School Kits!!

School begins the middle of September for the children in Cape Verde. Part of our humanitarian service is to distribute school kits to needy children. The students are required to provide their own school supplies including some books, uniforms and some minimal tuition. For poor families, this can be a real burden! We noticed as we walked down the streets in Mindelo the week before school opened, that the papelarias (paper stores) were full to overflowing with parents and children purchasing their supplies. But what happens if you don’t have enough money?? I don’t know the full answer, though one principal said families will do without necessities to purchase school supplies.

This year we had 1200 school kits available to distribute. We found several schools where 95% of the students or more could not afford school supplies. We invite you to join us in our journeys to take these kits to them. As we did so, I was filled with gratitude for the thousands of Saints and their generous donations. I remember sewing my 5 school bags and thinking how many that was. What a minuscule drop in the bucket!! And yet, it is those 5 bags here, a CostCo package of notebooks there, a few boxes of a dozen pencils here, a bag of erasers there that made all the difference in the lives of these children! Thank you to all who have contributed to this amazing cause!

The first Schools: Pedra Rolada and a sister school, Lameirrão

The 2 classes of the morning session at Lameirrão with their new school kits. The adults in the back are (left to right): Sister Broderick, the 2 teachers, the the principal, Adelino

Adelino, the principal, picked us up in his truck and took us to his 2 schools. The first one, Lameirrão, was about 3 kilometers past the main school in a more rural area. It is a little 2 room school with about 25 students. Only early grades attend this school. The students at the 4th and above years walk the 3 kilometers to Pedra Rolada.

After making the presentation and handing out the kits, we took a group picture. Then, the principal and teachers left – we think to get keys to the storage room to store the afternoon’s session's kits – and it was just us outside with the children. Many – all the boys and a few girls, ran off to play. A herd of goats wandered past. Some of the girls began playing their games. What do you think of this one??

We then drove the 3 kilometers back to the main school, Pedra Rolada. They gathered all the students and many parents in one room where we gave them the kits. We also found another valuable item that we had brought – boxes. Many moms were there (it was the first day of school, some things are the same the world over!) and all the boxes were taken home by them, one per mom!!

Unloading the school kit boxes (6 kits per box) from Adelino's truck. The students at the school were a big help!

Do you think these students at Pedro Relado are happy with with new school kits? We are!!

The next day, we took a taxi to San Pedro, a small fishing village about a 15 minute drive from Mindelo which is also where the local airport is. Some of the children have lost their fathers in fishing accidents and it is a poor area. Here, we went to each classroom and the principal called up each student with their parent, mostly moms but some dads too. As we gave them the school bag, we received a handshake or beijinhos, little kisses on both cheeks from both the child and parent (basically the beijinhos were from the parents). It was a sweet experience to feel their thanks and children are wonderful the world over! Some were a little afraid of us, but they were willing to come for their bag!

This menina (girl) from São Pedro has her new kit while her mom thanks Elder Broderick!!

Boxes of school kits. You can see the handmade ones. We tried to give the flowered ones to the girls!

A joyful service!

Later that day, after returning to Mindelo, we walked to the 3^rd school in that city where we distributed kits. In this school, most students are able to purchase their supplies, but there is a significant number who can not. They brought this group to meet with us in the school library. They were so orderly and stood so straight and still.  But when they had permission to look in the bags, you would have thought Christmas had come early! They were so excited with each item.

Happily checking out the kits

The next Monday, we took the 7:00 a.m. ferry for the one hour crossing to our neighboring island, Santo Antão. We had provided the local Red Cross with 300 kits and they partnered with the local government and school district to identify the most needy recipients. We joined representatives of all three in going to some very remote village schools in the interior of the island. What an adventure!! It was a total of about 2-3 hours of a bumpy and in some cases bone-jarring ride to reach the different schools. Once off the main road, the 2 trucks carrying the boxes were the only vehicles we saw. Which was good as most of the time it was just a one lane road cut out of the steep mountains. But the scenery was incredible!



A very beautiful setting for the school

The morning session with their new kits! This is a typical classroom.  The adults in the back are (left to right): E/S Broderick, a school teacher, the superintendent of the Porto Novo Schools, another teacher, Renato Delgado the Pres. of the Porto Novo Red Cross and a Red Cross volunteer.

Our second school for the day. We have just arrived at the school. The children are waiting!

Some happy students - with a happy Sister Broderick.

The three teachers for this school are on the left. The teacher in the pink shirt is telling us that they didn't have any supplies for the school this year and they weren't sure how they were going to conduct classes. Now, with the school kits, they can teach more effectively. She was very grateful for the generous donations of the members of the Church!

The 3rd school of the day. This was a fairly new building, but still a poor area where the parents don't have the means to purchase school supplies. We caught them between the morning and afternoon session. The younger ones attend in the morning, the older in the afternoon. This school was just off the main road down near the coast and much easier to get to.

Not quite at the 4th school. After about 30 minutes of more bumpy road and steep cliffs and Sister Broderick closing her eyes, we arrived at the end of the car road. Nothing else to do but load up the volunteers with the boxes and walk to the school, about one-half mile. You can tell the Red Cross volunteers by their red vests and Elder Broderick by his white hat. The man on the far left is a social service director for the city of Porto Novo.

Still not at the 4th school. But what a scenic place to be! Most of the volunteers are using their heads to carry the boxes. (Not Elder Broderick, though)

Whew!! We made it with the kits which made the children happy. I noticed how many of the children "hug" their school bags. I think they are very precious to the students. And aren't the girls cute!

Still at the 4th school. How would it be to have this kind of scenery outside your doorstep?

All the students with their bags as we say goodbye.

We took a rest stop (after our 1/2 mile return trek to the truck). While enjoying the lush mango trees (and mangos) and other fruit trees, 3 of the students came by on their way home from school carrying their bags on their heads. Except the youngest who is sucking on a dry sugar cane.

Our return to Porto Novo was uneventful (and Sister Broderick still closed her eyes in some parts of the road). We caught the 6:00 ferry and came home to Mindelo. It had been a  long day -- but such a good one with beautiful children, grateful teachers and good friends.

Thank you again to all who have contributed to this wonderful work of serving all the children of the world. We look forward to a similar experience at the beginning of the next school year! 

PS. We hope the wards and stakes will continue to contribute these kits. Their value is suddenly much greater in our eyes.