Orphanage

My football team practices two evenings a week on a little field at the Living Waters orphanage in Juba.  This is pretty good, although there are a few hazards.  There is a low wall at one end behind which lives the park keeper from comics from the sixties, so balls only go over in one direction and are presumably punctured with the spike used for picking up leaves.  There is a very old and sick alsatian dog that staggers about the compound and often falls into a coma on the edge of the six yard box.  And we have found all sorts of strange things in the long grass; transistor radios, bits of glass and a kitten have all been held aloft with a cry.

The presence of the orphanage is useful as there is a never-ending supply of orphans who can be called upon to make up the numbers on either team or tossed over the wall on a fruitless ball hunt.

The Danish Refugee Council funds a workshop at the orphanage where the boys stitch leather footballs and volleyballs, and these are sold to local traders.  The graduation of 20 boys was a couple of days ago, and two of us from the team were honoured guests at the ceremony.  This was an amusing occasion; the team captain's mobile phone rang with the ring tone of the Jam's Town Called Malice while the local pastor was opening in prayer, and somebody rode a motorbike very close to the marquee and revved it while he watched (and drowned out) proceedings.  All of the boys were given certificates and we clapped them up to the stage.  One boy was wearing a huge golden medallion, which is not in keeping with the required orphan's uniform (think Oliver!).

Prizegiving

Graduates and honoured guests.  Note man with eyepatch.  He had a huge scar on his face, and spends his life traveling around and education children on road safety, presumably based on experience

Another project at Living Waters is the bakery, which turns out delicious bread and cakes.  The guests were given cakes and they were indeed delicious; mine had a maggot in it but it was only a small one and it was dead.

We are told that the leather workshop has ambitious plans - next on the production line will be belts, wallets and the menu holders for local restaurant the Queen of Sheba.  We were invited to inspect a selection of prototypes, which included a belt with 'God is Grateful' emblazoned on it.  My suspicions were aroused that the wallets were not made by the orphans of Living Waters, Juba, as they had 'Made in Ethiopia' printed inside, but I guess they were examples of what is to come.