20 months! Doesn't that sound all so grown up! A very dear friend of mine gave birth to a beautiful baby boy this month and its just made me realise how far Little Owl has come from those hazy new born days, she's definitely not a baby anymore!
Teeth
After bobbing up and down for a few weeks, I'm pretty sure all four canines have finally broken through!
Signs and Speech
Little Owl's communication is coming on brilliantly. When she first started signing, it was all about immediate wants, it then moved on to things she was observing such as passing seagulls and dogs. But now it has progressed onto her telling me about things that have happened in the past. A couple of weeks ago I got home from work and she couldn't wait to tell me that Granddad had been to visit, that the cats were outside and that she had eaten all the snacks in her pot!
What's new? Little Owl is down to 4 floats at swimming!!! However, she is struggling a bit with that so I don't see us dropping any more any time soon, especially with the Christmas break but hopefully we will be swimming daily in India so we can catch up!
Little Owl has also started reacting to CBeebies - she'll get up and dance when they play the music in Show Me Show Me and even copies the moves on Carrie and David's Pop Shop!
Finally, Little Owl is getting better control of her fork and insists on holding a knife too, pointing the tip of it to the food her fork is on - it looks like she is using it properly but she doesn't understand that we cut with it!
So here's my last knitting post of the year and I really hoped to have a finished jumper to show off but I'm afraid an Angel costume got in the way of those plans.
I managed to get the final sleeve finished before the Angel crisis hit and my mother-in-law translated the finishing instructions for me - it was only then that I spotted the instructions in English were on the next page! I had thought they were for the next pattern, but once I knew the translation I realised they were for this jumper!
The instructions said I had to pick up the stitches at the neck with the dark green wool but then purl the first row in the orange. I had only ever picked up stitches before by kinda tugging at the knitting and creating loops but seeing as I had to pick them up in a different colour I figured that this wasn't the 'proper' way of doing things!
I dug out my knitters handbook, looked at the various methods (none of which included 'kinda tugging') and decided on using the crochet hook method where I poked the hook through the knitting and pulled the dark green wool back through and then threading it onto a knitting needle. The neck was then knitted on a round needle which I quite enjoyed and was ever so excited when it was finished and I could cast off.
IT DOESN'T FIT OVER HER HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So near and yet so far... could cry but I am so tired, I must admit I swore... maybe next week eh?
Twas' the night before Christmas, well, not quite, it was actually the Sunday before Christmas and I was doing some last shopping of presents before the next day of wrapping, when I received a text from Papa Owl telling me that Little Owl needed an Angel costume for Christmas Eve!
Arrrrgggggghhhhhh!
I'd love to say that by the 22nd December everything was ready for Christmas, that by Christmas Eve I could spend the day watching Christmas movies, but I had suspicions I would be up to the wee hours finishing off the last little bits. I'd love to say I was the type of mum that could just whip up a costume in the beat of a heart, but I fear I more like my own mother where this sort of crisis is best solved by spending money on a costume someone else has made!
But it just so happened that I was in a shop that sold, well, everything, or nearly everything. I had a hunt about and found their Christmas costumes - a snowman and a Christmas tree... wasn't sure how well that would go down in a church nativity... so what I bought instead was a metre of white satin and a ball of wool that looked like tinsel but was much softer. I also happened to bump into a friend who when I explained my crisis, sketched a little diagram on a bit of paper for me.
A year ago, when Papa Owl gave me a sewing machine, I had never ever used one. I've had a few lessons at The Owl and Sewing Cat this year, and have made a few cushions single handed too. But clothing... this is way beyond me!
Now I'm sure anyone with any experience can look at this and tell me where I went wrong, and I can see now that it was just too tight across the chest, so I ended up undoing it under the arms. The wool needed finger knitting it to make it thick enough but with wings borrowed from another friend, in the end I was delighted with the result!
Don't you hate it when Christmas shopping gets in the way of knitting?!!! I am a committed internet shopper, which means its an evening task for when Little Owl is in bed. I only started my shopping on Monday and with a carol service on Wednesday evening, there hasn't been much time for knitting!
So here is the second sleeve, not quite finished. Am I going to reach my goal of completing this jumper by Christmas? I feel so close but with a tree to decorate and presents to wrap I'm not feeling that confident!
Oh, and a pattern still to translate...
So how is everyone else getting on? If you take a peek over at Toby Goes Bananas you'll not only see a completed elf hat, but a rather cute Toby modelling it!
