UK team hit Mozambique with a purpose

The willing team land in South Africa.

Steve and Paula having far too much fun!

Stacy and Grace hard at work!

The finished house looks fantastic!

One of the projects our team from the UK got involved with this year was to help paint the first project we completed in Mozambique, which was a house that was built for Martha and her children, after she was left widowed in 2000.

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Before she moved into her new house in 2004 she was living for 4 years in a derelict building, sleeping on the floor, with her children and some orphans.

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Martha heads up the orphanage project, where we now have twenty children who are all doing really well!

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Steve, Paula, Kerry and Stacy worked very hard to transform Martha's house into what it is now, having taught Martha and her children how to paint with care, they continued the work themselves once the team returned to the UK. They were able to finish the remaining rooms which now look outstanding!

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Stephen Cuss, who came out on the team to teach English, spent many hours wire brushing and undercoating the security iron work around the house that again, now looks brilliant!

Needless to say Martha is delighted, a huge thank you to the team, who put in so much hard work to get such a great result!

Medical Centre

At last the Medical Centre at the orphanage is now under construction and it's flying up!
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After many hours of planning and measuring, carefully situating the centre in the best place, in the beautiful grounds of the orphanage, our local builder and his team began the huge job of digging the foundations by hand.
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In less than a week, the trenches were dug, and ton after ton of concrete was also mixed, all by hand and the foundations were poured.
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We managed to get the best builder in town to build this project. His name is Emanuel which means God with us, which is always reassuring!
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Typically on most builds in Africa, the plans are drawn, measurements are specified then altered by the builder to suit their budget, resulting in thin narrow footings on which a large building is built, often with dire consequences.
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At the start of the project I spent some time encouraging our builder with the importance of putting in the correct depth, width, and strength of concrete, to ensure our building would still be there in twenty years time. And told him I would be keeping a careful eye on this importantant part of the job!

A somewhat weary Emanuel, a week or so later, said "I've never put a foundation in like this one before!" People in Africa just don't have the money to do that!


As I write this, the walls are now going up and are looking great!
I'll be posting more pictures shortly!
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The sewing school

We now have ten sewing machines in Maxixe at the sewing school, and the ladies have learnt how to sew aprons and skirts, and hem garments. Over the next few months we are bringing in a teacher who heads up a sewing school in the next town. He will be teaching them to make trousers and school uniforms, which the ladies will be able to sell, to make a living. We have made ten simple work benches from locally sawn coconut wood, as economically as possible.

So we are well set up now, please pray for this project and watch this space!