Employee of the week, idea of the week

Jackson wins employee of the week! He just is all over - he truly is the Jack of all trades! And he has much patience and many smiles. He wins K5,000 in talk time!

Austern - won rather a crazy prize from our saluala box - but I think its a dress for his mom! He has a nice family and they've obviously brought Austern up to be respectful, very kind and serious about work. His great idea this week was to fix the boiler! Its a fire hazard and it truly needs work! And it's been a well known idea and now its a great, well known idea!

Every week employees come up with many ideas on how to make their work more meaningful, improved and better for the babies. Great ideas are generated from within! Like - how can we keep baby sox together when in laundry? Wow....who doesn't lose sox in the laundry? And even though we came up with a great idea for keeping sox together....it seems babies still wear mis-matched soxevery day! Oh well....it keeps us on our toes (pun...) At least they have sox on!

Now...I 'll need to get a picture of Austern's mom wearing her new dress.

Employee of the week, idea of the week

Rozina, our new housekeeper!

Rozina has just joined our staff! Yesterday, she grabbed a rag and started cleaning chairs! Once we noticed what she was doing then she really geared up! Its so amazing how little people's brains work. They see something happening and then they copy! They want to do it too! This is how God has designed the brain - take in info and do something with it! What shall we pay her? For all the laughter and fun she brings - she pays us!

Thanks Rozina! We'll see what the new minimum wage standards has for you!

Mr. "Pots" goes home!

Potius, now 14 months old went home to stay with his granny yesterday. Granny came regularly to visit and a good relationship had been made with her. Recently, she stayed for about 4 nights and Potius and her bonded well. She is gentle, and loves Potius much. We took granny (10 years younger than me) and Potius to the Beit Cure Hospital this week to have him assessed by an orthopedic surgeon as we'd noticed (thanks to Doreen and Joan) a bit of an out-turn of his left foot. We wanted to be sure that he'd be fine for Granny. The doctors said nothing to worry about, just get him walking! I'm sure he will be soon, now that he's out at the village. Granny will return in about one month and we'll see then how they are both doing.

Pictured above - the team praying for Potius and the granny, Katherine just before Potius left! (Potius is on the back of Granny - orange colored chitenge. We prayed for their wellness and for Potius to grow up to be a healthy and faithful man of God!

Thanks all for supporting Kasensa and for contributing towards Potius and for transport money for Katherine! It is much appreciated and please know that Katherine thanked us and so we need to pass that thanks on to YOU! and to our God who supplies much!

Sunday night at Kasensa

Every weekend Timmy comes for a "sleepover". He enjoys the babies - as well as the sleep, food and fellowship. And we enjoy his company! Last Sunday night we had drumming night with the babies. Abigail had her chitenge on and she shimmied around and even joined in the drum playing. Rozina and Potius also joined in, but Abraham must have thought it was a pretty poor band as he hid his head in Cleny's lap and would not participate at all!

Play is work!

Delphister, one of our Gap Year students entertains Abi and Potius! It's maybe easier than pulling down a wall or raking along the orchard fence, but simple play can have longer lasting effects!
Thanks Del!

And you may wonder (or not) how I have time all in one day to do these posts...well, posting takes forever...it is now 7 hours later. Meanwhile my laptop is beside me and I'm working on modules - another editing day...still not done. And to keep energy I grab a baby and we go explore to see what the guys are doing and also stop to play with other babies, change a nappie, give medicine and just be here. 

Its an orchard

Right now its a dry orchard and an unkempt one. But...the water wells have been dug and the watering program has begun.

It has been neglected for a long while - but will come back with a bit of TLC.

Imagine...

Even still it is producing some fruit. And will produce more once all the work is done and the rains begin.

God asks us to do something....so we did.

Working the orchard

Oranges, lemons, pomello, rueben (mullberries), mango, banana, paw-paw, guavas....

Richard, Jackson, Austern, Brivery have been cleaning - along the fence and also making wells around each tree for more efficient use of water.

Kasensa garden

Its a dry and thirsty land - but....drip irrigation and some other good farming techniques can produce a very good garden! God makes good food!

Kasensa garden

Jackson Munyati works hard at providing vegetables for Kasensa and Tendai homes. Each day we eat rape, cabbage, swiss chard, pumpkin, tomato and when in season we also enjoy ground nuts, sweet potato, onion, butternut squash, green beans and even strawberries and mulberries.