Don't forget to pop back next week to see if the jumper makes it under the tree!
Gosh - doesn't that sound close? But with a week until the jolly red man drops down the chimney its really taken a back seat at the moment!
The important thing is that we now have our Indian Visas - actually, in the end I was really impressed with the service - I posted our passports off on the Tuesday and they were back in my hand on Saturday!
I've also started to gather a few little bits together that I want to take.
I know what you are thinking... that's not a lot for 10 days away with a toddler huh? But these are a few bits that I don't want to forget!
The yellow packet contains disposable bibs that I got given as a freebie when Little Owl was small... I've never tried them as, well, I don't often use disposable nappies or wipes but I figured as I have them, then I might as well use them.
Several people have recommended that I take plasters instead of stickers on the plane so Little Owl can stick and re-stick without getting them permanently stuck to the plane!
The earplugs I got for Bonfire as Little Owl refused to wear her ear defenders this year! She seemed quite happy to have them in her ears so worth a go!
Finally my bling! There will be one night where we put on our new saris (yup - going to buy another one) and dress up in our finest to enjoy a traditional Maharashtrian dinner. This will be the first time I have visited India since I got married and am looking forward to being able to wear my Mangal Sutra. My trefoil earrings are also for this evening, they don't come out often as they are very 'geeky girl guide' but they have fond memories for me, I bought them in Taxco, Mexico when I spent a summer volunteering at Our Cabana.
So um... that's it! Think I'm going to be panic stations in the new year - particularly as I might have a new job or two!
I'm a bit nervous to type this... so come closer and I'll whisper...
Little Owl is sleeping all night!
Shhhhhhhh.....
Its not every night, but its happened enough to not be a one off...
Her best night was 13 hours - 7pm until 8am! Although we're not actually sure what time she is waking because the real magical bit is that when she wakes in the morning, she plays with her toys in her cot instead of calling Mama MamaMAMA!!!
Little Owl did follow this mammoth sleepathon by waking the following night at 11pm and refusing to go back to sleep until gone 1, then up again at 5... so we're not out of the woods yet...
But there is, just a glimmer of hope on the horizon!
Christmas is slowly beginning to make an appearance in the Owl household... The decorations have come down from the loft, the tree has been bought, and a holly wreath has appeared on the front door thanks to Papa Owl! He took some photos and has put together this guide to making your own wreath.
Stage 1 Cut yourself some leylandii and some holly from your garden. It's good to get a mixture of ordinary and variegated holly to give some contrast in your wreath. You will also need a wire florists ring, a ball of garden string, some florists red berries, florists wire, ribbon and a pair of secateurs.
Stage 2 Attach one end of your string to your wire ring. Take a good handful of leylandii and tie it onto the ring.
Stage 3 Continue wrapping your first handful of leylandii until you there is about 4cm left. Take another handful of leylandii, tuck the twiggy ends under your first bunch and carry on wrapping, keeping the string really nice and tight.
Stage 4 Carry on doing this until you have completed your ring. Tie the string off to the wire ring and cut. Now take your secateurs and trim your wreath to get rid of any loose bits of leylandii sticking out. Be careful not to cut your string.
Stage 5 Cut your holly into lengths of about 10cms at an angle. You can now start to stick them into your wreath.
Stage 6 Continue placing the various types of holly into your wreath, until you can no longer see the leylandii. It is useful to look at your wreath from a distance to see how balanced it is.
Stage 7 It is best not to use natural holly berries as they can attract birds who will subsequently eat them and make a mess on your door! The florists berries are easy to get hold of and don't lead to the same side effects! Take a couple of berries and twist them together, wrap a piece of florists wire around them and use that to stick into the leylandii.
Stage 8 Make yourself a bow with the ribbon. There are many ways of doing this, let your imagination run free. Again use the florists wire to attach to your wreath.
Stage 9 Make a loop out of the florists wire and attached to the back of your ring which can be used to hang your wreath from your door.
Many thanks to Papa Owl for kick starting our Christmas decorations off... really must get around to buying some presents soon!
It feels like I have made loads of progress on the jumper this week.
I finally untangled the great big knot that I had last week and have managed to complete a sleeve!
And made a start on the second one!
It feels like the end is near... and so I glanced to the end of the pattern to see what was next and....
Nothing.
The sleeves are the last bit on there.
On the English version at least.
