Meet the Parents
This week at Kiddies Corner we had our
first parents meeting. Yolisa, the principal of Kiddies, wanted to gather the
parents of the children in her crèche with GVI staff and volunteers to explain
to the parents what we’ve been doing with their kids every day and also have a
hygiene work shop to explain the importance of tooth brushing and hand washing
properly every day. The meeting was supposed to start at 4pm, but in African
time that meant starting at 5pm. As the parents eventually strolled in we
handed each of them a file filled with their child’s lessons from the entire
year so they could see what they’ve been learning in school.
It was heartwarming to see how carefully they turned each page and looked at
their child’s work with such awe. One of the mothers couldn’t speak English so
she pointed at the files and gave us thumbs up with a smile.
As part of our hygiene workshop we used one
of the volunteers for a hand washing demonstration. We covered his hands in
black paint, which represented germs, and gave him 20 seconds to wash as much
paint off of his hands as he could in a bucket of water. When he revealed his
hands after the 20 seconds, you could see a lot of paint residue still on his
hands, which showed how just dipping your hands in water is not effective for
cleaning hands. The parents really enjoyed the demonstration.
As the meeting was coming to an end,
several parents took turns standing up and saying a few words about our GVI
volunteers. They all said they were so grateful that we were there to teach
their children, what remarkable improvements they’ve seen with their English,
and how we are providing them with great opportunities. One mother said she
used to speak English around her kids when she didn’t want them to hear what
they were talking about, but now she can’t because they understand! It was
incredible to hear firsthand how much we are appreciated, especially since this
was the first time we’d had any interaction with the parents. It was an
unforgettable day and it reminded me that even if it doesn’t seem like we’re
making progress at the time, we really are making a difference.
Lydia Byun- Fish Hoek Educare Coordinator
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