Day 7 24/02/25 (Liam)

Today we went to NVI to finish painting the roof, scraped the floors, bleached the floors (as well as my brand new shorts, which are no longer brand new). Also, we were measured for shirts….multiple times. I think we became part of a training exercise for the textiles students.

We went to CRO and saw the street children today. These kids do not have homes and spend their days on the street. They are offered an opportunity at CRO to change their future. It’s so surprising that some of them don’t right away. I guess these kids have never been able to rely on adults in their lives, so there needs to be trust built first. It’s such a brutal reality that they have to go through. However it is really good that they have somewhere they can go to for a cup of porridge and a chance to get off the streets.

It was so beautiful to see how happy they were with the balloons and bubbles. Back at home, when you get to a certain age, balloons are just balloons. But even the older kids were so joyful playing with them. We donated a parachute and despite our efforts to organize a game with it, they immediately came up with their own game. It was nice to see that after they were done playing with it, one of the kids picked it up and brought it over to put back in the bag. I was so taken aback by it all.

We finished the evening by having dinner with Joshua, who is an ex-NVI student with a successful bakery and cafe business. It was interesting to hear his story and his views on what makes someone successful.

Thanks, Liam