Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Warm Colours and Happy Faces in SVP

“Our day kicked off nice and early but we were so eager to get started we didn’t even need an alarm clock!
We took breakfast, know here as “mata-bicho” (kill-the-bug) and rushed to the SVP - Sao Vicente Paulo school, in Chokwé. There I finally had in front of my eyes the warm colours of the places and the happy faces of the people I communicate with everyday: Mano (“young brother”) Hilario, Sister Alice, Mamã (“mummy’) Erma, Mano Donaldo, …
I knew in this trip to Mozambique [as part of ALG’s sister charity UPG Portugal], I would meet people that would touch me deeply and whose lives I would like to keep following forever. It would also make so much more sense of the work we do daily...
Today I share the story of Darcia, who was a UPG Sponsored child and is now 20 years old. She learnt how to read in the UPG After Class and she's now supporting in SVP pre-school! Darcia's dream is to keep studying.
She lives with her grandmother (who's too old to live on her own) and she is a precious help to this elderly lady. The family is very proud of her!
It was a day full of hugs, Kanhimambos (‘thank yous”) and lots of tenderness around! We had lunch at the house of the Vicentine Sisters, our Local Partners in SVP that filled our HEARTS and our bellies too!
Chokwé is much more that I imagined, it is smiles, it is colours, it is smells and images…
Tomorrow we are off to the SLM School in Manjague. Till tomorrow!”


Sonia Martins, Sponsoring Assistant, UPG Portugal, on her first visit to the ground.

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