I have not had time to turn around since I have been home and I've hated every minute of it! I’ve spent the past weeks and a half wishing I was in S.A and fantasising about having Sne with me when I'm wandering around the supermarket! I miss you all terribly and especially miss the children and Bonny. how are they all??
as for feedback: well what can I say...not only the children in Agape but also the volunteers and all of you in the office touched my life in a way that I didn’t know was possible. I have never felt so at home and welcome in a place in my life. I come from a very close and loving family, but every time I walked into agape, it was like coming home. I have pined for you all since I’ve been back in England and you have to believe me when I say that not a minute goes by without me thinking about the children and my time spent with them. Zodwa said to me the day that I left, (while I was a sobbing wreck!!) "You have sowed a seed in these children that you will always be able to reap" and she was so true. I fully intend to see the children again (as soon as I can get this damn degree out of the way!) and I will always remember how they gave me so much more joy and love than I could ever have given them. I still feel so emotional when I think about the first time we took them to the beach and they were singing at the top of their voices because they were so excited,...annemieke opened the windows of the bus so that the people along the beach could hear and they all stopped and stared in wonder as the bus drove past....I felt so proud of those kids that day, and later when some random guy asked me if Mtobise was my child I really wished that I could have said yes. I will always treasure the look on the older boy’s faces when Wesley fixed the geezer and they had hot water in the bathroom as well! or when Lea came running into the orphanage all flustered and said that Sne had looked through the window, pointed at me and said "Lizzie"! or bathing Bless and Sne in the same bucket because they had been rolling in the mud...they looked so funny and were having a whale of a time in there! it was little things like that, that really made it special for me.

Lizzie Coleman, England

SO!  In an effort to do something without physically being in ZA

I have started lobbying for the US to send AIDS and TB treatment to Southern Africa. 
I thought you might like to see this pix, it's of me, Winstone Zulu (an aids activist) and some congressional representatives from Washington whom I met with last Monday.  Things are looking hopeful here...

Liz Clark, United States

I was just on your internetsite of Lean on Me. First of all I want to say that it's a great site you made! And second I miss the children very much and I am happy that so much is achieved at the orphanage in the last months!
The painted walls in the childrens bedroom, the walls outsite are very beautiful with the colors, the painting of the trees and the sun. And the girls bathroom...wow..I don't recognize the orphanage at all.... The new volunteers did a very good job. And you too, I read about the goals for the future and I hope that the plans will all come true. Some of the goals (about HIV/AIDS) were also my concern and I feel releived that it's in the plans of Lean on Me. It seem that the children don't feel any harm about the volunteers leaving, they seem happy with the new volunteers. I do hope that they still remember me....?

Every day I think of the children and my time in South Africa. It's an experience I will never forget and I am proud that I was there to help, but I feel sad that I am not there anymore. I hope that some day I come back
to SA. Please keep me informed about the progress in the orphanage and the goals.

Melanie Wagner, Holland

"Still four months on, back in England, everyday my mind wonders over to South Africa. What are the kids up to? How are they doing in school? Would they remember me if I went back?

My thoughts are of good times, there was so many. But no memory as clear as our last day at the orphanage. Saying goodbye to all the children we have come to know and love, tears in our eyes as the four year old Mthobisi understood that when we left, we would not be coming back.
"goodbye, see you tomorrow"
"not tomorrow Mthobisi, we are not coming back"
"not coming back??" his eyes growing as he tries to understand
"yes, we are going now"
"come back Monday?"
"no Mtob, not tomorrow"
"Wednesday?"
"not Wednesday"
"not Wednesday?" he asks trying to remember the other days of the week in English "come back Sunday?" he smiles as he rembered another day of the week.
"no Mtob, never" I say, my eyes starting to water
"never?" He understands and hugs me a little tighter.

Leaving the orphanage he stands at the gates, looking sadder than any four year old should look. And I try to say goodbye to all the other kids but my mind stays on the solitary child standing at the gate ready to be the last to say goodbye to me.

