Being busy!

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I apologise again for the very long absence in update. We have had an extremely busy few weeks.

Our host mother, Maggie, is setting up an organisation to help send students from Saikeri to secondary school - we have been helping with websites and powerpoint presentations. Basic idea is a central bank fund where fees can be paid using Paypal, because that is what people internationally trust, and then paid to the school - and to withdraw money from the fund to pay to the schools, 3 signatories are required so there are 3 witnesses for the school fees being paid.

We also have had some very bad news - my closest volunteer friend here is a girl called Becky who arrived in April. Her sister died a few days ago, so it has been a very difficult time, and she has decided to fly home tomorrow for 2 weeks. However, when she comes back, she is fully intending on staying until December to finish the school year. She is a very strong person but we are going to be thinking of her a lot!

Last weekend was mostly spent buying food because a very special person kindly donated enough money to buy food for the next month until we close the school. This is a very important time because in 2 weeks the school will be doing their end of term exams so they are extremely lucky to have food during this time! This donation also prompted a friend of the headmaster's to promise to pay for food for next term aswell, so we are in a very good situation right now.

I have also started Saturday revision classes for my Standard 8 class, who are studying so hard right now. I am so proud of them. There are about 10 that I have highlighted as being extremely intelligent.

If anyone would like to sponsor a pupil, please contact me - for this year, there are two boys who are supposed to be in their first year of secondary school but have been constantly moving from home to school because of school fees. In January a young American girl came and took them to start secondary school and promised to go home and work for their school fees. Anyway, she never sent anything, and emailed Maggie about 1 week ago to send about 1/3 of the school fees for just 1 of the boys and said that was all she could send. So 1 of them is in school right now, but will be sent home soon for the remaining 2/3 - and the other one got a one-off 40pounds from another volunteer but has been sent home just yesterday. Current exchange rate, it is about 280 pounds a year.

I hope everyone is very well, I've heard very very limited news about home, mostly involving the bad economy and the fact that everyone is going to be vaccinated against swine flu - so I hope everyone is okay! I am going to be very very stressed until my Standard 8 class sit their end of term exam and then I will relax a bit! I will try to update soon with photos!

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