Richard moved the drip irrigation system that we had  at Namwianga to SFF last year and it has worked like a charm. We down sized the garden to a workable capacity and now Nancy Siazilo oversees the work. Its a good deal.
When you visit you can share the garden with us!

Kasensa - a spring of water

Kasensa, means a spring of water in Tonga, and is the name of the orphan care program. Kasensa is located on Seven Fountains Farm because there are 7 fountains or water sources, apparently. I know of a few of them.

Recently, Richard and a few of the guys "slipped" in new planks to the water tank "holder". The tank leaks a bit and so that also is on the "to do" list.

We have to practice good water conservation year round. We are now in the dry season - and it will last until November. It last rained in May. Richard is constantly monitoring water usage - taps, tanks, resevoirs. Sometimes, he hears noises at night and prowls around to see if something has been left on when it should be off.

Trying hard

Brivery tried hard to pull the wall down, but couldn't do it. I guess its a good thing he's studying at University of Zambia in Lusaka. Holiday being over, he'll return on Tuesday to start his year 3 classes in Development Studies. In a few months, however, UNZA will be shut down for 3 months as they prepare for and host the Africa Games... He plans to spend his next "holiday" with a bigger outfit than us - like United Nations or something...

Abraham says "oh, oh!"

 As the wall came down, Abraham exclaimed "oh, oh!" and banged his hands together. He and Abi watched very closely. They liked watching the strong John Deere!

The farm

The guys have been BUSY at the farm. They don't get to play - or maybe they are!

Richard specializes in cleaning up, Jackson specializes on the tractor and Brivery....specializes in giving advice - and muscle!

The sponsored kids who volunteer on Saturday will start the fun job of sorting and stacking bricks. Fun.

Potius's hair cut

Granny, Katherine visited for a few days this week. She's from Billili - a long way out but still "within" Kalomo.

She'll take 14 month old Potius home next week.

While visiting Potius came down with diarrhea - he eats way too much off the ground! He's better now and back to eating way too much on his plate.

We'd noticed him scratching his head and found that he had a fungal infection on his scalp. So...first cut the hair and then treat with anti-fungals x 14 days.

Next week Katherine will take Potius to Beit Cure Hospital in Lusaka to have his feet assessed. You can see in the photo that his foot turns to the right.

Thanks, donors for contributing to Kasensa - Beit Cure is free admission, but travelling there via Mazandhu bus with an escort (one of our UNZA students returning to school on the same day that Katherine needs to go) costs about $40.00 Canadian.

Since we'll be in Lusaka leaving from here on Tuesday morning, we'll pick Katherine and Potius from the bus on Wednesday and take them to Beit Cure and then return them with us on Thursday afternoon. I'd better put disposable nappies on my Lusaka shopping list!

Lumamba's Tummy Time

When the babies hear Tummy time, even those that walk will drop to their bellies. You can barely see Abigail  in the background, but look carefully and you'll notice that she's also down on her belly! She doesn't need to be because she's already walking - she just doesn't want to be left out. 

Cornolius - almost there

Cornolius was born in November 2011 - making him 7 months. In May, he and the other Kasensa babies were assessed for hearing, speech and developmental milestones by the Harding College Speech Pathology students. Thank-you Harding College and please drop in anytime you're in town!

Cornolius is doing fair! His May assessment revealed that he has good neck and truck control and strength, appropriate eye contact and tracking, good hearing, he likes oral stimulation - and he constantly babbles, blows bubbles, smiles and can laugh out loud.

And 6 weeks later - he sits well, can roll and is getting ready to crawl. He can reach for objects out of his reach and although he lands flat on his little face, he's not overly concerned and will do this over and over. He is mastering his pincer grabs - and moves objects from one hand to another, he notices when you take a toy and move it behind him - like an owl he tracks the hidden object.

The aunties have been instructed to have him further practice his tracking using bubbles and whatever. And to continually talk to him so he talks back and also to assist him to standing position - which he really loves.

He is a bright little button!

