Yesterday we visited the family-style accommodation centre in the village of Lesnovo, one of our two partner centres. Everything was organised by our partners, the Give Time Foundation, who came to Lesnovo with a group of very dedicated volunteers.
We brought some treats for the children – home-cooked food, sweets and fruit – and everyone introduced themselves to the others and shared a little about themselves and what had happened over the past week. Afterwards, we went for a walk to an old, abandoned aeroplane, which the children had great fun climbing all over. One of the volunteers works at the airport and told us some really interesting things about how the airport works, who does what and how long each task takes. He also told some funny stories about transporting euros for the currency exchange and welcoming Dara and the president.
The children were keen to show us their school afterwards; in the playground there’s a sports area with equipment where the children can climb, swing and do all sorts of things. We played with a ball, chased each other, some collected twigs, whilst others made friends.
We promised to come back next month, but only after asking if they wanted us to come back next month. One girl’s reply was: “No. I want you tomorrow!”
If you’d like to sign up as a volunteer, you can do so on the ‘Give Time’ website here: https://www.podarivreme.org/help?tab=steps