Once again many of you have donated money to provide desks for the school and I have been busy painting your names on them. James walked into the village to round up some children for the photos which I will be sending you soon.

While I was sat in Lower Park painting, a very strange looking bird appeared. Then I remembered I was in Africa not Poynton and shouldn’t be surprised that there are creatures I don’t recognise especially with the swamp so close-by. Can anyone identify the bird? Maybe a challenge for the KS2 children at Lower Park School who are following my news?

Can anyone identify this bird that has moved into St James?

Your sponsorship of animals at St James has also been generous and will be put towards new animals as well as feeding and caring for those goats, pigs and chickens already living at St James and our cows that are looked after by a local man who moves them and other cattle in his care from one pasture to another. During long droughts he has to travel a long way to find food for the cows.

It is always difficult to know who is the most deserving for the clothes you give me as there are so many children in need here. So we decided that the children who came to help with the photos would be given a piece of clothing which is what we did. I hope you can spot one of yours! Two days running children turned up to help. I suspect the second day had something to do with seeing the others going through the village with their ‘new’ clothes!

On each day when it came to dishing out the clothes the children sat patiently waiting to be kitted out, no pushing and shoving. Don’t they look smart, especially the toddler in the front in the footy strip in one of the photos! He was being cared for by his six year old sister.

I wonder if you can spot your clothes! More photos to come in next up-date.

Asante sana Pam for the goat

Phiona enjoyed her letter form Molly in the UK

Phiona busy replying to Molly

My gang of little helpers

Friendship letters

Thank you for sponsoring a chicken

Clothes for my little helpers

Asante sana to the Thoms family for the pig

Best handwriting when I’m sat in Lower Park

Writing your names on the sponsored desks

Asante sana Duffy family USA for the desk

I had a few pairs of ‘slippers’ as they call sandals and flip-flops here too but of course there is never enough, my cases aren’t big enough! So many of the children are without footwear and although they run over the roughest ground without seeming to hurt themselves they have the constant threat of ‘jiggers’ eating into their feet causing pain and suffering and even disability.

I gave Phiona one of the children who helped me, a letter from six year old Molly in the UK. Phiona was thrilled with the letter and sat quietly and wrote a reply which you will get when I return home Molly. It was good to have children around even for just a short time as I have missed them.