The other 3 languages have 'finishing' or 'assembling' instructions at the end... so part of the challenge this week is to translate the German, French and Dutch instructions to see how to finish the jumper! Its not just a case of sewing it together, I will need to pick up stitches and knit on the neck... I have a pretty good idea from the picture in the pattern book but would rather know for sure!
I feel so near and yet so far!
So how are your knitting projects going this week?
Take a look on TobyGoesBananas to see if Sarah has managed to finish the elf hat in time!
Also joining in on the knitting fun is the lovely Kerrie from Wife, Mum, Student Bum who has been knitting scarves for her family... if only they didn't leave them at school!
If you are a blogger and have posted about a knitting project recently, leave a link below and I'll include you in next week's post!
Recently my old man reached 70, an achievement we felt couldn't go unmarked and so the clan decided to gather! My parents still live in the house where we grew up, which while plenty big enough for them, my two brothers and I, it doesn't have enough beds now we all have partners and there are four grand kids in tow. Oh, and not forgetting a dog!
So the search began to find somewhere that could house eight adults and four kids and that's when we came across Brooklands Barn. It looked perfect, not only did it have more than enough beds - it even had a swimming pool!
Brooklands Barn is located just outside Arundel in West Sussex. The complex itself has 3 separate apartments which can be hired individually, the smallest of which would be perfect for a small family or even just a couple. We hired the larges apartment called the Barn and Greystones, one of the smaller apartments.
Papa Owl and I were the first to arrive, the sun had just set and it was a very cold November evening. While delighted to see it was a traditional Sussex barn, I was worried that the large windows taking up a good proportion of the walls on either side, would mean it would be quite chill inside. However, my fears were unfounded as the Barn was toasty warm when we entered!
The ground floor of the barn is a large open space which proved perfect for our family gathering. The open plan kitchen was spacious and had everything you could need - although another large saucepan might have been helpful. The dining table was big enough for us all to sit together even though there wasn't enough beds in the main barn for us all. On the Saturday evening we hired in a chef who was recommend by the owners. It was a lovely way for us to be able to celebrate together, no one had to cook, but meanwhile, we didn't have to worry about Little Owl practicing her vocal chords in a restaurant! Actually, this was when the open plan living space was brilliant. The kids had their main course while we tucked into the starter and then they took themselves off to the other end of the room to watch X Factor! Little Owl thought it was brilliant to be with her cousins but also able to wander back to me and have a bit more to eat!
The upstairs of the barn was equally spacious, with another seating area on the mezzanine floor and four double bedrooms with ensuite, two of which could also be arranged as twin rooms.
The second apartment we had was called Graystone and was accessed across a courtyard. We were lucky with the weather, that although it was cold, it was dry. Even so, I'm glad we decided to keep the kids in the main barn! Graystones was much smaller then the barn, but it was equally as beautiful with 3 double bedrooms and its own kitchen/living space.
All three apartments faced into a central courtyard, but they also faced out to the beautiful Sussex countryside with outside seating in their own private areas. The above was a secluded courtyard behind the Barn. As well as this table, there was another that would seat at least 10. I can imagine it would be perfect in the summer. You can just make out the table in the picture below.
Looking at this photo just makes me want to go back to Brooklands in the summer! The building to the right houses the swimming pool. Despite the cold November weather, the pool was toasty warm. Little Owl and her cousins loved splashing around in there, and the adults had some fun as well! There was a shower room too so you could get changed before going back to the Barn. It really did make the icing on the cake!
Arundel itself is less than a mile away which makes it walking distance in my book! It was a little bit sticky in the mud but a lovely walk by the river. However there is plenty of parking in Arundel if you would prefer to drive in. Yes that is a castle and a cathedral you can see! Arundel also has a train station with trains running direct to London which makes it easily accessible.
It was a fantastic weekend. Its not often our family all get together like this - in fact it was the first time Little Owl had met one of her Uncles as he lives in Australia. Brooklands Barn was the perfect setting for us all and we hope to go back one day!
The back is finished at last! After a couple of false starts,
I have finally finished the back of the jumper.
So now its onto the sleeves. I had hoped to knit both simultaneously like I did with the legwarmers but I only have one ball of orange and one ball of yellow. But I have made a start on the first sleeve...
I would have got further but the light green ball got itself in a bit of a knot,
and I have spent the last 2 nights trying to untangle it!
With hindsight I should have just cut the yarn and start again...
Meanwhile....
Over on Toby Goes Bananas, Sarah has nearly finished his elf hat! Pop on over and take a look!
