African Adventure Day 5

We survived the night! Now we know that the village is habitable once again, and we have just one more problems to solve before the villagers can move back in. 

The water we collected in our race yesterday was not clean enough to drink, so we needed to find a way of filtering it. We built our own filters using the stones on the beach and produced water which looked much cleaner.

The water source, however, was still a long way from the village, so we built a pipeline to transport the water directly into the village.

Finally, our task was complete. The final stage was to pass our collected water through a slow sand water filter. This works in a similar way to the filters we built on the beach, but is much more effective, producing water that is of drinkable quality.

We learnt that our attendance this week has benefited a real African community, with enough money being donated to Samaritan's Purse to pay for a water filter to be installed in an African village.

In the last ten years, the percentage of the global population with access to clean drinking water has risen from just 33% to approximately 90%. But there is still work to do. With 10% of the world still relying on dirty water supplies, that's 700 million people who still need our help.

Our challenge now is to continue to raise money to buy more water filters and support the work of the charities who are helping to eradicate this problem.

It has been an amazing adventure, but all good things must come to an end. As we head home to our families, we can reflect on all that we have achieved and the friendships we have built.

For the final time, this is Mosuwe, saying farewell.

African Adventure Day 4 (Part 2)

Yesterday afternoon we had some down time as we learned about the Masaai tribe. We had a go at our own shepherding, guiding our blindfolded 'sheep' around an obstacle course using just sounds and claps. 

In the large hut, we created strings of 'life beads' which tell the story of our lives from birth to the present day. Each bead was carefully chosen to represent a particular moment in our lives.

Evening was soon upon us, and it was time to showcase our talents around the campfire. What an array of interesting and varied acts we enjoyed!

Finally, the time came to play games, tell jokes and roast marshmallows on the fire, before our night staying in the African huts.

African Adventure Day 4 (Part 1)

One of the most difficult problems we had to solve was getting water to the village. We heard the story of Wesselina, a Malawian woman who has to travel for 3 miles every morning to the nearest well, then carry the dirty water she retrieved from it another three miles back to her home, the water bucket balanced on her head.

We undertook a walk along the cliff path and down onto the beach where we did some scavenging on the tide line.

Our walk was just over one-and-a-half miles, about a quarter of the distance that Wesselina travels daily, but in the hot morning sun, it felt far enough.

Once back at the site, we took some time to relax and prepare for this evening's talent show.

We then experienced what it is like for Wesselina carrying all that water on her head by racing in our teams to fill a barrel. This descended into a free-for-all waterfight in which Mr Mansell, Mrs Johnson and the African Adventure leaders got thoroughly soaked, along with all the children!

African Adventure Day 3

The challenges continue on day 3, as we experience what it would be like for our villagers to access medical support from their village. For many, the only source of medicine is via a mercy ship or a long walk to the nearest hospital. This could involve crossing narrow rope bridges, and this is exactly what we faced today. 

The journey would have been almost impossible to make alone, but working as a team made it much more manageable.

For some children, the journey to school is very different to our own, involving difficult climbs. We tested ourselves against the traversing wall to experience a moment in their lives.

Another of the problems we had to solve for the village was to bring back a food supply. We practised our archery skills to bring food back.

The afternoon involved some more orienteering, followed by a spot of free time on the beach.

This was followed by a special African dinner. This evening's activity involves trading crops and learning about the difficulties that many African countries face.

Lots more to do tomorrow. Bye for now.

Mosuwe.

African Adventure Day 2 (Part 2)

This afternoon, we cleared the minefield with some careful detecting, brushing and disarming, with only minimal loss of limbs!

The teachers were saved from an agonising death, when the medicine chests were found and delivered just in time.

Then came the important task of collecting firewood ready for Thursday's campfire.

After a delicious meal, we learnt how it might feel to be one of the many Africans who have lost their sight to mines, by completing an obstacle course blindfolded.

It has been a very busy day, and we are all very tired. We are looking forward to our beds and a good night's sleep, before the tasks ahead of us tomorrow.

Mosuwe signing off.

African Adventure Day 2 (Part 1)

Day 2, and another emergency has arisen. Three of the teachers are ill. Mr Mansell has ameobic dysentery, Mr Ngwenya has typhoid and Mrs Exton has been struck down with cholera! Thankfully the emergency relief team were able to diagnose their illnesses quickly and know exactly which medicines they need to make them feel better.

The doctor was called for, but due to a flash flood, his jeep was swept off the road. Luckily the key to the medicine box was attached to a life-buoy and was discovered floating in the nearby pool. A bridge will be needed to reach it though...

Meanwhile, the problems in the village still need solving. We began by trying to piece together what may have happened to the villagers. We discovered the remains of some temporary shelters near to the village, and decided to build our own to see if this might shed some light on their disappearance.

Next, we tried to figure out how to reach that key...

