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Hello Everyone,
It has been just over three weeks since I returned to Kayes and I wanted to share with you what I did with your generous donations to the people and projects here.
The Sewing Project
The classes start next Friday and two teachers and I have been cleaning the classroom, getting the machines oiled and repaired, and making samples of each project so the participants can see the progression of a project from the beginning to end. (Few will be able to read so visual aids are imperative.) Anna, one of the teachers, did an inventory of the supplies bought with your funds or donated by some of you. She could not believe the supplies and gave two thumbs up. For her and Sali, the other teacher (both experienced sewers), this was the first time they had ever seen a marking pencil or a seam ripper. The fact that some of the items had been pre-owned made no difference to people here.
Start up funds donated by the Unitarian Fellowship have been used to buy buckets, fans, brooms, wastebaskets, coolers, etc. to get the class going. Those funds are also being used to pay the teachers.
Clothing
I came back with one huge suitcase full of clothes and had to leave some behind. The baby clothes went to a few women in our neighbourhood expecting or with young babies. The other baby clothes went to Mission for distribution. The kids and adult clothes were mostly distributed by Therese, our cuisinière. Even though she is raising 8 children (4 of her own and 4 of her deceased sister’s) and could use most of the clothes herself, she distributed them far and wide to families with the most need.
Therese’s Restaurant
For those of you who specifically wanted to donate $$$ so Therese could start her own restaurant (her life’s dream) we have started a fund. She and I have worked out an inventory of what she would need and she is gathering prices as part of her business planning. The other day, she returned from the market with a bag and said it was a surprise and she wanted me to keep it safe. She had bought 5 used dishtowels for 1000 francs (about $2 and a bit less than half her day salary). She thought it was a great bargain and she wants to start accumulating things if she sees other great buys.
School Supplies
While in Canada, I used some of your funds to buy pencils, markers and pens (which they call Bics here) at better prices than you can get them here. But I was astonished that the price of back packs at home was about 2 or 3 times the price here so I have bought 8 here (which also puts a bit of $$$ into the local economy). Having a backpack makes it easier for a child to take a plastic bottle of water to school as well and their schoolwork. Most people here drink the tap water but having a bottle to bring water in is a big deal when it is hot and you have to walk a long way to and from (water is available at the schools). Incidentally, the kids here go to school for half a day and they alternate going in the morning and going in the afternoon. That way one group isn’t always going in heat of the day, week after week. Oh yes, class size is usually over 50 and sometimes as large as a 100 students to one teacher.
Thank you again for your generous support of the people here. We are receiving the thanks for all this but we assure people that a whole community of caring people is helping make life better here. These are small things that are making a big difference.
All the best,
Karen and Geoff
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