Hlapa Diatla! (Wash your Hands!)

Part of our PST charge was to put on community health events in our respective villages. The Sekgakgapeng group decided to put together a hand washing hygiene fun day (I know, hygiene and fun in the same sentence) for OVCs (orphans and vulnerable children) at a local Red Cross drop-in center. Part of the motivation was seeing so many children in the village with ceaselessly cascading countenances and comprehending the collective congestion of constant common colds (alliterative antagonists...go away).

We made stations where the kids could learn about nutrition, how to wash their hands, and when to do it. We also had a song, led by Lebo, one of the Sepedi teachers, who was brilliant and has since gone on to a life of acting in South African soapies. I can't wait until the first episode premiers. We also had two traditional dance crews come to provide some entertainment. Now, education and dance are all well and good, and the kids learned lots and blah blah blah, but I figured we needed something a little more, well, freaking awesome.

I had seen painted signs around for jump castles, and upon inquiry my greatest dreams were at hand. For a mere R250 (~$35) we could have a bounce house for the entire day. After nail-biting weeks of inflatable euphoria uncertainty, we finally secured one for the event. We picked it up the morning of, and, after testing it, left it uninflated until after the introductions and song. Because we all know which kids would pick given the chance. When we did finally inflate it, we had a vitriolic semi-queue for hours straight. After a while, in the interests of the kids not destroying each other in the quest for bounce heaven, we had to impose a thirty-second limitation on the land of milk and compressed air.

And if the idea of planning and putting on an event where orphans, who have to go to a drop-in center each day just to get enough food, have a freaking blast on a jump castle doesn't warm the cockles of your heart to near volcanic temperatures, well, your cardiovascular unit needs to grow a deal more than three sizes. Which is to say, that afternoon will be a highlight for a good time to come.

Some photos:


Merris and Jan discussing the Sepedi portion of the event.


One of our posters telling kids to wash their hands after they eat.




Or cough.


We had kids join the High 5 Clean Hands Club by putting painted hand prints on the poster. Figured that would be more fun than signing Memorandum of Understanding detailing their promise to practice better hygiene in the future.


Cate preparing a bucket of bleach water for the hand washing demonstration.


Setting up.






The bounce house awesomeness!








Inside the Red Cross Drop-in Center for the song and demonstrations.


Lebo leading the song.


Traditional dance group.



And some videos: