On to another village.....

We headed into another village, Ayalerbe,  for some much needed work on a church and another school visit.  There was a broken water line and a cistern to repair, plus a huge paint job inside and outside of the church.  It would be a busy day!

Well, so we thought!  It turned out that the the materials weren't exactly ready or available.....pipe for the waterline not there, ladders not high enough to reach the top of the ceilings,  the wrong paint.  Hmmm.....we had to improvise.  The cistern was a good target. It had leaked and was filled with dirt and debris and the water was not fresh at all. It needed to be drained, cleaned and built up with a cover to work properly.  Greg jumped right in (literally) and waded in frog-infested (and who knows what else!) water, with others joining in.

 

While some worked on the cistern, others  did whatever we could do to make the day fruitful, and the church beautiful.  We didn't finish and knew we would have to return the next day.......which we did!  We were able to help a Tanzanian crew put two coats of paint inside, build up the cistern so water would stay fresh, and replace the water line with a stronger pipe.  And the little children who lived nearby watched and wanted to play with us, too!

.....and how they loved it when we would give out some "pee-pee" (candy)!

After working on it for two days, the church was looking good!

 There was another school to visit across the little valley. With work underway at the church, some of us  headed over there in the morning to see how we could help.  We were met by some younger kids on their way to school....

and more at the school, very interested in getting their pictures taken!

Shoes were left outdoors to try and keep mud and dirt from the rooms, and again we entered full, but a little less- crowded classrooms.  Kim and I were asked to teach again to eager and smiling kids.

 

This school seemed a little better funded than the previous one and they had a few more materials. But still, where was a gym, except the playground outside?  Where was an assembly room, except for under the trees outside the classroom?  Art?  Music?  Running water and electricity?  Flush toilets? A lunch room?  Hardly. I commend the government for their push to educate every child to at least the 7th grade level.  But the schools are terribly overcrowded, poorly furnished, understaffed, and books are tattered.....It is a huge problem and one we can't solve.  But it made my heart heavy. The next day we did return with some school supplies, some balls, and another parachute.  A drop in the bucket, I suppose, but brought some joy to the children.

                               This is the church seen from the school.  What a beautiful setting!