Lebenschule

Last Thursday we were invited to a Braai at Lebenschule - we took a salad which surprisingly all went - they say that if you are a vegetarian when you arrive in Rehoboth you won't be for long and for the meat eating locals chicken and fish are regarded as vegetables. Lebenschule continues to be quite a challenge for Ruth - since Wednesday last week the number of children coming has risen from seven to 20+. Many of them would really benefit from one on one but there is neither space nor staff for that. Most of the children arrive in a combi (minbus) anytime between 8:15 and 9:15 and then the driver goes back for a second load, taking at least one member of staff(!) with him. There isn't really any routine although generally they eat when they first arrive, if the porridge is ready. On a good day the first lot get fed, cleaned up, and settled with an activity before the second lot arrive. After second breakfast the rough idea is that those that are wheelchair bound (not that they have wheelchairs they just get carried!) and those who are the most handicapped/disabled go in to the outside shelter and the others stay inside and do some sort of planned activity. A little physio takes place outside and the more difficult children are contained and encouraged to play in the sand. If Ruth has any energy left after that then they try to do some action songs etc. Language is a real problem, quite a few of the kids can't talk, so just make noises, those that can, only speak their mother tongue, so either Afrikaans or Nama. Kathy has a fair amount of English, the 2 usual volunteers have a few words between them and Steph (a girl from Canada, AIM) and Ruth have about 6 words of Afrikaans each!!! They have to rely on tone of voice a lot but they're not sure the kids who are severly autistic or brain damaged even notice. Most days it is not quite as negative as this sounds, but there are huge challenges and inevitably lack of money is one of the big ones. Lebenschule does not receive any official funding and so the staff are all volunteers and resources are meagre.