Meeting your host community for the first time, a long-awaited experience, is a thrill no matter how many times you’ve done it. Long before our bus reached its stopping point, excited children were waving their arms, smiling and yelling to get our attention as we passed by. Welcoming us with song and dance, we were greeted first by the village women. Then the chief stopped by to meet us and offer his greeting.
The first day is always filled with the exchange of customary greetings and welcome speeches, safety briefings and learning how to build the house. So, you can imagine, it’s hard to be patient when all you want to do is get started!
We are working on two sites for two partner families, each qualifying for their home under the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Project. Our first family is a grandmother who is caring for her 7 grandchildren after they lost their parents to AIDS. The second family is a disabled mom with two young children, John and Regina. Having a home with a roof that won’t leak during the rains, where the floor will not turn to mud and all of their belongings won’t get wet will be life changing. When you house is full of water, there’s nowhere to sleep. And you can’t focus on homework if you are standing on the porch in the rain. Not to mention how this situation compromises your health.
Needless to say our team is elated, even honored, to be here working alongside these families to provide for them what we take for granted every day – a safe, dry place to call home.
Too bad the one thing that cut our workday short today was the rain.
Global Staci 