This was perhaps the most heart wrenching moment of my life. This child who before we arrived could only say good morning to when we left he good understand that when we left the orphanage today we would not be coming back. It was the hardest thing I had to do, knowing that I had to leave but
wanting with all my heart to stay.

Now, back home in England I realise what I told that four year old was wrong. When I leave, I will be coming back, some day, I will go back and see everyone who I said goodbye to that day, and knowing that he, will remember me.

It's not just being in South Africa that is pulling me back, it's the memories, not just of the kids but the volunteers and the organisers, all who are fantastic people, from the head honcho Claude to the youngest child Schnee and her dribbling friend Bless.

From being told what to think by a racist comedian from Manchester to being hung up on from a supermarket not interested in helping the orphanage, all put you to the test but make you stronger.

South Africa gave me so much more than memories; it gave me new friends, confidence, understanding, patience and culture. This is the best thing I have ever done and can't wait to go back.

Lean On Me THANKYOU for this nothing short of a life changing African experience.

Tim Kerr, England

I've just been on the lean on me website. It's fantastic, well-done Claude and all those involved! Just looking at the pictures of all the things that have been achieved since I left, brought tears of happiness to my eyes. So much has been done. The finished, girls bathroom, is just magical, well done Lizzie and all those involved! All the painting and decorating looks amazing. It's wonderful to know that all the dreams that we talked about at the start of the program are coming true.

I miss everyone so much, the children have become part of my life. Although I can not return at the moment I definitely intend to do so as soon as I can. I remember, everyday when the kids came back from school, they would rush to the bathroom eager to see our progress and what the bathroom looked like. Their faces lit up when it was finished and they no longer had to shower with cold water.

One thing that I will never forget is the children's attitudes to life. No matter how tough it got they always smiled. For weeks they hardly had any food, and I never heard them complaining. Their happiness shines through in their singing, which is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard! I miss being with the children and I can't wait until I return.

Lucy Sellers, England

Volunteering With Lean on Me - By Nicole Wolfs:

Lean on Me asked me to write a short report on my volunteering experience to give prospective volunteers a first hand account. I volunteered with Lean on Me for three months from March - May 2004.

Firstly, I would like to say that overall the experience was amazing! It is something I will never forget and I can't wait to go back someday! My time spent volunteering with LOM has made me the person I am today. I learnt so much about myself and about others that I honestly feel my time spent in South Africa changed my life forever.

It was a difficult decision to leave my family and friends for three months and go to a foreign country. And although I did get home sick at times, I fully believe that the rewards I received in helping others made it all worth it! The people in South Africa are very friendly and the children we worked with are an inspiration to all of us. It was hard to believe that such loving, beautiful children had lived through such horrific life experiences and could still give you the biggest smile everyday.

South Africa is a very beautiful country with so much diversity and energy. It is such a pity that so many people living in the country are living in such poverty and despair. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is having a terrible effect on the lives of so many South Africans. Unlike in our home countries, most people in South Africa who are infected with HIV cannot afford the medicine they need to take care of themselves. There is a huge orphan problem that is growing daily in South Africa, especially in the poorer, rural areas where facilities are badly lacking.

Volunteering with Lean on Me opened up my eyes in so many ways! The experience really gave me a realistic picture of what life in Africa is all about. It also gave me the opportunity to help people who I otherwise would not have even known about! There are many little ways that you can help people and children in need. Very often just giving people respect and love can go a long way in helping them.

I really encourage anyone who loves children and who wants to learn about life in South Africa to go and volunteer with Lean on Me. I promise you that you will not be disappointed and you will be a better person for it!

To everyone at Lean on Me, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you are doing to help those in need. You truly do make a huge difference!!

Best Wishes,

Nicole Wolfs
St. Geertruid, The Netherlands.
17 June 2004