Vision Gardens is another step closer to realising its goal of providing a Community Centre for people living with HIV & AIDS and orphans in the area. Today the District Surveyor demarcated the half-acre site earmarked for the development.
The demarcation took only five hours! The surveyor and his assistants arrived an hour late, which is very acceptable, but work could not begin until the village Elders turned up. Although the council had donated a specific site, there was some debate about where the site should actually be. One of the Elders, currently using the land to grow crops, proposed an alternative site he felt was much better!
As it was deemed an official occasion, most of Vision Gardens’ 50 members were present to witness the event. The men helped with the measuring and placing of markers but the women were not allowed to participate. I received some dirty looks from the Elders when I got too close to the surveyor.
After the officials left, prayers were said at each marker to give thanks for the land and then the overjoyed group broke into song and dance. A neighbouring old woman brought out her boudhran and joined the festivities. She reminded me a lot of my own granny in Navan.
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- Old woman with boudhran
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- No women allowed
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- Demarcation of site