Indian bureaucracy is second to none and I was first introduced to it back in 2002 when I applied for my first visa. I was fresh of a plane from Mexico, suntanned and jet lagged, facing a 9 day turn around to get myself a flight, visa and bags repacked for 7 months in India. I had been given some advice on which visa I should be applying for and an accompanying letter to support my application. However the visa I was told to get, didn't appear to exist and the letter contradicted itself and didn't leave me with much confidence!
I headed to India House, just off The Strand to see what I could do. I went to the ticket counter on the outside, was issued my ticket (think it was pink and a bit like a deli ticket) which meant I was to go upstairs to apply for my visa. I remember a large room with dark wooden counters on two sides, somewhat reminiscent of an old fashioned Post Office and lots of seats.
I waited my turn, my number was called and I approached the desk and handed over my passport and visa form. Having got up early to get the train to London, my jet lagged fuggled brain wasn't thinking clearly. I was answering the questions asked but not adding any additional information, I was thinking in straight lines. My Mum sat in a chair behind me, could tell things weren't going well. She had been watching everyone take their turn at the desk, observing the process and could tell something wasn't right. She leapt to my side and said "have you given them the letter?" "What letter?" said the lady behind the counter and I passed over the letter. Apparently that changed everything and I was told to go into the waiting room.
The waiting room was off to the side, a smaller square room at the back of the building with a window overlooking a courtyard at the back where I was to wait until my name was called (no longer a number). Looking out over the courtyard, things took a surreal turn - my mother announced "I've been here before". Apparently, in the 60s she had attended a Traction Rally Annual Dinner on The Strand with my father. This courtyard had seemed a good place to park until they returned to their car in the early hours to find it had been blocked in. They were left with no choice but to knock on the door and ask for someone to move the car... the story goes that the door was opened by an Indian man in his pyjamas wearing a turban who was none too impressed.
I had images in my mind that my mother would be recognised some 40 years later and my application turned down but to my surprise, my name was called and I had been granted a visa that did not exist!
Today it is slightly different. The visa process has been outsourced to an agency and so it is easier to apply on line. There were some slightly confusing questions, especially for Little Owl but once I had worked out that her education status was "below matriculation" and I entered her occupation as "other" and specified "child" it was then just a case of plugging away at it. To support Little Owl's application, Papa Owl and I had to write a letter to the High Commissioner of India to give our consent for her trip to India. For my application I had to check with my parents where they were both born as well as with Papa Owl. I also had to list the countries I had visited in the last 10 years... but the box wasn't big enough!
All that was left to do was to get our photos taken -
put it in the post and keep our fingers crossed that our passports will be returned before the Christmas postal rush!
Today's young people are the first generation
that has never known a world without HIV and AIDS. In Ethiopia, where more than
half of the population is under the age of 24, cultural attitudes among the
older generation towards sexual health issues are making it difficult for young
people to arm themselves with the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe.
But one enterprising group of youngsters in Addis
Ababa, the BEZA Anti-AIDS youth group, are determined to use their combined
talents for music and dance to get messages about HIV prevention across to the
public and their peers. Members of the youth group, all aged between 15 and 20,
have founded a dance troupe called Addis Beza, meaning “to live for others”.
The troupe perform regularly in popular public spots around Addis Ababa, using
the occasion to hand out information leaflets and to encourage people to get
tested for HIV free of charge so that they know their status and can be treated
accordingly.
The mobile testing clinics are organised by the
Organization for Social Services for AIDS (OSSA), Ethiopia’s largest NGO
working on HIV, and attract up to a thousand people over the course of five
days. If somebody is found to be HIV positive, they are then referred on to a
local health facility for access to treatment, care and support.
At the youth club centre, as well as training
long hours to learn dance moves, members take it in turns to offer a drop in
counselling service for young people and to give out free condoms.
Habtegoregies Hailu, better known as Habte, is the club’s chairman, and is
determined to help them navigate through their teenage years.
“We’re going to save ourselves first, and then
become a shelter for others who need protection,” he says. “This is the start
not the end for us, helping protect young people from HIV.”
The
Youth Group’s Debates
The club’s regular debate session is always well
attended by members and this month’s topic - what is the right age to start
having sex – drew quite a crowd. At these debates, opinion is often fiercely
divided, but everybody gets the chance to express their view.
