of the team, they had been so thrilled. We arrived to be told they had got through to the final! We were all so proud, but they also told us that someone had already stolen their ball! The final soon began and it was amazing, we won by quite a margin and already JR thinks he has found a sponser in Holland . He has asked for an estimate for kit and a new ball. It will be wonderful for them. At the end of the match they took their shoes off and one of the boys his sole was quite literally hanging off.
We dropped the boys off and found that the principal was cross becxause they say they didn't know where the boys were. This is complete and utter rubbish as they knew Arajuna had too return to the clinic they also were with us at the competition we left in the car and they in the minibus, we feel they would prefer we ask formally everytime we do anything and were upset that on this occasion we did not. So in future we will take the official liine thats fair enough.
Today I worked with the children again, a lovely day but exhausting, I can't tell you how many children I showered but it was nearer 30 that 20! By the time we finished I was soaked through. Lunch today was bought in by a family. It was very kind of them and good training for their own children, it was a lovely meal, for them to have more than two types of food on their plate is an exception. However the staff make the children sing for their supper and the song is all about being 'only poor little orphanes but good children' it is heartbreaking to watch and listen to them. They all love singing and give it their all, I guess they probably don't really understand what they are singing. They do love 'head shoulders knees and toes' though.I taught it to them the other day and they giggle when we get to the end and speed up! We also sing 'happy and you know it' and ring o ring of roses to which they now jump up very high! They all say 'goodnight' 'Hello' thank you' etc all the time they love it. When we read a book they are asking for the English name for all the pictures ........they are just such lovely children.
As a result of the home being cross with us, Arajuna had to go to his Mother today and we visited there. It was unbelievable. To have so very little.She has to go to Oman would you believe for work. She says she can get good money as a domestic there and live in so she can save all her money. The father died at 36 yrs of age from cancer. There is a little girl of around 6 yrs and a Grandmother all living in a shack type building, they have electricity, to light the one bulb, the water is somewhere outside so I guess that is shared with the many neighbours. How others live and this is happening all over the world.....we are so rich!
Must get some sleep........Goodnightxx
Oh I forgot to mention my wonderful massage..............so rich
There are many things we might like to change and improve, but the reality is that this takes a long time and is to be done in many many tiny steps.
ReplyDeleteIn the end we need to find the best way of improving the situation whilst keeping the orphanage staff happy and involved. And people all over the world resist change by nature so it won't be easy.
One of the hardest things is to make sure that materials given to an orphanage are not sold on, but kept and used. But also to identify those areas where we can help them without even giving an option of this help going to waste.
In the end we must remember we're doing this to improve the lives of these children.