The situation in Galvendale (Don't worry, fun stuff will be followed:-D)

Liebenhaus, the kid's home I've been working at, currently accommodate 23 kids aged from 6-17. They are all from very very broken homes, abused or neglected.
Until a couple years ago, Liebenhaus had to call around and ask for basic stuff like food and toiletries. They were always short of food and are still in need for other things to make the home comfortable for the kids so that they can feel proud when they come home.

This area, Galvendale, as a whole has also faced difficulties such as a high rate of unemployment, violence, crime, poverty and so on.

A volunteer who worked for another project told me that a boy's family members don't care about each other at all and none of his family, even his mum, visited him when he got shot on the street and was in hospital for two months because, to them, it was just his fault.

Every morning 4 of us drive from our house to Liebenhaus and see many children who can't go to school, some of which walk along roads where you can see rubbish all over the places and look for something like copper they can sell from the rubbish. And adults too. We see many people who just stand outside their house around 10am. Someone told me that the unemployment rate here is very high and even if they can find a job, it's often temporary and blue-collar.

Four of us were invited for a dinner last night by Peter and Daphne, who have been involved with Liebenhaus and especially he told us a lot about situations in South Africa in the past and the present.

His stories reminded me of something I thought I always knew.
For example, although apartheid was abolished more than ten years ago, people's attitude can't change as quickly as a legislation can be implemented.
Older colours can still be shy or nervous with white people and in turn some of the white show little respect for the colours. As Peter said, apartheid was something not only to separate white and black but also to put black down.

However, as I hear from evreyone I meet here, those who live in this poor situation have a great heart and everyone on the street smiles and waves at us in the car! Lovely:-)


Well, having written the sad and unfair stories,
I've already had great fun at Liebenhaus.

Two days ago I met all the 23 kids, who had never met any Oriental before and just keep staring at me..haha It was not as uncomfortable as it sounds as I always feel good to be the first:-p Now I have to behave myself, representing Japan!

They were shy with us for a couple of minutes so I was wondering how we could interact with them but, as you'd know, there was no need to worry. Now, after 2days, little ones run around us, clime up on us and teach us how to play their games, and the older ones enjoy playing volleyball (one of few things I know how) and talking with us. Everyone is keen on finding out where we are from and where we've been to on a World map, which is so fun:D!! I've shown them pictures of my family and my trips and one of them told me I looked older than my mum, yaa, thank you!!lol

They are all so lovely and special! Hope I'll feel and know it more in 3 and a half weeks time^^

Also, as I've written above, the dinner last night was very nice, food, people, talk, the house and everything:-) And last night I looked up the sky for the first time here and the stars are brilliant!! They seem just so closer to you and rounder!! You must see it one day^^


In about 30 minutes time, the kids will come back from school and we can play a lot today as they have no homework time on fridays! It means I need to get ready for all the energetic running and playing before they get home:-)


Eeeerrm, this is enough to realise that it's not easy to keep my messages here short as a lot of things are always going on and I'm still learning various new things from the kids and people I meet here.

Thank you for visiting and reading my page!
Hope you are not tired of reading it and come back later:D

Mai

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