Day Two of Community Service

The group that is currently in Salvador has now finished its second day of community service work at the Escola Aberta do Calabar. This is a community funded school run by an association of volunteers. They receive no government backing and, therefore, depend on support from international donors. Due to limited donations over the last couple years, teachers have virtually been volunteering their time and they´ve had to cut back by half on the number of students they can accommodate. Our donations have not yet been distributed, but there is no question that they are badly needed and will be very much appreciated.

We´ve been working on three major projects at the school so far: planting a garden around the inside perimeter wall of the school yard; sanding, plastering and painting in the auditorium; and sanding, plastering and painting the library. The garden is now finished, so all of our manpower will be focused on the library and auditorium for the next two days. The work is tedious, but we have regular interuptions from the children at the school as they come in at every possible opportunity. They have tonnes of energy and love to play with our boys. Some of the girls are convinced that Mark Denton is actually Justin Bieber, so he has received his share of attention. Luke Mitchell is also really good with the kids; Sandi and I are amazed at how he keeps up with them. Aidan Romeril seems to have a fathering instinct and has already chosen one of the kids that he´d like to bring home. Is that okay with you Pam and Elliott? The strongest members of our group seem to be Reid Sisson and Brennan de Langley as they can frequently be seen with four or five kids on their backs and shoulders, as well as under their arms. Our only student that seems to be able to match the kids for soccer prowess is Sapheer Somani. He´s a hidden talent.