Fiona (SA) in Mwandi - update

(Photos: top bakery oven and below: World Aids Day celebrations)

1st of December is World Aids Day held all over the world. I hope that you remembered this day back in December and shared a prayer for the people who have passed away and for the people who are affected and affected because of HIV/AIDS. We made hundreds of red ribbons and distributed them to people all over the village to wear on the day. There was a march from the village down to the OVC Drop in Centre where the children performed dramas. The children wrote the play from their understanding of HIV/AIDS. The Pastor from the Baptist Church shared with the children the Christian understanding of HIV/AIDS and how they should help others that are sick.

Our vegetable garden continues to grow well. During the rainy season we are able to grow eggplant, watermelons, cucumbers, okra, beans, maze, rape and some varieties of tomatoes.
We have employed some piece workers from the community to come and help with the weeding. Mubita seems to be spraying a lot to keep away the red spider mite on our tomatoes. We hope that this year with all the spraying the insects will keep away. We have ploughed up a ¼ acre of sand to plant maize and beans to put nutrition back into the soil. The soil has no substance and I think we are doing pretty well with our vegetables with the lack of goodness in our soil. This year Mubita (the gardener) will start spending time with the children teaching them about the importance of vegetables in their diet and how to look after them.

Bakery – At last the Mwandi UCZ OVC Project Bakery is open for business. Very exciting!!! Our dream of opening a bakery is a reality and the people of Mwandi are enjoying fresh loaves of bread that come out of our wood oven. Our bakers are Kennedy and Mavis, they both live in Mwandi with their families. Kennedy starts work at 3hrs each morning and the wooden stove takes about 2 hrs to get to the correct heat and that’s when Mavis starts work.
We have been selling up to 30 loaves per day, but Christmas Day they sold 130 and New Year’s Day they sold 173. Our customers are from all over the village, but schoolteachers, nurses, police and shop owners are our main customers at this stage. The bread really does taste good; it’s hard to stop at just one slice. We hope that more people in the village continue to buy the bread and this will improve their daily diets.

Electricity for Mwandi UCZ OVC Project – is very close to becoming a reality. We are looking for a further $2000 and then we will be able to have power connected at the Project. This will be fantastic for security purposes, but mainly in the kitchen and bakery. In time we will be able to stop using firewood to run the ovens and use power. We are hoping that we will receive funds to purchase industrial electric cooking pots to use in the kitchen and a bread oven for the bakery and electric mixing bowl. (If any one has any of these items lying in their shed please let us know)

Clothes distribution continues each month since the container arrived. Our children are looking so smart and have a nice outfit each. The clothes are being distributed to all of the Mwandi village plus 2 small outlying villages. Both of these new additions to our Program are very pleased with the support to their orphans.

Another container for Mwandi Mission – The Port Lincoln community are currently working on sending another container of much needed items to Mwandi. The plans are to send this container mid year. Another very exciting project organised by the Support Team and Port Lincoln Uniting Church. God continues to supply us with generous people who are willing to spend their time and efforts to help the Orphans and Vulnerable children of Mwandi.

We are looking for some educational toys to send to the children in Mwandi. If you can help with the following items, we would be very happy. We would love to be able to purchase 5-10 of each of the items. Tupperware make a toy called Shape –O; Fisher Price – activity boards (pre–battery); Plastic Hula Hoops, Soccer Balls and Quoits

Sports for the children of Mwandi – Here in Australia we have all been enjoying the clash of the Ashes between England and Australia held every two years. Australia has won this series with a clean sweep. (Yippee) I’m very keen to teach the children of Mwandi cricket. While I have been home, I have been able to contact some cricket clubs asking for second hand cricket bats, balls, pads and hats. Cricket is already played in schools all over Zambia, but not in Mwandi. The children would love it and it would give them another sport to learn new skills and team work.
I would also like to encourage the children to play football and soft ball. So if you have any cricket items, footballs or softball mitts etc that are no longer needed, and could send in the container, contact redfred1972@yahoo.com