Just got home from trip number 24 to Justicia. This time I traveled with Melanie and it was a busy few days.
We started by visiting the sewing studio. Here we met Alec Mathebula, who had applied to Nosa for help to start a small carpentry workshop. We think the idea is very good and we have more than enough space to build on. We asked him to come back the next day with a drawing of how he thought it could be.
In the sewing room, only Beauty has worked since we reopened after the covid-19 pandemic. Now two new ones have arrived, Hazel Shabangu and Thandy Mathebula. Both are very skilled and we have great faith in them.
Suddenly a little boy came into the sewing room; it was Scelo whom I hadn’t seen for over 5 years. He used to come with his mother every year and get clothes. Scelo came to greet us with his sister Princess. He now goes to school and is 9 years old.
Outside the sewing room, Nosa’s new Vegetable Market has just been completed. Here, a person will be employed to sell the vegetables from Nosa’s Vegetable Garden.
On Thursday we drove to Mkhuhlu, the town where Welding, Mishack and Andy live. We were first at Cansas, a private school where Andy has been lucky enough to help with the school’s yearbook. In the first picture we see Moses who started the school 8 years ago. On the second; the school’s principal.
Afterwards we drove to Andy, who had just moved into his new house, exactly like the one Nosa built for Mishack two years ago.
On Friday we were in the Nosa Vegetable Garden which is led by Bishop Joseph. Here they grow, among other things, beetroot, chilli, onions, maize, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, watermelon and cabbage. They also make tomato jam which they will sell along with the vegetables at the Nosa Vegetable Market.
Trion Mkhonto also starts in the vegetable garden, he is very technically inclined and can be of great help.
Afterwards we met Alec again in the sewing room with Mr. Lubisi, who is the contractor who has built everything for Nosa. We agreed on how the carpentry workshop should be.
Then suddenly it was Saturday and our last day. We were at Joseph and Margareth’s church and distributed 100 kg of children’s clothes and stuffed animals. There were many happy mothers and small children.
This mango tree was a gift to me from Joseph on my 70th birthday, planted when we were there in February.
Welding joined us for lunch before we had to travel home.
We look forward to the continuation!