Tutela Feed August 2023
“I love the sun and I love the bumpy road of life. Mozambique happens to be the perfect combo of these two things…”
Tutela’s Director catches up with the foster families
August 2023 / by Jonny Wakely
The alarm went off at 4am but I was already awake and ready for the adventure. A short taxi ride to the coach stop was followed by five hours on the National Express all the way to Gatwick Airport. It was close to two years since I had last been to an airport, so the excitement was building as I neared the terminal. Dragging two heavy cases into the departure area, I was confronted by thousands of other travellers bustling and chivvying for the check-in desks. The mid-August rush for holidays was in full flow.
Both of my over-weight bags were approved by the automated bag-drop and I watched them bob along the conveyor belt and turn the corner out of sight.. Amongst my clothes and toiletries for the trip was a violin, a basketball, four laptops, twelve large notebooks, various packets of sweets and a few bags of locally roasted coffee. All for my beloved friends, colleagues and hosts in Maputo. Sitting in the departure lounge, the anticipation was high to finally be able to return to Mozambique after such a long absence and I sat with a Starbucks coffee, pondering on what was ahead and whether two weeks really was enough time to achieve all that was hoped for.
Two plane rides later and the warm sunshine of Maputo bathed my face with a friendly welcome as I strode eagerly across the runway tarmac into the terminal building. It was a sleepy Sunday morning, but the airport immigration and bag collection were completed with surprising efficiency and before I knew it, the taxi driver was chauffeuring me through the Maputo streets and jabbering away in portuguese. We cruised towards the city centre, and as we got closer, a gradual realisation dawned: I was finally here. Emphasis must be placed on the word ‘finally’. At long long last, after all the tustles and wrangles over the elusive work visa, where months rolled into years; after all this time, I was now on the ground again, back at ‘home from home’.
Indeed, it didn’t take long for Maputo to feel like the home that it used to be.
Jonny’s blog continued …
Maputo itself has not changed that much in two years. Having arrived from a fairly wealthy part of the world, I was probably expecting more from it than was reasonable; it was the same tired-looking, well worn city that Becky and I knew and had said goodbye to in 2021. Granted, there were a few new apartment blocks that had appeared, dotted around the city. But nothing dramatically different; still the same old potholes and broken pavements, the same faces that greeted me when I arrived at the Bible Seminary where Tutela’s offices are located. Those faces were as warm as ever, full of smiles, happiness and affection. To the same degree that Maputo is still as run-down as before, the people I knew from two years ago were as friendly and engaging as I had known them. This in itself was wonderful to see.
And I wasn’t disappointed on the following day when I drove with my colleagues Dulcia and Celestina to visit the foster families on the outskirts of the city. The same warmth, kindness and love were evident from the foster carers, who scolded me for taking so long to come and yet found it very easy to embrace my presence and tell me all about how the the kids are doing. The children were also there as it was the school holidays so I was able to distribute some presents from England - fruit pastilles, colouring books, notepads, pens and socks.
In many ways, the first week unfolded as I had hoped it would, spending a great deal of time with all of the Tutela team, carers and children. Alongside the team gatherings, there were a number of one-to-one meetings, where I was able to really listen to and get to grips with some of the joys and struggles of the work. I gave some respite time to the foster carers, taking their kids off for an afternoon to the beach. This in itself was a really precious experience, seeing how each child is growing up and finding an appetite for the world around them.
As you might expect, each of them are in different phases of life, each one with their own unique hopes and each with their own hurdles to overcome. During one of the outings, one of the boys from the second family sat in the front seat next to me, his brothers in the back seats, and we drove over a large suspension bridge that crosses Maputo bay. This young chap was wide eyed in wonder to be able to do such a thing; it was probably the most exciting outing he has ever been on. That afternoon we walked along Katembe beach, looking for shells, playing in the water, practicing summersaults and generally enjoying the great outdoors. Knowing this boy’s story, I was humbled by just how far he had come and what was now opening up to him as a result of the foster care he receives. This boy used to face daily physical abuse as a nine and ten year old; he used to regularly beg for food and was the ‘unwanted outcast’ by his aunties and uncles. Now his life was completely different, living in a very caring home, enjoying what every child longs for - safety, normality and a chance to dream of a good future.
There are a number of success stories amongst the children I was with that week, as well as some challenging stories too. I was concerned by the youngest chap in the first family who seems to be having a very hard time at school. He is only in grade 2 (Year 3) and yet finds school to be a great inconvenience, resisting the learning environment and unable to pick up the most basic of things like the alphabet and adding up. He definitely needs more intervention.
If the first week of my trip was rewarding and fulfilling on many levels, then the second week was definitely there to balance things back out and offer a completely different experience. Sadly, it involved multiple hours waiting in government buildings, to secure a tax certificate in order to finish off the visa process, a process that has stayed true to its character throughout the past two years - tricky, annoying and a desperately elusive prey.
And if the work visa was the prey, then there was only one predator who could chase it down… that was me. On Tuesday, it dawned on me that in three days time, I was due to be getting on a plane to head home and yet the visa process was STILL not completed. I also realised that all the promises from other people about securing the outstanding documents were just a bag of hot air and that if things were to come together, then I needed to be the one to make the ‘killer move’. Do excuse the ongoing predator analogy. It is why I chose to spend so much time in government buildings - to harrangue tax officials and stand in endless queues to wait for the right officer to appear. Amazingly, by thursday at 5pm, the visa was paid for and my passport was back in my hand. By the time I got on the plane on friday lunchtime, I was a bit of an emotional wreck, because having finished the visa process, I then squeezed about two days work into the space of four hours on friday morning before my colleague blitzed through the suburbs of Maputo to get me to my flight on time.
The whole trip was absolutely worthwhile; it was definitely a rewarding experience and a very timely moment. I am so encouraged by how the foster families are doing and how committed the parents are to their children. It is a joy to see. And I am doubly excited about the next phase of Tutela. This isn’t because we’ve got the funding secured yet or because we’ve got the right staff all lined up. But it does feel like the season is shifting now, from one of ‘waiting’ to to one of ‘moving’. The amazing thing is that I don’t need to be on the ground in Maputo for this to happen. My team are well placed to begin making the moves themselves, as I provide them with endless doses of support and encouragement.