The month of March passed by with preparation for examination and planning for the summer vacations
This entire month was spent preparing. All boys were busy with their books especially the ones attending formal school. The staff was on hand always to help in times of difficulty and we are proud to say that the boys have learnt responsibility. They would get Home from school, have lunch and straightaway get their books out and begin study. This was encouraging as they showed a real commitment to do well in the final examination. We encouraged them every step of the way.
The members of the Rotary Club of Mapusa made their annual visit to our Home. They come every year with lots of snacks and fruit and soft drinks for the boys and spend a whole day with us. The members mingle with the children and also conduct impromptu workshops in craft and art. The boys had a wonderful time learning to make beautiful objects like houses, cameras and birds especially peacocks with lovely colourful tails.
The boys of Shekinah House have had a month of peaceful sleep thanks to Maj and Dag Langland from Norway, who donated twenty bed mattresses and pillow for the boys. This ensures that boys enjoyed peaceful and comfortable sleep especially during the cold nights. Thankyou for bringing comfort into the lives of these children.
Our Chief Operating Officer Colonel George Thomas (Retd) paid us a visit and inspected the Home. He was accompanied by Godfrey Machado the Projects Manager. He gave pointers on how to make the Unit more efficient and at the same time enjoyable. We thank him for his inputs. He was also interested in having a park for the boys at the playground area. He had a word of encouragement for everyone at Home.
The children had a lot of activities this month. Compared to February we did not have any parties, however; this month signals the oncoming summer vacations and boys were busy planning how to spend their vacation. They are excited that they will be with their parents or guardians and the ones who have nowhere to go are sure that activities will be arranged for them. They are already excited that they will be going to Victory House for vacation. The highlight of the month however was the school picnic to Dudhsagar watrfalls. The boys left early in the morning and returned late at night. They had a great time trekking and swimming and playing and enjoying the outdoors. They had a bath in the crystal clear waters and came home tired but happy. An added delight was the distribution of Samaritan Purse gift boxes. How happy the children were to receive them especially just before holidays.
The Home is going to be closed for the summer. Major repairs and maintenance is going to be addressed. The staff will be assigned to other Homes during the summer and many of them will go on summer leave. Salim who worked as a cook left El Shaddai in search of better prospects. We wish him the very best. We thank all the staff who worked at Shekinah House this scholastic year and pray God’s blessings on them and their families.