A very rainy dry season - July Update II

Holiday Club



Holiday Club returned as the schools and crèches closed for the holidays. The volunteers spent the first week in Ezwenelisha where the children played many games – including the much-loved soccer-baseball, which had been introduced to the kids by JY from Canada. The Holiday Club ended on a high with a talent contest where all the children sang and danced which had the volunteers up and dancing too! 

While our volunteers were at the Holiday Club in Ezwenelisha, our team of American volunteers were playing with the children in Khula. This was highly successful and the numbers even rose to over 200 energetic children. The American volunteers marked the end of their stay with a talent contest and they even entered by singing and dancing the Macarena. Our volunteers were back in Khula for the last two weeks of Holiday Club, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Melonye, one volunteer from America, even taught American football to some eager boys. Other successful activities included “Pin the tail on the Elephant,” “Stuck in the Mud” and of course plenty of face painting.



Creches



After a three-week hiatus for the holidays, we were back at all three creches and the volunteers were raring to go with the theme of farming. The children have been learning about what animals are found on a farm, what noises they make, and what is produced on a farm. The volunteers have made their lessons more interactive this month by including practical lessons about how to use farming tools, even going so far as to bring spades, forks and hoes to the crèche for the kids to try themselves. Just this week they also took the kids on a little field trip, walking around the community identifying animals. 



The Inkanyezi refurbishment project is well underway. After the American group built the entire fence in just under three afternoons, our regular volunteers have begun reinforcing the fence, building bricks and finishing off the holes for three new toilets. Everyone has greatly enjoyed getting their hands dirty building bricks and hammering extra staples into the fence, but nothing compared to those volunteers who got to jump into (and clamour out of) the eight-foot deep holes. 



After School Club



Throughout the month of July we also continued with After School Club, even during the holidays. Despite it supposedly being the dry season, many afternoons were spent singing and dancing inside the classroom, though neither the volunteers nor the children seemed to mind. Much like Holiday Club, the kids continue to enjoy games like soccer baseball, and were even introduced this past week to “Pass the Parcel”, which provided an afternoon of excitement and suspense. Whether it’s organized sports days or just colouring with the kids, After School Club remains a highlight for all the volunteers.