One thing which was frustrating me was that during the day when I visited the home, some of the boys who were not going to school, due to lack of tuition fee's, were just lounging about the house, sleeping or watching TV. I had a meeting with Pascal and all the other poeple involved with Mydel and was very clear with them that this was not acceptable! If I am putting my time, effort and money into the house the boys should at least be doing something productive if they are not at school! I have suggested that they attend the Vocational Centre, which is another aspect of Mydel and/or the boys should be creating crafts to sell.. or at least be tidying the house! I do not want the boys to become lazy and reliant on charity. They must learn how to make something of themselves.
In the meeting we also discussed how we are to manage the boys... Redondo and Eric expressed that it had been difficult for them to control so many boys and that some of them were still stealing things as they were struggling to find food.. however, now the house has food, beds, mattresses and organisation there is no reason for the boys to steal and they must be counselled in good morals and manners. I sat down with Eric and made a Weekly Timetable for every single boy so they know which chores they are supposed to do each day.. such as mopping, sweeping, fetching water, cooking etc. I also produced a Daily Timetable so the boys can establish a routine and I hope that both these timetables will help in managing the boys and the upkeep of the home.
I also invited Joe, from Dewe Project, to come to the house so we could personally thank him for all he did at the project... he is suuuuch an inspiration!.. he gave the boys a good talking to about how they must decide what kind of life they want to live, what kind of man they would like to be and what kind of career they would like and act accordingly.. he explained how they must be trustworthy people if they want to be successful and how they must work for their own life.. it was so great for the boys, especially as Joe has also come from the streets, it allowed the boys to see that it is still possible to succeed if they just take responsibilty for their own life. Im sure some of the boys have never heard such wise words and I am so thankful to God for bringing him into the home.. Joe is such a great example/role model and mentor.
On my last night I went to the home and was greeted by so many youth! The girls and boys from Mydel all came and we danced in the house having sooo much fun! They have become like family to me. In fact, they actually called me their Mother. It was so sad saying goodbye.. I will never forget Gerrald's hug.. he came up to me and thanked me so many times for everything and then nessled into me and give me the biiiigest hug as if it was the first hug he had recieved since his mum died.
I have so much respect for that boy... he should be an inspiration to us all... I admire how, even though both is parents died when he was young and he was living on the streets begging for money and food, he still took himself to school every single day to sit outside the class and learn everything he could hear, even though he had no school fee's! He wakes up every morning when the rest of the boys are asleep and makes tea and porridge for everyone, then he walks about 20mins to a busy matatu taxi park on his own, gets a matatu for at least 15/20mins and then walks another 10mins to his school.. wearing the same old clothes he wears every day whilst everyone else is dressed in smart green and white uniform... he is two grades above his age as he is that bright! I take my hat off to him.. hes only 12! I think we can all learn something for this boy.
I am just so pleased that the boys now have a safe environment for them to sleep in, they have water and food and I know they have a great future ahead of them. I'm going to make sure of it! I do feel like a mother to them now.. my heart is still there even though my body is now back in England.
I now would like to ensure every boy gets to go to school and that each boy masters a skill which they can also do with their hands. Ideally if I could move the Home into a better environment, rather than on the outskirts of the slums, that would be fantastic! But at least now I know they have what they need to survive... next step is helping them develop socially, emotionally, intellectally and spiritually.. lets help them develop into great men who can provide for themselves, their future families and be of great input to their nation.
I would like to end this chapter of my blog by thanking every single of of you who have been reading this, praying and giving donations. Thankyou to Brislington Fellowship. It really does mean the world to me and you have helped to change lives! Dan, Rob, Sam and Joe, you have been suuuuch a huuuuge blessing I cannot thank you enough!
In particular I would like to thank my Grandparents, my Dad, Mum and Brother for all their support and love. I feel sooo blessed to have you as my family and I love you so so much.
God has definately been behind this trip, I have felt so peaceful and protected throughout..the contacts I have made, people I have met and things which I have achieved, have been more than coincidences and I could not have done it all in my strength alone.
I am going to be on BBC Radio Bristol on Saturday 5pm, raising awareness by sharing about my experiences with this project and I also hope to set up a way in which people can donate online... this is not the end, only the beginning!
I will leave you now with the Before and After Video's of Mydel Home..
Please click on the links below to view.
Note_ There are more video links on the right hand side column
Let me know what you think and please become a follower if you have been reading! It would be great to know how much support this project is receiving. Thanks! xx
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