Learning to crawl

 Lumamba (warrior) is learning to crawl. He's had lots of tummy time and is getting stronger. This little guy resembles our Tim when he was a baby - except Lumamba's tan is darker. (Although, Tim can get pretty brown) Richard says he's like a truck! Same like Tim. He enjoys his food, same like Tim. And can scream like a fire-engine, unlike Tim! He doesn't cry - he screams - it works better. 

And now he's learning that he can be mobile. He can roll all over and gets up on all fours to grab what he wants. And then he falls flat to his belly - but in a week or two he'll be scooting all over. 

The ladies are now encouraging him by putting a toy just outside his reach. This is good!

Off to the swings!

After a bit of "school" - i.e. PLAY - then its more play - this time to the swings, which are only a short ride in the "Kasensa Mazandhu" bus.

They are a wee bit squeezed - and hence, in this cold season ALL the kids have had runny noses, coughing and sneezing this week. No fevers - so no trips to the clinics - but LOTS of hand washing, tissue for noses and LOTS more JIK.

The nights are chilly (about 10 degrees). Remember, we don't have heaters - only sweaters, hats and blankets. We shut all doors and try hard to keep the chilly winds out and the babies snuggly warm.

The days are warm, so from about 10 hrs until 16 hrs. all babies can nicely play outside in the courtyard.

PLAY is your WORK!

So far, each of our staff have had approximately 8 hours of their Child Care Course. Some have had less - depends on their schedule and sometimes on Zesco.

We employ about 15 staff - including our GAP year students. For me, that means about 40 or more hours of prep - and so far there has been at least 6 draft versions! Developing takes research time, reading, writing, creating power points, posters, other materials and then teaching and then revising...and editing and revising...

And this week's theme is: Play is your WORK!  Babies work is PLAY! The class was told "If someone asks you what your job is you tell them" - "I play!"

We discuss age appropriate activities and why play is so important for social, mental, physical and spiritual development!

Pictured above is Lillian applying yesterday's lesson: And sometimes the toddlers may chew on a few crayons - but....Lillian is there to fish them out of the mouths! Coloring time is BRIEF - i.e. less than 10 minutes and then its on to something else....Meanwhile, underneath the table Rozina has spotted a blue box - which she turned over, dumped everything out and crawled into. This is her kind of school!

Rozina this week!

 She's on the move. She's very curious leaving nothing untouched at Kasensa. Last night when Zesco was out she pulled all the clothes out of a cupboard that sits too near her grasp. She runs fast and if you say faster, she skates. I've found her a little pair of shoes with treads, otherwise I'm afraid she may suffer like other skaters - with a concussion. She's now 7.3 kg - almost 7.4 kg. Since she's a little powerhouse - a quick energy burner, so I add vegetable oil to her formula, peanut butter to her porridge and feed her a couple of high protein snacks per day - i.e. scrambled egg mixed with grenadilla yougurt. And she has vocabulary - i.e. "kitty". She imitates words very quickly and easily. The newest I'm working on with her is "Timmy" b/c Timmy Mbambiko comes each weekend and I thought it'd be good for her to be able to do a proper greeting. So far, Timmy sounds like "kitty". Oh well...there's still time.

For Jonas - zebra on the road

The hotel where we had our cokes always has zebra's wandering around. This guy didn't get too excited when we drove by - he just kept on moving down the road!

Love you,
Grandma and Grandpa

For Jonas

Hi Jonas
We took this photo on Monday of the elephants at Mosi O'Tunya park. They were pretty quiet as they were busy looking for food! The ground is pretty dry right now - and feeding an elephant on dry ground takes a lot of work! They eat vegetable - i.e. grass and trees!

Love you lots, Grandma and Grandpa!

Good to the last drop!

Nsima time! Potius and Abi are enjoying the last drop of supper. I think this meal was rape and ground nuts with their nsima - one of their favourites. Although, Potius eats anything!

Abigails skin is so improved - thanks to Doreen and Wes for taking her to the dermatologist in Lusaka. I think her skin and body were shocked into "normal" by the prednisone and the antihistamine. We still slather the "recipe" on twice daily. The recipe comes from Krista K's doctor friends - it is cheap and it works!! As well, a doctor friend of mine sent lots of free product that is also used.

Potius' granny will come early next week, stay for a few days and then take him home to the village. She is a good lady and a YOUNG granny - born in 1972! By that standard I should be a great granny! Get with it, Jonas!!