Dear friends
This week brought bad news. Uganda’s president announced an unexpected extension of the closure of all schools and the continuation of lockdowns for many. We, too, have no choice but to continue the quarantine for another four weeks. Fortunately, we have not had any significant illnesses, so far. Patience, imagination and practical solidarity remain the order of the day for us. A report from the eleventh week in isolation.
New realities first arise in the mind
Eleven weeks of isolation are a mental challenge. But because there are no limits to the imagination, our kids take pleasure in stories – castles in the sky that they read, invent or tell. They also put much of it on paper themselves – in words and pictures. Jeremia (12) for example sent a drawing this week.
And a beautiful poem by Emiliy Dickinson (1830 – 1896) was chosen by Joy (16), which she found in one of the dusty books in our library. It shows how little it takes to make a prarie:
“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee
One clover, and a bee
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.”
Back to work
As long as our kids cannot go to school, they have no choice but to continue to cultivate our small piece of land together, which, if well cared for, fortunately gives us enough food to live on. They spend every morning with this and that in house and yard, while the afternoons are spent on training, but also on leisure and sports.
“Friday bags”, “Made in Uganda”?!
Do you know “Freitag”-bags, the Zurich cult product, made from old truck sheets? This week our kids produced a competing product under the supervision of Dorte Budolfsen. “Kids of Africa bags”, also made from waste products. The colourful shopping bags were made this week from leftover fabric with a lot of joy, love and nimble hands.
Would you like to own one too? Then write to us – the delivery takes longer than at Amazon, but the queue is shorter than in front of a Friday shop. From our next trip (in July?) we will be happy to bring you some nice specimens!
Real hairy
And also other little things of daily life are simply more fun in a group than alone. For example, designing a new hairstyle. Especially the girls like to weave coloured strands of hair.
Extension!
With the extension of the lockdowns our Champions League goes into the next round. The intensive and regular training of our enthusiastic footballer groups, mixed between boys and girls has done a lot of good for the cohesion and the playing level. We are looking forward to the next challenge with other teams!
Thank you, greatly!
Dear friends the work of Kids of Africa continues and would not be possible without your support. Also, from outside our small village, of which I can’t send you any new pictures at the moment.
For your support, your encouragement, numerous children say “Thank you very much”!
Stay healthy!
Yours,
Burkhard Varnholt