Going Green and Improving the Playground

We'll have an update on the water situation coming in just a few days - first, I wanted to share with you the incredible progress that's happened on the playground and in the garden, thanks to your support! For those who are unfamiliar, the garden is a large plot that was given to us by the hospital last January at my request, in order to help increase the food security and independence of the orphanage. The entire idea is to insulate the orphanage food supply against financial shocks - if they're low on cash in a given month, we don't want to ever take the risk that they'd end up low on food! This applies to the chickens as well. It also ensures that the kids are getting the highest quality calories - lots of veggies, leafy greens, protein from chickens and eggs, etc.

Garden entrance

Delicious beans

Tons of corn and a growing mango tree

One of the few lettuces that eventually sprouted!

Green tomatoes - give them a few more weeks!

One week's onion haul from the garden!

As for the playground, it was a total mess last year - with the death slide and the carousel of death as prime attractions (ok, my own personal nicknames for them... but they were dangerous!). Then a falling tree took out the trampoline... it was definitely time for a complete redo!

We got lucky and met Millie and Mikarla, who had already raised a significant chunk to redo the playground, on the advice of the good people at KATZ volunteers. They took care of redoing the slide, seesaw, and carousel, getting a new trampoline and some more swings, and we added a tire swing, monkey bars, and spinning table. Check out the before and after!

Before: Post-tree destruction, old seesaw, old slide

Pray on the old trampoline, post-tree 

The carousel of death (or at least tetanus!)

The tree that started it all, and the death slide - that thing took out multiple kids' teeth!

Now: much safer slide, new trampoline, new swings, and turntable! 

Kids playing together on the new see-saw

Pray, Abdulli and Maureen on the new tire swing

David, Asimwe and Abdulli on the new swings

Nelvin, the fundi who did it all for us, trying out the monkey bars

And a whole bunch of kids on the turntable! 

And here are two videos - the first has Pendo and Tumaini singing and a good view of the new playground while it was in progress. The second has Dainess and Stevie going head to head on the monkey bars!

Thank you again for all of your incredible support - none of this would be possible without it.