Forming relationships with the locals has been such a rewarding experience, the boundary of local to outsider was easy to bridge through their receptiveness. Despite everything there is such an air of positivity in the village. Movement is happening all around and the people, who truly are so warm, make everything much easier for us.
Significant progress had been made, and it was pleasing to see unhindered areas and pathways being formed. Yesterday morning seemed hopeless but, in fact, with everyone pulling together we can definitely achieve. Most of the people work quickly and passionately and moral has been lifted already, it helps for them to see that we are very willing to get our own hands dirty.
We distributed a few schoolbooks and pens to the mothers on our working team. It’s saddening to learn that many children cannot go to school without pens and books, and, of course, these items are not entirely robust enough to survive a few hours submerged in water. Certainly an area to focus on once we are more familiar.
A working boat was finally lifted and launched back onto the water today, a symbol of hope and progress for the village. This was perhaps the only boat saved from what was once a thriving fishing village.
