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Hi Folks, If anyone is going to Agape soon can you update me on the cucumber project we started in April last year please?We set up 3 polytunnels and planted1500 cucumber to grow a commercial crop for the benefit of Agape.1 If all has gone well they should be seeing a good profit by now. Hopefully Boy is still employed and is making progress with the peace garden we envisaged! Thanks guys
 cynth

. Last day today.Had a good party for the kids last night and finally got to hear them all sing together which was great . We also organised a magician/clown and a dance group.The warrior Knights ( a sort of local Diversity) They invited the Agape kids to dance too and they were brilliant. The kids loved it and  screamed and yelled their heads off.We were all deaf by the end of the night.
 Have managed to make some impact on the place by organising the boys who work there to get all the rubbish on the site into one place and ordering two 5 ton trucks to shift it. So have spent some of the choir raffle money on that, the project, and the party. The cucumber project is also coming along well, lets hope it continues!
 Staggering back to our house in a bit and going to crash out for an hour before starting to clean the place for the next lot of volunteers
 Flying home via Dubai  tomorrow. Emirates airlines. 18 hour journey.

Wednesday, only three more days to go.on the one hand it seems to have flown by biut on the other we seem to have been away from home for ages. The younger volunteers are not missing their home and family in the same way as we probably are.
 Last night was film night and tonight is cooking night,
 so I have decided to take some time out to put together the project plan and justification for the "cucumber project"

Well the cinema went Ok  we Had 40 kids 10 each and they all behaved very well.

Sunday was brilliant . went to a touristy Zulu village to watch traditional zulu singing and dancing. Ann and I were the only audience so we had our own private show. Then  Ann told the group I knew some Zulu songs and I ended up singing with the whole group ( all in Full Zulu traditional dress) for about 15 minutes. It was a fabulous experience and afterwards there were , cheers and tears(mine) and hugs and kisses all round.
 Then we went to look at the snakes and crocodiles. We had a lecture on snakes and handled one, and then chatted to the rangers about wildlife before going through the beautiful 1000 hills countryside to a hotel for lunch and a few (or More) drinks.

Had to rush away yesterday. Today,( theoretically our day off) we are taking 38 kids to the cinema, should be an experience! I will update the blog next week

Had to rush away yesterday.(Today, theoretically our day off) we are taking 38 kids to the cinema, should be an experience! I will update the blog next week

Another hectic week . nothing as dramatic as at bobbie bear I think but still hectic. Last Friday the creche teacher was sacked so the one tiny auntie and the volunteers are now running the creche. on Tuesday we had a visit from Tamara  from be more to discss how it was all going and to fund our expenses. Just Giving don't seem to have transferred any money yet as they are busy with the LondonMarathon? Also on Tuesday we had the younger children at home for film night. the dutch volunteers chose Fame ( a contender for worst music since Annie,) but the kids got bored with it( as did I) so we ended up playing games and jigsaws and singing.

There are some web blogs posted on the is site. you can access them through cynthiaroobottom.be-more.org

Unbelievably only 12 days to go. This is the second attempt at sending this message. I have just spent 30minutes writing, only to be confounded again by this web site . the most un user -friendly thing I have come across.
 so here goes again.

Well time is flying by. yesterday we went to the volunteers get together and visited all the other projects.  I was most moved by the Bobbie Bear project which helps abused children by rescuing them, taking care of the, fighting, for them in court , tracking down rapists and abusers. The woman who is co director spoke to us and I was very impressed with her dedication and passion . What a fantastic job they are doing.

We also went to a street kid project where they provide a safe space for street kids , and an ambulance service for kids who are injured in fights , accidents  etc. There is a sort of National health service here but a lot of people say its appalling and getting worse as much needed funds are going into stadiums etc. for the World cup. One of the things that shocked me was when a reasonably well dressed white woman came to our car in Durban tcity centre and asked for money for bread.There is poverty as well as wealth in every race here.

Hi folks , well I have been here nearly a week now and  am still sdjusting to the time, Go to bed at about 8pm shattered. Agape is amazing, the kids are great but it would be easy to spoil them. The little ones are really curious about our wrinkled white skin and like to  play with our hair. On monday we just arrived and met Pamela , who runs Agape. Tuesday we get there at about 9 and help the little ones with their breakfast. then it's songs and singing games. Ann, my sister, is great at those. Then it's lunch and we go home and I sleep and then back at 3 to play with the little ones and to help the older kids with their homework. Last night some of the older girls came to the house to cook a meal ( mountains of spaghetti) and were trying to teach me to dance which they thoughtwas hilarious, and it was. Today we took the little ones home to swim in our pool and they had a great time leaping into our arms in th water and the jumping around with us.

I am busy getting ready for my trip to Agape on  23rd april. I am halfway through the "jabs" process which was far less bother than I had imagined. Next thing is to start setting up the systems for people to sponsor me. I am not very computer literate( self taught) so it takes me a while to navigate my way round the sites.I will let you know when I am up and running.