Meeting the Orphans of Mansa

The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind of activity and emotion. Upon our arrival we were greeted with the angelic and rhythmic voices of about 30 of the kids singing to us. It brought tears to many of us.

Today we spent time introducing ourselves and getting to know the kids by having them make fun and colorful name tags as well as playing a dancing name game (courtesy of Rob). Both the younger children and teenagers joined in all the activities and were so happy to have our attention. They are a bit shy of using their English, yet their smiles speak volumes to us.

The day was marred with some sadness as one of boys in the orphan program died yesterday from maternal acquired AIDS. We walked processional style with the older children through the streets of Mansa to the home of the boys grandmother where many people were gathered to pay their respects. The children went inside and sang to the family gathered there mourning. We were brought seats of honor to sit outside the house and had the opportunity to pray with his grandmother (who is raising 6 of her grandchildren). All of the team members were deeply moved.

Tomorrow we have more actvities planned with the children and the painting project begins. We are all exhausted but excited to be with the children again tomorrow.