Masigcine

So I just returned from my first shift at Masigcine. It was an experience. I am so excited about the orphanage. I understand now how draining it is going to be, but it will be so worth it. The kids are great! There are 20 of them, ranging from Michaela the 4 month old to Zain the 8 year old. It is supposed to be an orphanage for kids six and under but they jsut got a social worker on staff in Novemeber so they haven't had time to find them homes or another orphanage yet. But the older boys are great. I thought they might be little tyrants, but they have been so helpful. You can see that hey have taken it upon themselves to help out with the little ones. And they are so loving. They also go to school so they have learned some english. None of the other children speak english so its nice to have a few kids to translate some of the simple stuff for us so we can keep some sort of order with the 20 kids. But Jen and I are also learning some of the their langauge so that we can communicate some stuff with them. So far I have learned sit down, lie down, be quiet, hair, and spit. Haha I know the last two dont fit in but they were important words to learn. I learned hair because none of the kids have hair, and the moms keep theirs completely wrapped up. So they have taken quite the interest to Jen and my hair. I think they have all managed to rip out a piece of my hair and keep it for themselves. So I have started saying "no inwele" and they seem to understand. I learned spit because we are teaching the kids t brush their teeth. All of the kids want to eat the toothpaste and drink the water. So we had to learn spit (two-fa) so that they would realize it wasnt food. It was really cute to see them all learning to brush though.

So thats kind of a little peak in to what we have been up to so far. I didnt realize the orphanage has its own website and I think you should really check it out. We watched a video about it yesterday to see whats been going on in the orphanage in the past 2 years. The video is on the website too if you want to take a look. But pretty much the orphanage was started by the church in the community back in 1989. Then in 2007 another group came in and saw that the orphanage was in really rough shape and decided to help out. The kids were all malnurished with no sense of hygene. They were all sick, none of them were in school and they all were dressed in dirty clothes. The mothers there were doing the best they could with the kids (which I believe because the moms are all exceptional women) but they didnt have the resources or the knowledge. So this group of a few people from Cape Town did some renovations. They took all the kids and the moms and set them up in a hotel on the beach for four days. The kids got to go on outings and went swimming and ate as much food as they wanted. I saw some pictures and it was really something special. While they were there they had 200 volunteers come in and completely transform the home. Everything was donated. They put grass in the yard for the kids to play on with a play structure, they gave them each their own bed with a stuffed animal, gave each bedroom air conditioning, and they just completely transformed the place. I think Jen and I are actually getting a little spoiled haha. The home is very nice. After that they sent all the moms to some workshops to learn about hygene and discipline and things of that nature. Also, its nice to see that this group is still involved. They let the moms still run the place and run things there own way, but they are helping to maintain it. They have hired a garden to keep up the outside appearance, they hired two social workers, they have taught the moms about the food guide so the kids are no longer malnurished. There are only two children that still have the big bellys and that is because they are new.

Anyways, so yes, Jen and I came to Africa and we are living in our own room with our own bathroom, and a tv (for movies) and air conditioning. doesn't sound to rough eh? When we first got there the children were out on a walk so we got a chance to settle in and see the place without them there. My first thoughts were along the lines of "why are we at this orphanage? It really doesn't look like we can be much help here, they have everthing under control." But when the kids got there it was a completely different story. I'm not sure if I mentioned already but having long term volunteers at this home is new. We are actually the first ones ever! We are pretty much an experiment haha. The moms have done a great job with these kids, but I see now how short staffed they are. They have enough people to keep the place clean, the kids healthy and fed, and to keep the kids orderly tos ome degree. Not enough staff however, to play games with the kids, organize activities, and give them individual attention. I am really excited about this program. There is lots of potential to make a big impact on these kids lives.

I have so much more to say on the subject, and stories to tell, but I fear that you will probably stop reading soon if I keep rambling because I am aware that this is getting quite long. (okay I just reread that sentence, my apologies if the whole blog is like that. I have been reading Twilight during the kids nap time and apparently I am starting to talk like the main character haha). So yeah, I miss you all at home. Everything is going great here. I am pretty tired because we are working 14 hour days, and Jen and I have both been a little sick (good enough to work, but not good enough to eat much). So if you could keep us in your prayers I would really appreciate it. And if you could also pray that we continue to have an impact on these children. They have come from such devastating circumstances and they just really need love. So hope everything is good at home!

Amanda

PS- the website is http://www.masigcine.org.za/