Day 10 began with a trip to some of the previously completed houses, built by the 2017 groups of which Mr Wilson was a part (shout-out to Mr Di Toro, Mr Reidy and Mr Bainbridge – the houses are all still standing!). We were able to see what a completed house looks like, whilst also meeting the families for which the houses were built. The generosity of the families was on display as they offered us soft drink and several bunches of bananas.
We then travelled to the worksite, where we continued to dig out the septic tanks. The work was hard, but rewarding as we finally completed digging out the 5-foot-deep holes, despite the large rocks. As the children had a day off school, we also were able to meet and talk with many of them.
Following the morning shift, we returned to RTU to find that there would be no work in the afternoon. This prompted competition within the group as we commenced an intense cricket match. At the end of the second innings, Marcus’ team came out on top with Joerie being named man of the match, whilst Kirky also provided a stellar performance attaining three wickets in his only over of bowling.
This was followed by a soccer game, in which Joerie’s team took the chocolates, winning 3-1, with goals to Kirk Thomson (2), Pat Howell (1) and Jono Vincent (1). The match was followed by a quick afternoon tea, after which we headed across the road to play games with the local children. We played both soccer and cricket as well as an Indian tackling game known as ‘kabbadi’.
We concluded the night with a walk around the local villages to see the houses which were alight with candles and drawings to celebrate a local holiday. The children in the RTU village were proud to display their floral drawings to commemorate this holiday.
After a draining day in the sun with hard work and lots of sports, we were all eager for an early bedtime to rest up for the last three days of work to come.
Gus & Jesse
India Outreach 2019 