SOS +YA

A little clip from our morning at SOS Orphanage with the YA girls.

SOS Villages Visit

I honked the horn as we pulled around the side of the girls’ home on Saturday morning. One by one, they came running down the cement stairs and piled into the back of the white pickup truck. We headed towards the front gate but stopped suddenly as Lizete sprinted from a classroom, yelling that she had finished her test early and could now come with us. Excitedly she threw her books and bag in the back and climbed in. We waved to the guard Carlito and turned onto the highway towards SOS Chrildrens Orphanage. 

We pulled up to SOS and saw a group of kids running to the metal gate to let us pass through. The girls were welcomed with little hugs and high fives as they jumped from the truck bed. One of our oldest girls Victoria, who recently signed a contract to work at a nursery in Beira, started to organize the activities with the others. Emma and I watched and let the YA girls lead out so they could feel the responsibility of caring for their younger brothers and sisters there at the orphanage. Eufrasia picked up a crying baby from the sand and Cecilia grabbed the little hand of the boy next to her and started to sing and dance. 

We spent the next two hours together with more than sixty orphaned children, singing, dancing and playing games. For the last activity, the girls divided the kids into smaller groups and talked with them about their favorite things, dreams, the importance of education and much more. 

This activity has been one of my favorite things we have done here so far. Seeing the girls interact with the children with such love and care was so rewarding. Everyone left with big smiles and full hearts. It was incredible to see the girls from YA, many of which have been orphans most their lives, step up into leadership roles during this activity. Providing service is a such a powerful tool for growth. We were so happy to see the girls look outside of themselves while preparing for and during the activity. We hope through this continuing mentorship project they will develop leadership skills vital to their families, communities and country.

Finals

Final exams for the first semester were completed last week. 

Emma was given the task to monitor the exam in one of the classrooms. 

Lots of work now to input grades and post results. 

AID

Young Africa is partially funded by the support of The European Union. They have also partnered with IrishAid, Serve IE, and other individual donors. These organizations want to see how their money is being spent and if Young Africa should continue to receive their aid. They require constant reports and Young Africa receives visits from each organization 1-4 times each year. 

One of our responsibilities is to help portray the vision, mission and results of Young Africa through writing, pictures and film. We have worked closely with the YA staff to portray properly what is happening here. We had a chance to accompany and translate for a few of the visitors. To talk with representatives from these organizations has been a great learning experience. We are understanding what donors want to see before they donate money and what they want done with their money once it has been awarded to an NGO. We are hanging onto these ideas and suggestions for later years as we aspire to work closely with Young Africa and other NGO’s and possibly start something of our own. 

Here are a couple videos that Emma and I have worked on that are being used to show more about the YA hostel home. The first is showing what a normal day at the girls home looks like. The second video is of Faraminha, who has already left the home and is having great success thanks to her determination and the things she learned at Young Africa. 

The girls

One of our primary responsibilities at Young Africa is to work with 25 orphaned teenage girls living in the group home on campus. Each week, Emma and I plan activities and lessons to help the girls understand their potential and develop important skills that lead them towards emotional and financial independence. 

 Some of the activities include; vision boards, “self esteem building blocks”, english class, goals setting lessons, thinking games, soccer training and much more. Something that we noted as we were talking with the girls was that almost all of them want to help others like they have been helped. We wanted to show them that they can help now. They do not have to wait until they are rich or older to help those around them. We contacted the orphanage SOS Villages which is situated up the road from Young Africa. Emma and I visited their orphanage and plans were made for our girls to visit the children on Saturdays. During these visits the YA girls work with the other children building relationships and mentoring the younger children. It is a great opportunity for our girls to develop a  pattern of service and to be examples to the younger children.

The girls at Young Africa have all the resources they need to be successful and happy. They are what is going to change this country and the world. We are encouraging them to seek after and take advantage of this time they have to learn. These girls have the opportunity to be economically independent and emotionally secure throughout their lives if they work for it now. They will help to establish peace and security in a country stained with years of war and instability, changing their lives and the lives of others generations to come.

Bem Vindo

We exited the plane in Beira to the sound of young people singing loudly in their native dialect. Lined up in the airport entrance clapping and dancing, they welcomed us to their city — our home for the next three months. Emma and I exchanged excited looks and passed under the large “BEM VINDO” sign.

The warm welcome continued as we made our way to the Young Africa campus in Manga. We met the staff at YA and quickly became acquainted with the campus and our responsibilities for the next few months. “You arrived just in time,” they all said as they hustled around the desk to shake our hand, “The sports festival is this weekend!” 

Our first week was quick and ended with overtime hours printing off schedules and organizing the prizes for the annual Young Africa Sports Festival and because we live on campus, they gave us the keys to the office, “Just in case we’re a bit late tomorrow morning.” As the fields began to fill with players and spectators Saturday morning we were the only staff around so we began signing teams up and directed a captains meeting preparing for the days events. 

Basketball, volleyball, and soccer games were played all at once. Spectators lined the side of the field marking the boundaries well. Emma and I walked around watching games and keeping track of scores and brackets. Around noon the women in the kitchen came and told us to announce that lunch would be ready in fifteen minutes. They had been in the kitchen since sunrise preparing to feed 500 plus participants and staff. 

While lunch was served the clouds became heavy over the fields and soon we began to hear the sound of rain drops hitting the tin roof all around us. for a moment we wondered what would become of the festival, but the rain did not stop the players, it seemed to energize them and give them an increased sense of courage as they faced their opponents, now wet head to toe with mud covering their bare feet.

The ref gave three whistles to signal the end of the final game and the crowds began to make their way to the podium for the closing ceremony. They began to announce the winning teams amidst the singing, shouting and dancing of players and spectators alike. As their name was called each recipient came to the stage to be presented with their trophy and acknowledgment from the crowd that today…he was the best. 

Young Africa

I first became acquainted with Young Africa while serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mozambique. Living in Beira — the second largest city in the country, I met an Irish man named Joe who volunteered as plumber for the organization. One day, he invited us to tour the campus, a modest but well-kept collection of classrooms, administration buildings, volunteer accommodations, a small nursery, and restaurant. I was extremely impressed by both the grounds and mission of Young Africa — to equip underprivileged youth with technical skills and knowledge in order to promote sustainability and reverse the cycle of poverty that plagues Mozambique. 

Three years later as Emma and I were researching summer internship opportunities, I remembered Young Africa and my positive impressions of the program. We exchanged several successful emails with the in-country director, interviewed via Skype, and eventually secured positions as full-time interns. Anxious to show Emma the place that had such a lasting influence on my life, we prepared to leave our comfortable island home in April.