March Monthly Update

Some BIG projects have taken place this month and it was all down to our awesome volunteers who, with their commitment and passion saw the needs of the community and decided they could make a difference.

Volunteer Eline fixing Veronics roof

We can’t talk about the month of March without talking about nutrition patient Veronic’s roof refurbishment.Healthcare volunteer Eline came to St. Lucia with donations from her family, she wanted to spend the money on something that she could do whilst here. On her weekly trips to see Veronic she was very touched by this lady and how she was able to be so positive even with everything life had thrown at her. After some very heavy rain Veronic couldn’t hold her frustrations in any longer and told Eline along with our coordinators how it was so difficult living in that house with a roof that constantly leaked and wasn’t always held down. 

Eline came home and asked if it was something she could spend her money on. After a lot of planning and preparation the materials were bought and Eline and her team of volunteers spent a day and a half fixing the roof.  It is so incredible to see what a small group of people can accomplish in such a short amount of time.  The roof is now completely sealed allowing Veronic to live in her home without any of the concern she once had.
Take a look at the video made about the day at Veronics house. 

Volunteers Kat & Reid with teacher Nok splashing around!

At the beginning of the month volunteers and staff got an offer from a local business to take the children from Inkanyezi crèche to their swimming pool and give some lessons. 

It was the first time for many of the children to be in a pool and they all did so well. 

The boys at the end were even jumping in and going completely under the water. We hope to make these swimming lessons more regular and continue building the children’s confidence in the water.

The four children getting excited about the beach

 Huge progress has been made with all of our 10Families groups. Gogo and the 4 children are starting to show great improvements with their weight gain also the older two children are now attending school. 

Thanks to peoples kind donations we were able to help provide the children with school uniforms and backpacks.  

Volunteers had the opportunity to take the 4 children to the beach. It was the first time any of the kids had been in St. Lucia or seen the ocean, they couldn’t get over the amount of cars in town and where completely surprised at the amount water they were looking at when it came to the sea. It was a fantastic afternoon for everyone involved. 

The four children enjoying the beach

The three brothers have also come so far since volunteers started visiting them, they boys can now have a basic English conversation as well as counting and reciting their ABCs confidently. We are very proud with all the work that has happened with these families and want to thank all the volunteers that have been involved along the way.

 If you would like to read another blog about the trip to the beach with the four children then click here and see what volunteer Shelley thought of the afternoon. 

If you would like to find out any more about any of the St. Lucia African Impact projects then either link to our facebook page or find our website and get in touch! 

DELICIOUS BANANA BREAD

Delicious!

We had some bananas at home that were starting to take a turn for the worse so staff and volunteers decided that inside of wasting them that it would be a good idea to bake banana bread and take it with them to support groups! If you find yourself with an afternoon with not much on, have a go at this scrumptious recipe they followed..

Assemble the following ingredients..

·       3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

·       1/3 cup melted butter

·       1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

·       1 egg, beaten

·       1 teaspoon vanilla

·       1 teaspoon baking soda

·       Pinch of salt

·       1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.

Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.

Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

Add the flour last, mix.

Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve. 

This simple recipe is easy to whip up and makes a hefty loaf which is even more delicious served warm with some butter on top. Happy cooking readers!