Club chairman Habte’s offering sees him open up
the floor to personal opinion and thought. “How much control we do we have over
ourselves, over our bodies? Marriage is not necessarily a timetable for having
sex. It’s ok to experience, but we must be careful. It’s ok to jump in and
enjoy life but do we take responsibility for our actions? Enjoy life but go and
get information on how to enjoy it responsibly and carefully.”
Charismatic troupe leader Samson, 17, had this to
say: “We have to have sex, we strongly have to. Because the Bible says to be
reproductive – so we have to fulfil God’s word and use our body.What is it for otherwise?”
Wendimagegne is more hesitant: “I’m waiting until
marriage, because otherwise we won’t be able to handle the consequences. We’re
not knowledgeable enough at 16.”
Samson
and his story
Samson is typical of the kind of young person
that the club aims to attract. Now a model student taking an evening class in
hotel management, he was once branded a troublemaker and had a history of petty
stealing. Brought up by his grandmother, his father died when he was a baby and
he has no real knowledge of his mother. Remembering when he was younger, he
says: “We got into fights with gangs from other villages and had problems with
the police.”
Samson
standing in front of a mobile HIV-testing clinic
“I feel I have benefitted greatly from joining
Addis Beza,” he continues. “The main benefit is a change in my life. Although I
joined for the dance troupe, I’ve learnt lots of things. I did not have
self-awareness until now and it has helped me to teach other people what I have
learned. There is a big difference between the old me and the new me.”
Samson has seen first hand the tragedy that HIV
can hold for young people if they do not have the knowledge they need to
understand how to manage the virus. His friend Abel took his own life on
discovering that he was positive, too frightened to reveal his diagnosis to his
family for fear of being rejected.
“If you catch HIV it means that everyone will
discriminate against you,” Samson says.“People will think that you can’t live with anyone, that it is an alien
disease. [Before joining the youth group] the opinion I had is that it’s not even
possible to eat together.Our families
used to say that it's a punishment from God.”
“I did not have any knowledge and didn't know its
methods of transmission, but I have learned to practise safe sex, when I should
start having sex, what I need to do after sex if a woman gets pregnant.”
With young people aged 15-24 accounting for 40%
of new HIV infections globally, Samson and his fellow dancers are playing their
part as duty bearing citizens. “I want to make Ethiopian culture known to the
world,” he says proudly.“Here we say
that we want to be the light for others.”
Ethiopia is one of five countries currently being
targeted by the Alliance and its partners through Link Up, an initiative that
aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of more than one
million young people living with and affected by HIV.
Over the course of the next three years, Link Up
will reach more than one million young people aged 15-24 by implementing
tailored HIV and sexual and reproductive health interventions to increase
uptake and access to services and reduce unintended pregnancies, new HIV
infections and HIV-related maternal mortality. In Ethiopia the initiative aims
to reach 140,000 young people to improve their sexual health.
What
can you do to help?
Show your support to Addis Beza, the Link Up
programme and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance by:
Sharing the dance troupe’s story on Twitter and on Facebook) #LinkUp
Keeping up to date with the work being carried out through Link Up at www.link-up.org
Follow the International HIV/AIDS Alliance on
Twitter @theaidsalliance and on Facebook
Thank you for taking the time to
read about Addis BEZA today. It means a lot to everyone involved in this
project.
Momina is a 22 year old single mother of two who lives in the
city of Adama in central Ethiopia and was diagnosed as living with HIV three
years ago. Although she wears a smile, sadness is etched across her face when
she talks about her younger son, Yerosa. Born HIV positive, he is now three but
Momina knows very little of his life save for the occasional photos she is sent
by the American family who adopted him. Momina took the agonising decision to
give him up for adoption in the hope that he would be able to receive medical
treatment.
In telling her story today, Momina hopes that she might help
other young women just like her, to know how they can protect themselves from
contracting HIV and get the care and support they need through projects like Link Up being led
by the International
HIV/AIDS Alliance.
Momina’s
Story
When Momima was a teenager, she left her family home as she
was afraid that her parents would marry her off to an older man as they did
with her older sister - who later died of AIDS. After falling pregnant with her
first child Rapira, and without the support of her parents, she was forced to
move from community to community, taking temporary jobs where she could, to try
to provide food and shelter for her son.
“I don’t
want my child to starve or get hurt,” says Momina.
“There are
times when I feed my child and I do not eat at all. I sometimes come home late
from work, there are times when I wake him up and feed him because I don’t want
him to sleep on an empty belly.”
