It was sad to say 'goodbye' to the builders and the local kids today as it was our last session at the site. But we were able to play some games and leave some balloons behind
which was lovely. Afterwards, we headed to the Kumbayah Centre to help with a feeding programme. We were mobbed by hundreds of kids on arrival! It was so overwhelming to see them running down the street to us like a stampede. Such an impoverish area, much like where we have been building. The shock of seeing people live like this is never really dulled.
When we arrived the sun was beating down,
but the feeding centre volunteers played their African drums and danced for us. The kids then did a
poetry recital and drama also. What an honour!
At this point
it was degenerating into a ‘Lost in
Translation’ feeling as everything was in the local language which left us
completely clueless. We just clapped, waved and danced as appropriate!
After being hustled into two tiny classrooms we began the food
distribution. About 70 of the tiniest kids were squeezed into there to eat so
that they didn’t get trampled in the crush. It was total mayhem as big pots of Nshima
merrily cooked at the back of the room. There was only one door meaning there were
riots as kids begged to be fed. It was heart-breaking.
Our team leader
stepped in as crowd control as locals began using sticks to hold the kids back. I
couldn’t get over the desperation on their faces as they tried to grab the food
through the bars at the windows. The hardest thing of all is that there wasn’t
enough food to go round so some kids were turned away. It was really hard stuff
to deal with. I will never forget the desperation I saw today; to see what it
really means to be hungry. 