The third building of 3 rooms now has all the plastering finished and they are working on the verandas.

Thanks to your prayers and donations, our dreams are coming true! Staff houses are also looking beautiful.

Next–we are almost ready to paint the classrooms before the P7 team move in on the weekend!

Now our first building of 3 classrooms has been plastered, and the second one is being finished inside. Our neighbours are so happy to have all this income opportunity!

It’s been a tremendous cost-saver building yet 2 more kilns to make bricks on our own land from our own soil which just happens to be perfect.

Our local housing is progressing steadily too. You can see the meticulous care that goes into these inexpensive houses. The palm for the roof work is very artistically woven together as a base for the grass.

Certain types of palm and very durable grasses are chosen for the careful weaving, special logs are chosen to form the top circular point. It’s fascinating and a real art-form.

Some of the local housing beside the classrooms–with Africa’s stormy sky coming in for the evening.

Here the roof is finished on our first block of 3 classrooms. Seen from the back below:

Inside the plastering has began. If you look closely, the blackboard place has been prepared.

Below, Rajan trying his hand at plastering. One of the only girls we’ve seen doing this level of construction–she’s doing a great job and enjoying it immensely at the same time!

One of the endless trips bringing in grass for  the local staff housing’s roof construction.

One of the toilets, part way done.

Staff housing. Here local people are used to not having windows, for increased security during the war. I want windows in mine!! =)

The timing for our building is just perfect–dry season! At the rate we’re going, we’ll be finished all the classrooms’ roofing, wall plastering and hopefully painting before the rains!

Above, our kiln. It’s built in such a way it gets extremely hot, and takes over a week to cool! All bricks are made this way country-wide apart from the few professional companies in the Capital. The good bricks are stacked, and those that are less than ideal, are perfect for the ledge around the edge of each classroom to protect from flooding. You can only fire bricks in the dry season here, so we’ve been buying most but have also made many ourselves which has been very economical.

The rough base for the first block of 3 classrooms. The roofing frame is now being constructed and windows and doors next, followed by wall plastering, and the outside ridge/verandah to follow.

Roofing frame for the first block of 3 classrooms. We’re working at full pace with a very big team–some trucking in materials, the large construction team working on all 3 blocks at once, the water and brick people busy carrying and making many loads each day, and the cook preparing meals for 40+ people daily.

Rajan helping and learning about securing the roofing beams. The building methods we’re using are the same as the Government schools in our area. It’s going to look nice! We can’t wait to see the looks on the kiddos’ faces when they move in, Lord willing in about 2 more weeks!

Putting in the roof frame before securing it and below, constructing the local houses for our teaching staff and ourselves.

It’s simply amazing — a miracle, that we’re seeing God raise up something from nothing in such a short space of time. Thank you for your prayers and being a part of this dream-come-true for these extremely disadvantaged children of the Kony war!

First loads of sand and rocks for which we got at extra good prices. God is good, the trucks and supplies just happened to be close by.

Our wonderful water and bricks team. Here young people carry water and make bricks regularly, but they are so happy working with us as we pay them and it’s going towards their school fees and uniforms.

We are using local bricks for the local style housing for the teachers and some initial housing for kiddos till we build the permanent ones, but buy the bricks for the classrooms.

Our first 3 classrooms–foundation done, ready for roofing and finishing. The second block of 3 is almost at the same height now too!

So we had a wonderful party, with dancing, music, sodas and 7 goats! The kids were flipped out as it was so special!

One of the most beautiful elements to this story is 2 families, with young children were one of the key elements in this. Below is a Facebook note from Aunty Jamah of one of the givers, 8 year old, Ashley Mendoza. “This year my 8 year old cousin saved up all of her money. She made crafts and sold them, she asked to clean and help with chores all to raise enough money to buy herself a Kindle Fire. She worked her little butt off. Then she found out that an orphanage in Africa went each year without presents, it made her really sad. So, she donated all of her hard earned money so they could each get a gift. It touched us all so much, we bought her a Kindle Fire for Christmas. I can’t wait to see the look on her face!”

It’s that beautiful Love in Action from her dear parents, Ruben and Jenna, and Sam and Maria Doehler and their beautiful children, that have impacted our dear kids this Christmas in such a beautiful way! Thank you and our prayers are that the Lord  blesses you mightily in return!

And heart-felt thanks to each of you who gave kindly so that the kids could not only have a special Christmas, but that their New Year is going to be another step towards them being able to finally become all they have the potential to become!

Nicola joined us and used so many media to help the kids learn alternate art expressions. Above Hayley is being a live model, and below the children took turns and had to portray what they saw by different means.

Nicola below, explains how to portray what the children are seeing by shading the area behind the body, rather than always using lines.

Hayley happy about the results and encouraging our student. The kids’ self-confidence in art greatly improved in a brief time with Nicola’s skilled teaching.

In the meantime, Anthea has been teaching small groups to help strengthen their English, which has been a huge help.

Anthea teaching nouns, verbs and adjectives and below, reading to the youngest.

In addition to a variety of wonderful art classes, and the reading and English classes,  we were also treated to tremendous dance classes from Arafat, who has traveled Europe working with young people.

Here you see our neighbouring school all came out as an audience during  break, as the dancing and drum rhythms were so catchy. Such an encouragement to our kids!

Above, Hayley and all the students following Arafat’s clear steps. He taught each of our classes, and they were thrilled!

Even our P7 class, who are just about to leave to sit their final exams, were thrilled to have a fresh break. Above Fred, one of our best boys academically, tries his turn with Arafat close by to encourage and lead.

We held a party for our P7 students right before their exams this coming Monday and Tuesday (that’s the tradition here rather than afterwards) and they were thrilled to have Hayley, Nicola, Arafat and Anthea there to help it be special.

Below, some of our teachers and our  wonderful volunteers.

Teachers and Volunteers, from Back row: Richard, Anthea, Nicola, Michael, Jennifer, Douglas, Mary-Middle row: Jennifer, Hayley and Dorine, and front: Arafat and Boniface. So happy to work together to enhance the experiences of these dear orphans.

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Boys and girls all jumped in and cheerily slashed our grass effectively.

Thea just arrived from Australia (via South Africa) and the kids are so excited to have her. Here she is, putting our beautiful educational posters back up on the wall, since the rooms have been painted.

You can see the amazing contrast already. Above the school when we first took it over, and below, before we get the base line painted, but still looking gorgeous!

When we moved in, there were no windows, but we’ve put bars, to stop theft of the wonderful posters we’ve put in each classroom.

We had a huge treat this last week, as Deepa had a chance to visit the children and spend time teaching them. They were all touched by her love and care.

Now we have finished painting the first building, we are half way through refurbishing the second, with 4 more classrooms.

We’ve been very pleased to find so much material available on youtube on Systems such as the Digestive, Respiratory, Circulatory. They are so much clearer when you move from chalk on a blackboard, to animated graphics, movie clips and photos. Material on subjects from magnets to volcanoes is really filling in the lack of background of these dear students and it’s all been very heart-warming.

Reviewing what they’d gone over from their text books in class with this medium, seems to have helped subjects come to life and the principles and terms are really starting to ‘click’ through this far more visual, more easy-to-remember medium.