OVC Easter Party

The kids meet us at the upper car park

On March 1st I went to the OVC easter party for interact club. This took place at ISK from 9:30 to around 12:00. I met with the group at the upper car park, the kids all filing in in lines. They were all dressed in pretty shabby clothing, but they all looked very excited for the day, their eyes lighting up when they saw us. We split into around 4 groups, and I was with the youngest children. Our group was the biggest and most rowdy, kids running in all directions. There were quite a few of us in charge of them though, so we managed to keep them under control.

Some of the toys available

First we went to Ms Henderson's room for easter egg painting and presents. This was a new idea and it worked out really well. There were rows of hard boiled eggs set out for them and paints and paintbrushes available. There was also some glitter, and Sabrina and I cut out shapes out of the colored paper for them to stick on. The kids were a little confused as to what to do at first, but they eventually got into it and enthusiastically slathered their eggs in a multitude of colors. They were so proud of their work, and we left them to dry and gave them to all the kids when they left. We also handed out presents to everyone before we moved to the next stop - most of the kids took toys (such as cars and stuffed toys), but some decided to take tshirts and other articles of clothing. We definitely had a greater variety of presents to hand out this time, which was really good.

I help with easter egg painting

One of the kids paints his egg

Secondly, we went down for breakfast. This was at the staff canteen by the lower field, and the kids were really excited to get some food - they were pushing and shoving behind us and we had to hold them back to stop them from overtaking us! The other group was just finishing when we arrived and so we got everyone seated down pretty quickly. I then handed out plates and cups and we distributed mandasi, boiled eggs, sausages and tea for the children. They ate really quickly, but we still had to stop the next group from coming down when they arrived (they sat on the grass and played duck duck goose while they waited). All the kids scraped their plates completely clean, and looked re-energized and happier.

We then headed over to the basketball court where their were some scooter type things and basketballs set out. The kids pulled each other around on the scooters using ropes and tied themselves together in chains and whizzed about the court. There were also some shooting hoops, and we played with them throughout. I think this was the funnest part of the day, there was so much laughter and smiling that it was contagious. I wished that they could've had longer to play, but the other group had finished eating so we had to move on.

Eating breakfast

Our last stop was the playground by the upper field. The kids let out squeals of delight when they saw the slide and sandpit, and jumped over the fence in their rush to get onto the equipment. They played on the tricycles, went in the sandpit, did gymnastics on the bars, and much more. They were having so much fun that we could barely get a word in sideways to them, but it was lovely just watching them enjoy themselves. Finally it was time to go, and we led them all back up to the upper car park and said goodbye. Clutching their bags with their presents in them and glowing with a visible happiness. After the kids had left I headed down to Ms Henderson's room and helped to clear up.

Playing in the playground!

The party was far more successful than ever before, it was really good to get some new activities worked into our schedule to shake things up a bit for the kids. I think that we all had a really good time overall, being able to effectively connect with the children and learn about the lives they lead. It's always wonderful to share what you have with those less fortunate than yourself, and the inexplicable excitement of the kids as they saw the playground was one of the highlights of the day for me. I think that I am continuously building my awareness, confidence, and leadership skills, and allows me to excel in a multitude of different areas (in and out of the classroom). I think that it would be great if we started focusing more on these parties, as it clearly means so much to these children. This party was definitely the best we've had so far and I can't wait to get more involved with the OVC kids.