After a couple months of temporary suspension of normal activities due to COVID-19 restrictions, all of our staff returned to work in the beginning of July.
For the school staff in particular, this has meant getting creative. The government has announced that schools will open on August 10th. This will be a continuation of the 2019-2020 school year, after a break of a few months. The school staff has dedicated their time in July to evaluate and adjust their pedagogical plans, as well as to reintigrate the students. They are working with the students in small study groups to help them get caught up and reacclimated to the classroom environment.
Although nothing is definite yet, it is anticipated that schools will have August-October to wrap up the 2019-2020 school year, with the 2020-2021 school year possibly starting in November. This means that the school administration has their work cut out for them, not only wrapping up one crazy year in three months, but planning as well for the opening of the next!
The cafeteria staff have returned to the kitchen.
In addtion to tree planting (due to recent rains), the Development staff continues with various small projects and initiatives to support local farmers and families and help the community continue developing.
After a first round of repairs to the chapel building, Kerby, Bos Odes, and Almais are checking out some spots that still need work.
The development staff have been supporting this group of families--whose situation is particularly vulnerable--in cleaning out the thorns and underbrush around their homes and in constructing a water cistern.
Development staff, school staff, and community members alike joined forces to put up a chainlink fence around a piece of property intended for a future clinic!
Men with temporary jobs have been arranging the clinic land into water catching tiers. They have also planted a lot of trees.
The people of our community have long been yearning for a good clinic in this area. The full realization of that may still be a good way off, but we have taken the first steps!