January Activities

So in January, Humanitarian Missionaries in Cape Verde generally do not sit inside warming themselves by the fire (although we did have some hot chocolate that our sons James Michael and Jack sent us!)  January is a delightful month in Cape Verde.  Cool (mid-70's) and dry.  The only downside is the Bruma-Seca that we have written about in previous posts.  Following are a few things that occupied our time in January 2018.

Disposable Diapers

The Diapers are Here!

Last summer we had an opportunity to request surplus disposable diapers that had been obtained for refugee services in Europe.  We ordered eight pallets and had them shipped to our good partner Nós Saude so that they can distribute them to the poor and needy.

So after many months, we heard a rumor that the diapers were in customs.  We hoped it was true.  Then many weeks later we got a call, “we have a truck full of diapers, where can we unload them?”  So we scrambled!!  Our partners at Nós Saude made themselves available and with the help of Elders Leuluai and Price in Achada Grande, as well as our translator, Nelson, we got them all stored at the Pilorinho community center.

Unloading Diapers at Pilorinho

Diapers Ready for Distribution

About 2 weeks later we were invited to an event organized by Nós Saude to distribute some of the diapers to families with children with micro encephalopathy, their mothers having contracted Zika during their pregnancy.  We were grateful to witness this sweet event, and to see these strong mothers.

Mother's Waiting Patiently

Dental Hygiene Kits

Nursing Students Finale

We were able to tie a small school dental hygiene kit project into our larger prison hygiene kit which is still “in the works”.  We took toothbrushes and toothpaste to a local school where nursing students did a wonderful presentation on how to take care of your teeth. It reminded me of the same training which I had received in elementary school in New Mexico in the 60’s.  This is important stuff!  Here are the children singing a little song after learning to brush their teeth.

Fogo Pig Project

Pusilga (Pig House) Repaired by Participants

We received approval for a pig project in Fogo with a small NGO named Agro-Norte.  Staring with 25 piglets, Agro-Norte will help 30 families in the Ponte Verde area of Fogo become more self-sufficient.   The families will help raise the pigs and by doing so gain knowledge and learn skills.  When the piglets mature, they will be bred and each of the 30 families will receive piglets of their own.  Agro-Norte will then start with another group of families.  Many of the initial families are lead by single mothers.

Happy to Be Home

Checking out the new place.

A Moment in Relief Society . . . 

President Sheila

This is a clandestine photo I took of our Relief Society president preparing to teach her lesson, and the lovely Bishop’s Wife, Sister Pires, sitting just in front of me on Sunday morning.  Our Relief Society President is in her early twenties and has a beautiful family, a husband and two children under the age of three.  She is valiant in loving and serving, and in leading, the Sisters.  Leading can be tricky here, and she is quite young, but she has us all stand and say the theme at the beginning of each meeting using cards she has prepared with the theme printed in beautiful colorful text.  She also brings a bright green and orange tablecloth and a matching vase with flowers to the meeting to put on a small table in the front.  I think she might carry these things, along with her babies, to church each Sunday.  There are very few ward members who have a car, the bishop does not.  It is rare to have a car.  There are places in our ward that it takes an hour of walking to reach the chapel, and yet families walk to meetings on Sunday faithfully, carrying their small children.






Ribeira Grande

We had a little adventure and drove to the village of Porto Mosquito in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, the least populated area of our island, and somewhat off the beaten path.  We found what people do for a living in Ribeira Grande......they fish.