Job Well Done!

Editor's Note: JBFC's Guest Coordinator, Travis Purser, gives a shout out to all of the high school groups who have visited and worked hard for JBFC over the last three months.


Six months ago, I made the decision to move to JBFC to work as a volunteer. I was a bit unsure as to what I would be doing here, but the opportunity to go to Africa and work with children was something I couldn’t pass up.



I was excited to say the least, but nothing could have prepared me for the abundant amount of joy that has been introduced into my life. After a couple months, I was offered the Guest Coordinator position giving me a chance to not only work for JBFC, but watch other volunteers or school groups understand how truly remarkable JBFC is.




Since my time as Guest coordinator we have had Deerfield Academy from Deerfield, Massachusetts; Lowell Whiteman School from Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Brunswick School from Greenwich, Connecticut; and Holland Hall from Tulsa, Oklahoma. We are also excited to welcome back Bronxville High School students who will be joining us from New York, on June 27th.





The help these schools provide us is amazing. Deerfield helped record the height and weight of every student at Joseph and Mary school, as well as, 300 students from the Kitongo Public School, which will help us follow the nutritional health of the children in the area. And they helped freshen up the girls' dining hall with new paint and a personal touch (handprint design on the walls).

 

 

Lowell Whiteman and Holland Hall helped create bamboo pyramids that are placed in the sweet potato rows, helping provide shade for the more sun sensitive beans that now can be planted inside the sweet potato rows, utilizing as much land as possible to produce more food for JBFC. 

Brunswick did tough work out in the fields, tilling and removing weeds and thick brush from a large area, which we are now able to plant beans and cabbage. Working on the farm can be a tough and sometimes very daunting task, yet the attitude and spirit of all these groups were always positive and their work ethic was incredible. Great job, everyone!

 

 

 

Along with work on the farm, educational support was also provided by these incredible schools. Deerfield had several student-led lectures to the 7th grade and 4th grades. Lowell Whiteman became tutors and helped the JBFC girls study during their Easter Break. Literacy games and lessons from Holland Hall were both a blast to watch and helpful to our girls who are always learning and practicing English.

 

 

Everyone loved Reading Buddies, which is a time in the afternoon where our volunteers get to read a book with one of our girls, is fun and helps them develop a better understanding of English.

But the most notable thing to me, about all our guests, was their ability to create incredible bonds with the JBFC girls. I want to thank Deerfield, Lowell Whiteman, Brunswick and Holland Hall for all of your help. I promise your work and presence here has impacted JBFC and you’re missed, but we look forward to seeing you again next year!

For more information on volunteering at JBFC or to book a trip, click here.

Travis Purser, Tulsa, OK, is a JBFC volunteer turned guest coordinator.