Just over 50 young people and adults made
the pilgrimage to the Khayelitsha informal settlement this year for the YMP
spring trip. ( Click for Photo Gallery of trip)Though this was the
smallest group we have taken in some time, the group made up from Wales and
Canada buckled down to help expand a
1400 sq/ft pre-school for 160 kids to over 5000 sq/ft in just 2
weeks. With some help from local Cape
Town businesses, The Power group and Johnson cranes, along with support from
the DOCKS church in Mitchell’s plain, the project allowed young people to learn
new skills and that they can make a difference in the world they live in.
We must always remember that we go on trips
of this nature not to entertain youth, but to inspire them to the possibility
of what they can do if they put their mind to it. The answer is that youth (and adults) can do
most anything if their heart is in it.
Often day one is filled with very timid, very cautious youth that find
it hard to shovel sand, by the end of the week their paradigm has shifted and
they are hungry for more and bigger challenges.
That is where we see the biggest success in these trips. The locals win, but we win even more as we
change self-esteem, stereo types and future leaders one life at a time.
A bit of a setback… no not really…
Trips of this nature are not without
trials. This year upon arrival we found
out that the 3 shipping containers purchased for the external walls had been
stolen from us. Undeterred we purchased
a second series of containers in order to continue work on the school and use
the youth that had put their heart and soul into fundraising for this
trip. Though the containers were now
delayed 1 week, the main structure, washrooms, staff room offices and common
area were all covered and trussed out before our departure. However, losing our windows of time and with
restricted funds we could no longer afford to pour the centre floor or pay for
the steel sheeting on the roof. We left
the building expanded, usable and safe, however there is still more to be done.
I met with several other Christian leaders
in the community and had a local youth group volunteer to finish the floor for
us, Cape Town Missions International,
our partners in this project are taking steps to secure the necessary
funds to finish the sheeting on the trusses, and I believe that within 6 weeks
the project will come to completion. We
are part of something bigger as Christians and not completing everything once
in a while allows us the privilege to know that we are not alone, that God is
bigger than our dreams and that as a community with focus and grace, we can do
anything. I hope to post pictures of the
completed school in our next blog, but for now here are some samples of what we
were up to in March and April….(Click here to see photos)
The final piece of the puzzle...
One of the creative additions to our
project this year has been working with Northmount Baptist Church in Calgary to
provide school equipment and books for this now expanded 350 m2 school.
Donations now fill over 50% of a 6m shipping container. Once full, the container will be shipped to
Africa where the footings have already been poured and await the arrival of the
final container.
Originally thought to
be an extension of the kitchen. The
principal has now asked that once it is put in position it would be used as a
computer lab for the school and the community.
A shipping container is a great way of securing such expensive materials
in the developing world.
As you can see
by the picture of the kitchen, there is more than ample space already. So a computer lab it will be. To all our friends in Canada who are making
this cherry on the top of this project a reality, we thank you in advance. This school has virtually nothing… Your
generosity will make a huge difference to the 180 children affected by this
facility.
In Him
Bill
Comments
Post a Comment