Phew! What a wonderful, albeit wet and soggy day!
We expected approximately 140children and instead, we had almost 170 children arrive to participate in the event.
It was wonderful to see the transformation on the children’s faces. This area we have not really been able to work in successfully due to a lack of support by the parents and communities in general.
We watch the faces change from suspicion and reservedness to one of pure joy once the colour went up.
Our biggest delay of the day was waiting for the Traffic Police to come and escort the fun run side of the event however after a 4hour delay, in the rain, and a few games to keep the children occupied while they waited, we were off.
What blessed me for the day was the Rovers who came to support the event and assist with logistics and games. They came without being asked, they took it upon themselves to travel 2hours to get to this event and provide KTD196 with the support.
What also blessed me was the Circuit Manager came and participated for 3hours before the run, sadly she was called away to attend to a school issue in another village. It was wonderful to see her there plus her team and a few teachers. Sadly, no parents but that will come with time.
We had donations in kind from businesses in Tzaneen. Sadly the business that offered us hot dogs the week before, which I spoke about, changed their minds but we were able to provide the children with sandwiches and a drink instead, such is the donation world in which we exist.
I just wanted to let you know and see what we were up to so that you can feel a part of it all. Thank you for your support! You might think “So what? A fun run, so what?” It is huge! The kids came to school on the weekend, they travelled from 4 different villages to attend, they actively participated, they had fun, the community through the village run got to see kids having fun and doing something constructive, they got a lot of positive attention which is not usual. The children’s faces lit up with JOY! Again, not something they experience often. In the communities where we work, there are no sporting activities, after-school activities, or facilities for children at all. Children are left to entertain themselves, most don’t have television or smartphones. In our experience, boredom is a recipe for disaster.
Thank you for being a part of the journey for the Motupa area.
Thank you for enabling us to make a difference, this is just the first step, the next step will be community service work so the communities can see that children can make a positive difference in family, school, and community life. After a couple of years of the program, we will start working on ways the children can actively participate in decision-making within the family, school and community. It is all a process of which you are apart.
THANK YOU and God Bless YOU!
Louise
PS our new website will be live this week, check it out!
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