We have three houses with an adjoining communal living room and kitchen for those girls who are learning to live independently. Unfortunately, these buildings were increasingly falling into disrepair so that an extensive renovation was necessary. The ceilings were coming down and the paint was peeling; screen doors were falling apart; the kitchen was in disrepair; the air flow of the rooms was inadequate in this warm climate; the bathrooms were too ugly for words; built-in water pipes burst one after the other and so on and so on.
We wanted to tackle this project once and for all and not fix some parts here and there. And we did, thanks to the full amount that we received in a short period of time from a few sponsors. The speed of the renovation did not equal the speed the money came in, because all in all the project took a long time. However, we have almost finished, the last bedroom is now being renovated and after that we’re done. The girls living here are enjoying their new living area every day. It looks nice, it’s light and spacious and very easy to clean.
Thank you so much, sponsors, we are very happy.
Although kitchenware is not one of our basic needs, we do need it to be able to prepare our meals. The kitchenware in all three family houses and in the independent living project urgently needed replacement. Due to cooking three times a day it wears out considerably. Many pots, pans, woks, chopping boards, knives, crockery and cutlery had all seen better days, so that some of them were no longer sanitary. We wanted to make the ‘mothers’ and the girls happy with new kitchenware and we could! The ‘mothers’ were very happy when we told them about a special donation we received to buy new kitchenware. An appointment was made enthusiastically for one ‘mother’ per family to go shopping. They are now making use of the new equipment. Thanks, dear sponsors.
Each house had a television stand in the living room. Trouble is that the wooden, veneer cabinets were in a bad state due to old age and weather conditions (humidity, heat and drought) in particular. They were unsightly, we could not clean them properly anymore and some of them almost fell apart. High time to replace them.
Doors in your house are for entering or leaving your home, but they also protect you from weather influences and they are useful when you are out or want to sleep. When these doors fail to function, they really need to be replaced. Two family houses had aluminium sliding doors which we thought were unbreakable but were broken anyway. They were old and they have been repaired many times, but that was no longer possible.
How nice to have a washing machine at home and not be depending on others anymore. The grown-up girls who are living independently are very grateful for the donation of the washing machine. They happily deal with their laundry now and no longer have to lug huge baskets or bags full of laundry around to wash elsewhere.
Repairing clothes, making a tablecloth or teaching the girls how to sew is something a number of our ‘mothers’ like to do and know how to do well. A while ago we were able to buy one new sewing machine which we are very happy with, but we are so happy that we were able to buy a second sewing machine thanks to a donation especially for this purpose, because with three families on two different sites it is practical to have one on each site. The mothers really want to teach the girls how to sew, even if it’s only the basics, so they can manage over time. Maybe some girls like sewing so much they want to pursue it. You never know.
