Thanet hairdresser Jennifer Louise fly’s out to South Africa to build houses for orphans.
This will be the 12th house the ramsgate hairdressers have built out there for the charity Coco’s foundation.
Below Jennifer Louise shares what it’s like to go on such a trip.
WOW – what an experience one that will shape my life forever!
For those of you that watched my journey through social media channels you will know how incredibly emotional I found my time out in Africa. Getting my head round the fact that I had just been super lucky to be born in the UK was just the start of it; it made me question humanity and how such levels of poverty still existed, my westernised mind was causing me outbursts of sobs all over the show.
People tell you how lucky we are but actually until you have seen this with your own eyes and felt it with your own heart No we don’t know how lucky we are after all how could we??
Day 1 and I’m a broken woman, I’m walking down a hill and see 8 small children oldest only 10 youngest a baby not yet 1 sat playing not an adult in sight, Mum and dad are dead and Nan is off some four hours away looking for work. These kids have hardly any clothes on and not a scrap of food to be found anywhere, They live in this mud hut that stands before me half falling down and sleep on the floor in wee stained wet blankets. They are covered head to toe in sores all over there little body YET they greet me with huge goofy smiles. My heart broke in two and I found myself needing to make this okay for them. There stood before me was eight little baby’s I would soon fall in love with and feel weirdly connected to properly for the rest of my life.
Life for them was not okay and I had the absolute need to make it okay!
I shot a quick video of them and their living conditions and set about begging friends on my social media for their help to give this little family a new life forever. I even went to a local church and prayed so hard for god to help me do this. I have never prayed in church in my life, Its strange what you do when you are so desperate to achieve something.
In just 7 short days I found myself sobbing again on the floor a deep heart felt sob WE HAD DONE IT £4500 was raised and I was set to go and tell these children the good news. We were changing there lives, they were going to be okay.
I gathered the team and we went back to the house to dig the three foot footings by hand on the hottest day I’ve ever endured in my life but ever shovel was shovelled with love for everyone that had donated.
They have a house and a home, I personally gift them a food package every month so I know that they can eat, I have brought them school uniforms so they can get an education and also breakfast and lunch as Coco’s foundation sponsors the schools breakfast and after school clubs with food, this will in tern begin to not only fade the hunger but the sores will now begin to heal also. They have a safe place to rest their head’s and a door to lock away from nasty people and nasty snakes. They also have a huge water tank called a Jojo attached to the house’s guttering and will now always have access to water simple things we take for granted.
Thank you to everyone that helped this family we have called this house Love gratitude and hope, obsessions and friends
Africa has defiantly become part of my heart forever more.
Jen xxx
I think it’s safe to say this Thanet hairdresser had a heartfelt trip and achieved life changing memories for both herself and the children who now have a safe space to lay their heads at night. Breathtaking…
If you want to get involved with the foundation, sponser a breakfast club for £1 a month or sponser a family a food pacel £30 a month or maybe you fancy coming out to Africa to build a house with us you can find all the information you need at http://www.cocosfoundation.co.uk
