Orphanage for girls: This month we’d like to tell you how the girls in the orphanage have been spending their time during quarantine.
It has been a difficult time for many people and for the children in particular. To meet the challenge the team of educators at the orphanage for girls has come up with a special CORONA programme.

Normally the kids get up at 5 a.m. to prepare for school. Now they don’t have to get up until 7 a.m. so they can enjoy the morning, get out of bed and shower before breakfast. Classes start at 8 o’clock for the kids who are preparing for exams and for those who need to improve their grades. The other girls go to the various workshops to learn practical skills like dressmaking, hairdressing or cookery. Thank God the AMPO workshops have the capacity to fit them all in. At 9 o’clock the little ones are occupied with dancing, painting and handicrafts. Play time and learning are over at 11 a.m. The children get ready for lunch, followed by the afternoon nap. Activities resume at 3 o’clock until 6 p.m. and prayers at 6.30. Dinner is at 8 p.m. and afterwards they watch TV, or sing and listen to interesting talks, then it’s off to bed at 10 p.m.

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Orphanage for boys: Religious celebrations
AMPO takes in children and young people from many different backgrounds, irrespective of ethnicity or religion. In the enclosed facilities there are small covered areas for chapels and mosques for the children to pray. The children are supported by pastors and imams. Catholics, protestants and muslims live together in harmony  and so we all celebrate Christmas, Easter, Eid-ul-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan and Tabaski, the Feast of Sacrifice, together.

There is a little mosque in the orphanage for boys where the girls can pray and the Christian boys go to pray in the chapel in the orphanage for girls. For AMPO it is important for the children to develop the values they need for guidance. It is important for the orphans to be incorporated into the right community once they leave the protected environment of AMPO.

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MIA / ALMA refuge for women:

The girls as well as the children love to drink milk. We recently received a donation of powdered milk and we just decided to make yoghurt. It was the ideal opportunity to teach the girls to make dégué, a mixture of yoghurt and millet or maize grits.

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P.P.Filles / Cinémobile: The awareness programme was continued, but with a reduced number of people. The Government has ordered social distancing of at least one metre owing to the Corona virus and of course the social workers of P.P.Filles/ Cinémobile comply.
The team reaches out to entire village populations, men, women, girls and boys.
This time the film presentations focussed on prevention of HIV/Aids and STDs and were followed by lively discussions.