By Deidre, Volunteer Social Worker at Mammadu | Project Contributor
A lot has happened during the past months at Mammadu.
We can be truly proud of our children: three of the children who attend the private school received a special distinction from their school for being among the best in their grade. The extra studying at Mammadu has paid off! A special thank you to all our volunteers who took care of the homework.
Our little ones also received their preschool diplomas of which they were very proud. Now they are feeling “big” because they can go to school next year. Many of them will stay on at Mammadu in the afternoons because we can now take in more children and also have the capacity to introduce an additional kindergarten class. This is because of the donations we have received! Now we are able to help more children and give more children a better future. We are so thankful for all of the support!
The American Embassy showed us their appreciation for the work we do and for the first time we celebrated Thanksgiving at Mammadu together with their staff. They prepared chicken instead of the traditional turkey for us – but what difference does that make! It was still very entertaining, especially when we asked the little ones how they would prepare a chicken. Most of the little ones cook the chicken with its feathers. Cooking time varies from 1 minute (this is probably a very hungry kid) to 5 days! And what ingredients do you use? The best answer was coca cola and chocolate to make it taste delicious. And Unomas told us that he simply gets his chicken by catching it in the street with his hands!
On the 5th November we celebrated Mammadu’s 5th birthday. This time the kids organized the programme for the show all by themselves. The topic was Circus and there were animals, clowns, acrobats, rappers, hula hoop dancers, jugglers … We practiced for weeks for the show and therefore I want to tell you more about the preparations. Augusto designed all the choreographies, and because we do not have mirrors at Mammadu practice took place in front of the television screen, wherein – as you know – one can see one’s reflection. With utmost patience Augusto must have repeated the steps with the others a thousand times. Practice for the acrobats outside was really hard and exhausting because it gets very hot in the afternoons and the practice mats get burning hot in the heat of the sun! The children sang the Mammadu hymn as greeting. We had a birthday cake for Mammadu, and invited people from the community to celebrate with us. It was really a great day!
Another wedding! This time the entire celebration took place at Mammadu, even the marriage ceremony! The groom and bride have been friends of Mammadu several years and so they decided to tie the knot at the Mammadu Center. It was a unique wedding and the children had fun preparing a special show for the couple.
Our bread!! Yes, yes we have started baking! For now it is only white and dark bread for toasting, rolls and a raisin loaf with icing. It smells wonderful and tastes heavenly. We already have several “larger“ clients who place their order and get their deliveries weekly. The bakers are really efficient. At the beginning there were a few hick-ups but now everything is running smoothly. For next year we hope to get more clients and extend our offer.
The school year is now coming to a close. For the past few weeks the children have been writing their exams. Some have gotten their final grades and others are still waiting. The children are very anxious because, every year, those who have passed all of their subjects get to go on a very exciting vacation. In the past we have taken the kids to Etosha and Swakopmund, so you can imagine that its a great way to motivate the kids to work hard and do well in school. This year, Kevin was jumping up and down when he got his report; he will be one of the children who gets to come with on our end-of-the-year adventure! We are so proud of him and all of the kids here; they are really fantastic!
Without your support, we would not be able to expand to help more children next year. Mammadu continues to grow and we can only thank our donors. We feel that just to say, “Thank you“ is not enough, but its all we can do for now. We hope each and every one of you can eventually come to visit Mammadu to see what you have helped to develop!
From all the children, staff, volunteers, parents, and community members who are involved with Mammadu, we wish you a Very Happy Holiday Season! Many, Many Blessings to You and Yours!
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