A collection of wood was swept onto the bank of the pool by the floodwater, and we lashed it together to form a rudimentary structure that would allow us to cross to the life-buoy. 

It took a great deal of teamwork to put the bridge together, but it supported the weight of every member of the team...

Even me!

The key was retrieved, but there is no sign of the medical box. Perhaps it will be found later.

Mosuwe.

African Adventure Day 1

What an exciting day we have had so far! We arrived here in Africa just after 9:15 this morning. Coming from three different organisations, we first needed to get to know one another and begin learning to work as a team. We took part in a series of team-building activities designed to get us thinking, listening and communicating.

From crossing a crocodile-infested swamp, to solving a maze, we were challenged to cooperate to be victorious.

We are here as an emergency relief team, but the exact cause of the emergency was still unclear. We needed to get our bearings, and understand the lay of the land, so we investigated the site through a series of orienteering and exploratory missions.

We toured the grounds where we found a large pond and a number of other unusual features.

To discover the source of the emergency, we finally entered the village and looked around the surrounding area. A minefield was cordoned off beside the huts, and not far away we discovered a graveyard.

It appeared that the villagers had deserted the village, following an attack by some soldiers some weeks earlier.

During a break, the United Nations dropped a box and key attached to a flag. Inside we found a DVD which explained further the challenges facing us in the days ahead. We have to solve a range of problems - more about this later.

We mapped the area around the village, so that we could easily find our way in the future.

This evening, after a spot of relaxation on the beach, we enjoyed a warming meal in our accommodation.

We have some fun planned for this evening - a quiz about Africa. Even emergency relief teams need a break!

Mosuwe signing off.

More information can be found at:
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http://helmingham.suffolk.sch.uk/category/news/

African Adventure Day 5 Update

We had solved all but one last problem: the water we collected for the village was not suitable for drinking. It was going to need to be filtered, but all we had was a bucket, some tin cans, a length of hosepipe and a piece of cloth! This problem nearly had us beaten, but with some clever engineering we managed to rig up a simple filter and began to clean our water. 

Although the results looked better than the water that went in, we still weren't keen on drinking it.

Thankfully, a charity, Samaritans' Purse, had the answer we were looking for: a slow sand water filter. This simple (and cheap) concrete box, with its layers of gravel, coarse and fine sand, was just what was needed to turn our dirty water into something drinkable.

We have completed the mission that we were sent here for. The village is now ready once more to hear the sounds of life.

Our week of hard work has paid off, and by attending this week, we have been able to provide a real family in Africa with a water filter and changed their lives for the better.

Our African Adventure is over, but as we return to our daily lives in Suffolk, we are much more aware of just how fortunate we are. And now we have a new task - to raise money for more water filters to help families all over Africa to have access to something we take for granted: clean water.

This is Mosuwe, for the last time, signing off.

African Adventure Day 5

We survived the night with no lion attacks, and now have our final task ahead of us: transporting water into the village and cleaning it to make it drinkable. 

African Adventure Day 4 Update

Yesterday afternoon we helped to bring livestock back to the village, using traditional Maasai herding techniques.

We enjoy our break times between activities, and have made good friends. Our teamwork extends into our free time too.

The highlight of the week has to have been the camp fire, which was full of fun, hilarity and talent.

This was followed by our night in the African Huts. See you in the morning.

Mosuwe, signing off.

African Adventure Day 4

We woke this morning to another beautiful day, and although we are feeling tired after our busy week, we were ready for more activities. One of the biggest problems we still have to solve is getting access to clean water for the villagers. We learnt about Wecelina Chalk and her family who have dug their own well, but still have a three mile walk to and from their home to fetch water, which is still contaminated. We set out on a walk of our own to see just how difficult a task she has.



Our walk took us along the cliff-top, and wound down to the beach where we undertook a scavenger hunt.

Upon our return (having walked a distance equal to just over a quarter of the total distance Wecelina has to cover daily), we competed to fill our water containers.

African Adventure Day 3

Today we set out to solve a number of problems facing the village. Firstly, we tried to understand how it would have felt for the villagers when the attack came and they had to escape into the wilderness. One of their immediate needs would have been to find shelter from the hot midday sun, and to keep them warm and dry during the cold nights. We sett about building our own shelters from natural materials we could find around us.

We then headed out onto the plains to hone our archery skills and begin to restock the village's food supplies in preparation for the villagers' return.

After a welcome break for lunch, we experienced the sort of journey that some African children have to face on a daily basis just to get to school. We traversed a 'cliff face' using the hand- and footholds we could find, even having to climb through difficult cracks in the rock and avoid poisonous snakes.



Our afternoon task was to collect firewood ready for our camp fire tomorrow.

Next, we took some quiet time to reflect on our lives. We produced strings of life beads as is the local tradition among many African tribes.

We are off to dinner shortly. We still have lots of work ahead of us tomorrow, but we are optimistic now that we will be able to save the village.

Mosuwe, signing off.