Almost There!

Had a 2 hour conference call with WV on Tuesday afternoon, with all the other volunteers. Covered a lot of stuff, but most of the volunteers have not booked their flights yet, so don't know if anyone else will join me in Paris. It was mainly about what was and was not appropriate while in SA, to do with pictures, handing out gifts etc. We were told that that this is actually a pilot project to SA. They've never done a volunteer trip there before!! Could make for some very interesting times. We will be staying the first and last night in Durban, so maybe it will be that little hostel, I had in my mind to begin with. There are now 11 of us signed up to go; only 2 men still, poor fellows with all that women power around, I wonder how they will fair? Along with the meeting of the children and tree planting, they want us to concentrate on the micro-enterprise they have helped to set up.
I heard one interesting story about a family that had a cow, WV gave them a bull. The condition was that the first calf must go to someone else in the community, the second they would keep and the third goes back to WV to be passed on again. What a great way to help and yet still have the families knowing that it is their efforts that will bring it all about. Another thing I learned was that WV does not just go into these places and build things, like a school. They may help with purchasing the bricks or whatever and lend a hand, but the communities build the school, so that you hear them say after, that 'this is our school', not that it is WV's school.

All for now.