At the end of the first week we have settled in and begun work on levelling and setting out the site for the new building.
LivingWe have a round traditional hut at the home of Zonke and a house with three rooms that we use as kitchen and dining area with the other neighbours. It took some time to get everything ready, but now everything looks civilized and clean.
The peopleThere are 13 of us here over the weekend, as we have two visitors with us from the Roseway Waldorf School, Colin Hurner and Nomfundo Mthimkulu. Those of us here from Europe are Tom Dembinski, Leticia Rheingantz (actually from Brazil, but working in the Idem office in Basel), Saskia Beck, Achim Glatz, Xenia Obratov, Kilian Beck and Benjamin Stern from Switzerland, and Sarah Kottmann, Sophia Grossmann, Lorenz Hartmann from Germany.
The WorkLeticia and I drove the building framework up from Cape Town before the workcamp, sand and cement are lying ready and work on the foundations should start at the beginning of the week.
The toilets and water system from last year needs some overhauling and repair, but basically everything is in place and works after a fashion. The water tank has been of great help to the Kindergarten in the times when water was cut off - once for a full 3 weeks. The septic tank and soakaway work well. The toilets are basically sound but there are a number of leaks in the joints and basin drains that are being repaired.
Activities with the childrenSaskia, Leticia and others have prepared a number of activities to do with the children - painting, drawing, circus exercises, juggling balls, balancing and a lot of games. These they are gradually introducing together with the teachers. It is no easy task with the group of more than 64 children ranging in age from a few months to 6 years.
So the needs we are to meet with our work here are once again more than we can fully manage, but whatever we do will be gratefully received and will prove a real help to the project. That, in any event, is nice to know.
