I was going to write about how busy I'd been scooping up smelly cat poo, washing dishes, laminating, typing up, correcting and marking work, working out at the gym and keeping the house in order, but nothing can be as hard as the job the volunteers, supporters and workers at the Tumani Home of Hope in Mombasa, Kenya, do. I have always been a keen supporter of Comic Relief from being just five years old, but when I saw the Jeremy Kyle Show's mini documentary on a home run by a retired lady named Joan, who saw children walking the streets because they'd been abandoned by the families and friends as they had AIDS and felt she had to do something. Some time later she went about setting up an orphanage/place of refuge for children aged anything from just months old to school age.
There are lots of charities worthy of supporting but this particularly had an impression on me as the problems these children had been burdened with and the issues their society couldn't deal with and still can't deal with, are so easily prevented or in some cases solved, by education, the community pulling together and the wool pulled from people's eyes. Its so sad in the 21st century that there are still Third World countries out there where children, who are meant to be the future, are given a death sentence because of something they had no say in. They didn't ask to be born and they certainly didn't ask to be infected with HIV or AIDS. I could go on and on but you get the drift. Anyway I'll come to the point of this short blog entry, I received an email update as I am a supporter and I give them a small donation a month and it told of visits to an Elephant Sanctuary, extensions to the school building, it was very heartwarming. The most touching thing was Elizabeth, who was very animated and sweet when Jeremy Kyle met her, but couldn't hear very well at all. She has now been fitted with hearing aids which have been paid for by donations.
Something as basic as that will probably enhance and change her life forever, it will also impact on the children around her who will be able to communicate with her more and she'll feel much more confident and happy. Believe me I know, I'm a hearing aid wearer myself and when I have a heavy cold or one that doesn't work, I feel a bit cut off. So when people wonder whether giving to charities like this is worth it or whether their money actually gets put to good use, this is a small, but very timely reminder of why Africa still needs us. If we can't help to educate the elders into using condoms and being more aware, we can give hope to the children left behind by giving them a dignified few years or whatever they've got left.
I cannot stop thinking about Alan and how sad I feel that I probably screwed my only chance of finding true love when he left Leeds and I kind of went off the rails with my attitude towards him w hen he was at Man U, but when I hear about the children in the home and how small little things like day trips, new paint pots light up their world as if the most magical thing in the whole world had just happened it hits you...and reading poem penned by innocent, sweet children who have no idea of the burden they carry gives you another slap in the face. The fact of the matter is, I can't really complain about my life when I'm sat typing on a nice computer, sat in a lovely house, in a peaceful, safe environment with fresh water, good food and a comfortable bed. There's something to be said for a little reality check every now and again!
Until next time. Goodnight.
