A letter from Paula Leen at Murwira Orphanage:
9-10-09
Dear Karen
To my dismay, yesterday morning when I arrived I was informed that our 14 wells have insufficient water collectively for drinking, dishes and laundry, and no water at all for keeping vegetables and fruit trees alive. When I arrived at the flat here at the orphanage there were so many ants- not by the thousands, but the millions. I had to kill them with Shumba, and sweep them up by the dustpan full. This is a sign of a very severe drought. In fact, it is so bad that I ended up washing my hands with milk, that I had brought!. The little rural hospital here is out of water so doing deliveries is risky, as well as trying to treat festering wounds, etc. The Lord must have impressed me to buy a few bottles of drinking water the day before!.A friend just left and has talked to the ruling board of the conference here and we can go to the camp-ground to get water. It is a ways, but it may be a good source as they managed to take care of the needs of the 25,000 at camp-meeting.
The hospital has pleaded with us to carry some bowsers of water for them. Where we recently sent a crew to dig down in the riverbed a distance of about 4 meters, that source has run dry as well. We did find one place 5km away which has some water, and will be using that as long as we can, but if that runs out--- There is one man, the counselor who has some water from his boreholes and says he will share, for a price! The leaves of our lemon and orange trees that we have nurtured for many months are shrivelling up.
Fed 150 or more pre-schoolers this a.m. Tomorrow there will be at least 144 more, since we are including first grade, and by Monday possibly grade 3 though I don't know how many will be who need nourishing. Have sent quite a bit more food with Sr. Saurombe for her feeding program.
Teachers are on strike-- our children were sent home yesterday except for a few of the higher grades. We hired another teacher here at the orphanage starting today. She has a small baby she'll have to bring, but the kids won't mind that!
We are upping our job skills training for the children. They have started sewing classes, and will be doing that. We are also teaching the boys domestic tasks which is foreign to their culture. Even assessing the weights of the children in the general population it is more girls than boys under-weight.
Two of our orphans need glasses, the first one child's glasses will cost $112. but not sure what the next will be. Poor little Solomon needs surgery for his hernia and undescended testicles. A friend just left and has talked to the ruling board of the conference here, I guess and say we can go to the camp-ground to get water. It is a ways, but it may be a good source as they managed to take care of the needs of the 25,000 at camp-meeting. When I got to the gate a few minutes ago was told that Dr. M had been looking for me, that it was an emergency. I had just arrived w ith an emergency of a baby that presented breach. The mother is very poor and doesn't even own a pair of shoes. I'm going to try to find her omething! --
The clutch on Big Blue is going out, and Martin is having the 4 new tires fitted. Much to do so will close.
Love,
Paula
