You are still OUR number 1 player, Roger!

On Sunday afternoon we turned on the generator and gathered in the lounge to support Roger Federer in his match against Nadal to win the French Open again.  Prince finally saw who Roger was and what tennis was all about.  Prince attends one of the 7 schools in this community that the Roger Federer Foundation supports.  His support has made a major difference within each of the schools that had been in ruins after 20 years of neglect, going from places of good learning to overcrowded, barren buildings where the teachers that remained went for months and months without a liveable salary. The RFF have given these schools hope.  We were disappointed that Roger lost but he is still our hero! Number one in our ranking!

A Normal Day?

A friend asked us to describe a normal day at ‘Morning Star’.  When we’d stopped laughing, Norma replied, ‘There’s no such thing as a normal day out here’.  Here are some photos to show a few ‘normal’ days over the last two weeks. 

Teachers and parents at one of the rural schools in the vicinity around ‘Morning Star’ standing in front of a teacher’s house which needs renovating.  Currently 6 teachers, including the headmaster, share four rooms and a single fireplace for cooking.  As a result few teachers remain here for more than one Term (three months).  Thirty bags of cement,  some timber and roofing sheets should encourage them to stay.

These children walk over 5 miles to school each day. They were happy to hitch a lift on the ‘Morning Star Express’ today!!

Orphans getting their ‘daily bread’.

Four years ago, a church in Atlanta, Georgia helped us set up a feeding scheme for 300 vulnerable orphans.  We’ve discovered that over half of the children in the 6 primary schools around ‘Morning Star’, are orphans who are seriously under-nourished.  For US$900 per month, we could feed 1500 children a wholesome meal three times per week.

Grade 7 pupils engaged in reading.

Pupils tested for reading comprehension skills in six schools around ‘Morning Star’ were recently tested and found to be up to 5 years behind for their chronological age - not surprising when one considers that none of the schools have any library books.  In March, the CharChar Trust donated a ‘pink’ chest containing 720 reading books and other educational materials to each of the 6 schools.  The Roger Federer Foundation is supporting us in a programme to encourage reading in the schools.  The aim is to see a CharChar chest in each classroom. Visit the Trust’s website: www.helpmyfriendsinafrica.orgor www.thecharchartrust.org for more info.

Ready for school, but where’s our teacher?

Gamina Gawena Sports Centre – Phase 1 (foundations laid)

The 2nd phase is due to begin shortly – casting a floor and installing basketball hoops. Young people in the rural area around us have few facilities for recreation.  We believe that the sports centre will attract them and give us a platform for sharing the gospel (Youth Evangelism Through Sport - YETS).  We are praying for funds to complete the complex and also build two all-weather tennis courts. 

If you feel led to support any of the above initiatives, please let us know.

In His Name

Chris and Norma

‘ … whatever you did this for the least of these brothers of mine, you did  for me’.  (Matthew 25: 40)