RAP, Care and Compassion in Blok-E, Visit with Daniel

(follow up - added after we returned)

Today we spent half the day with RAP (Rhenish AIDS Program) which is based in Rehoboth. They work in the outlying small communities around Rehoboth and do education and development work. Last week they also opened a new after school program office in Rehoboth. They are lead by Johnathan Van Wyk. We drove with Johnathan to two villages an hour south east of Rehoboth.

We visited a school in the first location and did crafts with one of the rooms. This was an old mining town and home to around 500 people. There were eight school rooms in the elementary school.

We drove a little farther down the road to another school run by the Rhenish church. We did more crafts in the school room behind the church. The church needs funding for a full time pastor. Currently a pastor comes from somewhere else every other week and opposite Sunday's are run by a few of the women.

There was also an abandoned garden project behind the church. The garden was looted and has since been abandoned. Johnathan is looking for resources to restart the project.

RAP was a very professional organization and I can see that they will make good changes in the community.

When we returned to Rehoboth we visited the afterschool program which looked like it was going to be a very good opportunity for many kids in the area. They tend to focus on those children they identify as most vulnerable.

After leaving RAP we returned to George and Anna Marie's. The aunties had just finished their care and compassion trip. We went back out with Anna Marie and autie Suzzette to visit with people in Blok-E. We spent some time with Daniel who was looking like a normal child compared with the photo I saw of him from last year. The only photo we have is a little blurry as I didn't want to use a flash. I don't know the whole story so I'll write what I think I know and try and correct it. Daniel's mother died last year soon after the team returned to the states. His grandmother has been taking care of him since that time. While we were there she was feeding him.