Load shedding, learning Zulu and ancestor worship...


This week started with shopping for the feeding scheme in Ensoleni. Sounds like a simple task but when power outages (known as load shedding) are frequent and supermarkets close for an hour - it becomes a little more tricky!

Most morning are spent prepping for the the children's home or feeding scheme. This could be shopping, marking home work, preparing lessons/activities, running errands etc. Then in the afternoon we head over to the children's home. Usually we'd help them with English and Maths, but this is the last week before Easter so instead I've had a chance to get to know the kids (and try to learn their names!), play some games and do crafts etc. 

Some of the little kids have also been trying to teach me Zulu - but it's proving quite tricky with all the clicks in some of their words!

I've also been trying to understand and learn the Zulu culture here as it is quite different - knowing the basic do's and don'ts is very important.

On the last Friday of the month it's 'party day' where they celebrate birthdays with cake. Many of the kids don't know when their birthdays are so this is a nice way of celebrating each of them. 

[ Above is the youngest child on site enjoying some bread, cake and juice, he only arrived a few weeks ago - he has a permanent grumpy but incredibly cute face - my mission is to make him laugh before I leave! ]

On Friday evening we also helped out at the church youth group and this week they were looking at ancestor worship. This is a huge topic for Zulus as it's incredibly engrained in their culture, and has a lot of power over them/their families. Some of the kids are struggling to understand why being a Christian and worshipping their ancestors goes against the bible. Please pray for wisdom for the workers and understanding for the kids. 


Next week the children are off school so we have planned some activities throughout the week including a dance competition, face painting, scavenger hunt, German day (led by the German volunteers) and more! 

 

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