We met Theresa in town first thing in the morning to open a new bank account for Living Compassion. Now that we finally have our official NGO papers, we can open an account under the name of the organization instead of in the name of an individual. In theory it is a simple process, but we know WAY better than to count on that so we arrived at the bank right when it opened.
Indeed, there are all kinds of requirements that we are not used to. For example, we need two letters of reference—one from an individual and one from a company. Both need to be from someone who has an account at the bank. Chanda, the very charming woman working with us, suggested we get introduced to a reputable law firm who might be able to recommend us. We began to quietly despair—meet an attorney? This could take forever.
“Eunice Mashano runs the guesthouse where we stay,” we thought to say. “Could she write the letter?” (We had just found out that morning that Eunice has an account at the bank where we were applying.) “Oh! Eunice!” the woman exclaimed, “she is an excellent customer and an excellent caterer. Castle Lodge catered our Christmas party this year. It was the best holiday party we ever had!”
Duh. Why we even hesitated to offer Eunice as our reference we do not know. She is a legend in this town. Everyone knows and loves her. Chanda called over to her supervisor to double check. “They know Eunice,” Chanda reported without even using a last name, “Could Eunice be the business reference and her father be the personal one?” Everyone agreed that would work fine. We left with our list of paperwork to gather.
We went next to have passport photos taken (another requirement for opening an account). There were two adorable black cats in the photoshop, and, as always, people thought it so funny how much we liked them. They are working cats—the shop has rats.
We needed to stop at the guesthouse to pack up our party supplies before setting out for Kantolomba. We had already received a phone call from Veronica saying they were having trouble keeping the troops (more than 300 children eagerly awaiting their treats as an incentive for showing up for photo day) assembled. We assured her we would get out there just as quickly as we could. Luckily, Friday was our transport so we had plenty of room in his truck to put the 350 drinks, 400 packages of cheese curls, cookies for the women, and lollipops for everyone.
Carrying the party supplies into the new building at the site.
Arriving on the scene, we knew we had quite a task in front of us. There were children everywhere. It was a serious all-hands-on-deck situation. Each Living Compassion employee was surrounded by their share of the children, working to keep them at the property and in some reasonable semblance of order.
The youngest children were inside singing.
Older ones were in groups by the kitchen building.
Some were just waiting patiently for their turn.
While others negotiated who gets to go next.
We wasted no time. Immediately the teachers sat down and other women began to funnel the children to them. A child would come to a teacher who would write their name, age and grade on a slip of paper. The child would then be sent to one of us where we would position them in front of the camera. For each child we took one photo of them holding their sign (so we can later identify them) and one or two without.
The cuteness was almost too much to bear!
Oh my goodness!!
It was SOOOO much fun!! Even though it was only for a minute or two, there was something so special about getting to interact with the children individually. Getting to greet them and call them by name. Not that we had preferences, but it was very special seeing the second and third graders, the children who have been in the program from the start. As they would approach with their little signs, we would call to each other, “Look, it’s Cannan!” We have seen the 100 children video a thousand times, and those adorable faces are etched in our memory. To have them sit down in front of us now, three years later, a head or two taller, looking happy and healthy, well, there really are no words to describe it. Perhaps the only thing preventing us from being overwhelmed by the emotion of it was the absolute necessity to keep moving and stay focused; the possibility for all-out chaos was ever-present.
Remember Mary?!
And Simon
And the twins, Naomi and Dorcus?
And Elis?
Who could forget Twaibu??
“Seca,” we would say in our simple Bemba (meaning smile) and…
what a difference a smile makes!!!
Just over an hour later we realized we had done it. The last child posed in front of the camera, and there was a huge sigh of relief from all the adults. “Time for treats!” Theresa reminded us. The children had now shifted to the other side of the property where they were waiting for the goodies to be handed out. One class at a time, we brought them inside, sat them down, and handed out the promised goods. Again, the mayhem potential was large, but those women are experts at crowd control, and the process was quick and smooth.
Passing out the treats.
Our treat was watching them eat their treats.
The lollipop wrappers proved a challenge.
Soon the children all left the compound and there was a sudden calm. The women began to prepare lunch for the adults. Once all was ready, we sat as a community and ate, we with our musungu food and they with nchima and relish. It was a sense of team work to sit and quietly be together after the great accomplishment of the morning.
Lunch with the adults.
Cheri hanging out with the young folk.
A quick visit with Baby Dave before leaving for the day.