Day 2 at Veronica House!!

On July 12, the team retuned to the Veronica Home for the second day in a row to finish painting and to play with the kids. Since I was sick the day before, and didn’t get to meet the children, it was interesting to see how easily they warmed up to me and instantly treated me as an old friend. Unlike the school in the Kolongola village, there were only 15 children which made it easier to get to know them and talk to them one-on-one. It also made it hard to forget them!

We started our day by catching three taxis to the orphanage where we were instantly greeted by hugs and smiles. The house mother, Virginia, looks after five of her own children and ten orphans all under one roof. The youngest is her own baby named Mary and the oldest is a fifteen year old girl named Susan. We quickly went to work inside the house; finishing painting some of the walls and all the trim around the windows. The paint fumes in the house were so strong we were happy to be done just in time for lunch.

Once we finished painting we headed outside where we were served a “delicious” lunch of mashed up potatoes and beans... When we were done the kids entertained us with songs and dance that brought us all up our chairs. In return, we sung them a few songs that we learned that weren’t quite as choreographed and rehearsed as theirs. After lunch, our team member Cathy planted a tree in honour of a young girl named Veronica who passed away last year. Veronica was an orphan who was HIV positive and had been sponsored Cathy and her husband Don. Even though not all the team members had met Veronica, the small ceremony was meaningful to everyone.

We finished our time off at the Veronica House by making arts and crafts with the kids, and distributing the gifts we brought them. They were so grateful to each receive a hand made quilt, donated by different members of the Near North Quilting Group, an Izzy Doll, and a colourful knitted tuque. Before we left we had some time to talk to the kids and share stories. It was really upsetting to know that three of the children were HIV positive, especially after spending the day together. Overall, we had a great day the Veronica House. It was awesome to have spent the day with such wonderful children!!

Posted by Laura :)