Report Card Day: NHA School - Kabala

Another year has come to a close at NHA School Kabala.  

And again the teachers, students, helpers and Administrators: James and Pa Foday have excelled beyond our expectation.    

James and NHA School teachers and staff 

James began sending individual photographs of the students as they received their report cards so that we could all see the proud students.  

There are upwards of 255 students and I emailed James back to tell him that I had enough photos of students with report cards and to send other pictures of the Year End School Festivities.  

James replied, "Mama, every student is anxious for those who make their school possible to see them get their Report Cards.  They all want you to know, I couldn't leave anyone out!" 

So today's blog will show some of the Students at the Nazareth House Apostolate School getting their report cards. 

 AND from now until I have posted all of them there will be a child featured in every blog posts until everyone has been shown.  

Each one of these children never fail to give thanks for their education 

and they are especially thankful that you cared enough to see that they have a school and the opportunity to learn.  

I hope that as you view each child you remember to say a special prayer for them, their teachers, James and Pa Foday.  

We thank you for your continued support.  You are giving these dear children the gift of education that lasts a lifetime.  Thank you. 

Donations can be made through the NHA Website at 

www.nazarethhouseap.org 

by using the Paypal Donation Button 

on the right side of the website 

or 

you can mail donations to 

Nazareth House Apostolate

185 Captains Cove Drive

Taylorsville, KY 40071 

United States of America 

Here a Worm, There a Worm! Everywhere a Worm, Worm! We want them to be Gone Gone

As James Mansaray and the family travel throughout villages of the upper Provinces of Sierra Leone,

they happen upon village after village of children infested with internal parasites: worms.

Lucy and Kadijah treat each child as they line up to be rid of their worms.

The living conditions can be unsanitary, it is impossible to prevent people in these area from getting worms.

Its not that the people are dirty.

They wash everything, themselves, their clothes, in many cases many times a day - and they use soap - lots of it.

Notice the child's belly (on right) enlarged with parasites

The problem is their water is not clean, the water they drink nor the water they wash in.  Their homes are made of mud, they have dirt floors.

We've been asked, "Why do you treat worms in children if you know they are going to get them again?"  The answer is simple.  If we don't, the worms will increase inside the body and devour what little nutrition the child gets.  There is no option than to treat - it is better to treat and rid the body of the worms and re-treat again later than to allow the parasites to progress so much they snuff out the child's life.

Thanks for the money for Worm Pills that you raised selling the blackberries that you picked, Savannah

Treating people with worms is not cheap.  It cost NHA $3 per pill.  It takes one pill to cure a mild case of pins worms.  Unfortunately, we rarely see mild cases and usually they have round, whip, or hook worms. These situations take 6 pills or $18 per case to cure.

Again, its the teamwork of NHA, the praying, the giving, the loving that gives these children a chance.   Keep up the good work! Share NHA with others so that they too may be a part of helping the poor today so that their tomorrow may be brighter.

Nazareth House Apostolate

2216 Goldsmith Lane

Louisville, KY 40218

www.nazarethhouseap.org

If the shoe fits, buy it in every color...

you bought shoes in USA,

NOW

they are wearing them in Sierra Leone

Once all the medications were given out at Kamasorie Village (we distributed to 3 villages that day), it was time to sort and give out the shoes. We had given out more shoes the day before at the Nazareth House Apostolate School in Kabala. Here we are today ready to give out more. We can't thank everyone enough for their participation in this collection drive. You did well!

The shoes were carried over to the area in which we would distribute them.

We had laid out a mat to keep the shiny new shoes perfectly clean

for their proud new owners. In a village where no-one gets anything brand new; everything - shoes, clothes, etc - is used (and most of the time not "gently" used but vigorously used), getting brand new shoes is a big deal. A very big deal.

Emily quickly initiates the task of sorting the shoes by sizes. Pa Foday, Kadijah and Mako begin opening the large black bags and boxes filled with shoes.

These are the very bags filled with shoes that they carried on their heads to reach the this village, hiking 4.8 miles.

My mischievous nature is sparked when seeing Emily sitting on the ground surrounded by shoes. I decide its time for a little fun.

I whisper to Mako about my plan and being the fun loving guy that he is, he quickly agrees to join in.

Poor Emily, she is a sitting duck to us

as we dump all the shoes directly on her.

Ever-practical Kadijah looks on.

I know what she is thinking, "no time to play kids, lots of work to be done". Being a hard working family, the Mansarays

appreciate the prank, but work is quickly resumed.

The shoes are sorted by size.

This is once again the "NHA Way of Individual", one on one attention

that is characteristic of Nazareth House. We never pull up in a truck, dump off supplies and leave. We work individually, building a relationship. As with the worm pills we take the time to administer each dose to each person. We fit each shoe on each child, making sure it fits the best it can. Oh sure, some shoes had growing room for some kids, we could not have 100% perfect fitting. But we came close.

As we continue to sort,

a line begins to form with anxious children.

Eventually the line

surrounds the building in which we are in front.

There are more and more children and adults,

all wanting new shoes. Finally the sorting is done

and we are ready to match the shoes to the feet.

Check back tomorrow to see the "fitting of the shoes".

Be a part of Nazareth House Apostolate, its not just an organization helping out others, its a family; sharing, laughing, loving together, doing the best we can for each other with what we have.

www.nazarethhouseap.org

Special note to James Mansaray from Mama Vicki:

Thank you James for documenting the work, the fun, the family. What a great photographer you are. I love you.