Without life being tough enough already, three years ago
Momina was diagnosed as living with HIV. At that time she had no idea that she
was pregnant and subsequently she was not able to receive the treatment needed
to protect her unborn child from onward transmission of the virus. When her
youngest son, Yerosa was just four months old, Momina learned that he was HIV
positive and took the agonising decision to give him up to a family in the US
with the hope that he would receive the medical care he needed.
“I
convinced myself that it’s better to see my child well. If he had not been
seriously ill, I would have not given him away. I would have fought until the
end. I am praying for him to be well wherever he is.”
Living with
HIV
Determined not to be defined by her HIV status, even when her
own mother will not allow her into her family home for fear that she might
infect her siblings, Momina remains candid about her condition with friends and
colleagues. But in a country where HIV stigma and discrimination still prevail,
her openness sometimes costs her and she is presently between jobs.
“I do not
let myself down because I live with HIV and have my own objectives.”
“I want to
continue my education and qualify as a nurse. I have always had a passion and
love for the profession and I want to serve people like me, people living with
the virus. I would be happy if I could do that. My biggest aim is to get
educated, get a job and live my own life but at the same time I don’t want to
cry over split milk”
Momina is assisted with access to HIV treatment and care by
Ethiopia’s largest NGO working on HIV, the Organization for Social Services for
AIDS (OSSA), who in turn is supported by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance.
Every fortnight she attends a support group meeting organised by OSSA where she
and other members of her community living with HIV meet to share their
experiences.
OSSA have also helped contribute to her son Rapira’s annual
school fee. Momina is determined to see that he gets a good education.
“I wish for
him something much greater than I had,” she says with feeling.
“I hope he
can go all the way and graduate which I was unable to do.”
In another world, life for Momina and her family could have
turned out so very differently. If she had known how to protect herself against
HIV. If she had gone through proper antenatal care when she was pregnant with
Yerosa. If she had not felt compelled to run away from home for fear of early
marriage. If she was able to work freely without worrying about becoming a
target for discrimination.
“I would
like people to see me a strong person,” she smiles. “I know that there is
strength in me; I got that strength from the life I have had. I want young
people of my age to be strong and to have the strength to face and overcome
challenges.”
The International
HIV/AIDS Alliance and Link Up
Ethiopia is one of five countries currently being targeted by
the Alliance and its partners through Link Up, an initiative that aims to
improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of more than one million young
people living with and affected by HIV.
Over the course of the next three years, Link Up will reach
more than one million young people aged 15-24 by implementing tailored HIV and
sexual and reproductive health interventions to increase uptake and access to
services and reduce unintended pregnancies, new HIV infections and HIV-related
maternal mortality. In Ethiopia the initiative aims to reach 140,000 young
people to improve their sexual health.
What can
you do to help?
Show your support to Momina, Link Up and the International
HIV/AIDS Alliance by:
Sharing Momina’s story on Twitter and Facebook #LinkUp
Keeping up to date with the work being carried out through Link Up at www.link-up.org
Follow the International HIV/AIDS Alliance on Twitter
@theaidsalliance and on Facebook
Thank you for taking the time to
read Momina’s story today. It means a lot to everyone involved in this project.
Guest blog post by Battenhall, 22 November 2013 Photo credits: Benjamin Chesterton\duckrabbit\International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Aids is something we have heard talk about for many years, but for most of us in the UK, the nearest we have knowingly come to it in our lives was watching Mark Fowler in Eastenders - but that's been over 10 years now!
Back in 2010, I was ask to take a group of Senior Section girls aged 14-17 to South Africa. Its was part of the centenary celebrations of Girl Guiding, and 100 members from London and the South East travelled to South Africa over the summer and between us we built a house for a local family in the Kwa Zulu Natal area just north of Durban. The materials for the house were paid for by fundraising in the UK, all the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides helped.
We were helped in our quest by an organisation called Gods Golden Acre. They describe their work as "Supporting and caring for orphaned and vulnerable children whose lives have been devastated as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, poverty and violence." You see, its not just those living with HIV who are affected, its their families too. Gods Golden Acre recognises this, and doesn't differentiate when it comes to helping those in need.
In recognition of this year's World Aid's Day, I have been asked to host two guest posts by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. I hope you stop by to read them.
The first is Momina's Story, a young brave woman and mother who has had to make enormous sacrifices in order to provide the best for her children.
The second is the upbeat story of a dance troupe called Addis Beza who are using their youthful energy to create a safe environment for HIV to be discussed. Its a happy story.
