Shawna

Bonjour everyone!
I had to come to town to use the bank and do some shopping.
The internet is not working very well today but hopefully I will be able to write a bit before it shuts down.I had another meeting with the architect and the surveyor today and finally all is set for the digging of the foundation for the dorm area.I am still working on the furnishing and interior set up for the 3 classrooms and office that will be ready to receive the children before I leave in August. I have hired a wonderful local painter who will be doing a mural in on one wall of the classrooms. It will be a very cheerful environment for the children! We have 2 more students for our school. A beautiful 12 year old girl who is deaf and cannot speak. She is able to use some sign language.A 7 year old girl who is partially deaf and has some emotional problems, her mother has died recently and she lives with her grandfather.
Again, it is so wonderful to know that very soon these children will no longer suffer from neglect and will have a chance to learn all they can.
My little friend George who had a very nasty wound is doing amazingly well with the daily antibiotics. He will be able to join me to Kisumu for my birthday tomorrow. We share the same birthday and we always celebrate together. The plan is to go have lunch on a boat on the shore of lake Victoria. We will have sukuma and fresh fried talapia! A fanta for George and a beer for Mme B.! My sister gave me some birthday candles and I will be able to decorate a piece of ugali. He is very excited and so I am!
I have been busy going to the Sabatia eye hospital with a beautiful little 4 year old girl named Shawna. She is rapidly going blind as she was born with a malformation of both retinas and also needs cornea transplant in both eyes. The price quoted for the surgery was around $2,000.US dollars but after a lot of talking it was agreed that they would do the surgery if I give them a deposit for 20 thousand KS. which is the equivalent of around $340.US. Oh! La! La! Imagine this little girl will not go blind..... I have bought a bus ticket for her mother and father to travel with her to the hospital in Nairobi where she will get the surgery. They will leave for Nairobi on Thursday and hopefully she will be in surgery next week. I will keep you posted on her recovery.
My heart was very happy as I went to sleep last night but also sad as I know that so many more little ones need our assistance.Friday I will be at the government hospital in Kisumu with 7 of our little ones who need some medical attention. I will have a picnic with them on the hospital grounds as we will need to be there all day.
So between the school stuff; teas with the mamas; visits to the family of our children and hospital trips I am kept very busy. My day starts around 6am and usually ends around 10pm. My wonderful headlamp enables me to read and do paper work later than normally possible. I am doing well physically and the mouth ulcers I got last week are almost completely gone so is my eye infection. I was stung by a bug as I was riding a motorbike.
No Blog from Bradley today, our youngest team member as he was napping when I left the house. He is coming along for my birthday celebration and will have lots to say later on.
Missing everyone but I feel so lucky to be part of this adventure.
MmeB.