While we as adults often worry about budgets, water wells and logistics, Mika (7) sees something completely different when we arrive at the Govern Psy School. He doesn’t see a ‘project’, he sees friends.
The best thing about Mika’s trips to Mpumalanga is how quickly the barriers fall away. He doesn’t speak Xitsonga and most of the children there speak only a few words of English, but as soon as there is a football on the field, no translation is needed anymore. Within five minutes, Mika is running across the red sand with the boys from the Hot Pirates.
For Mika, this project is the best school there is. He sees that not every child has their own room full of toys, or a tap with an unlimited supply of clean water.
He learns that with a deflated ball and a lot of enthusiasm, you can have the afternoon of your life.
He sees how proud his new friends are of their school, even though the building is small and simple.
He experiences that ‘happiness’ is not found in material possessions, but in sharing a victory together on the football field.
Sometimes Mika is our strictest overseer. When he sees one of his friends walking in broken shoes, he immediately asks: “Dad, Mom, can’t we do something about that?” It reminds us why we started Happy Feet(s): for the feet of these children, so that they can walk their own path.
Seeing the friendship between Mika and the children at the school gives us hope. It shows that we are not just building a school building, but a bridge between two worlds. For Mika, South Africa is not a distant place; it is the place where his friends live.
Thanks to your support, we ensure that Mika and his friends at the Govern Psy School can continue to dream, play, and grow together.
It’s about giving something back.
About creating chances where they are needed most.
Because every small improvement changes more than we can see.
