With the new cement flooring underlay set and dry, the crew got to work grinding it into beautifully perfect squares to ensure longevity.
Next, we were finally ready to add the super-strong Polyurathane coating by VERNI flooring (who gave us a generous discount 💰!!) . It arrived JUST on time thanks to the speedy turnaround of Mike at SSG logistics who understood our extreme time pressure, with casualty temporarily moved out into the courtyard.
We had to work quickly as the paint is mixed together just before application and creates a heavy fog of volatile chemicals that our crew had to bend into for 2 hours.
Painting themselves toward the exit, when the end was in sight we were all so high that no one even blinked when Isaac started singing an ode to oxygen.
After 24hours of psychedelic floor-fume dreams, they were back to apply the second coat and we now just have to wait 72hours before we start wheeling casualty back inside (i.e. Wednesday morning).
We are also excited to have fixed another ridiculous issue... here is the previous wheel chair "ramp"
And here is the new one
So easy. It cost less than 5USD.
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And finally, something that was free but probably one of the most invaluable changes yet...organisation...
Rhian, a true local who has dedicated 30 years of her life to Tintswalo, is clearly passing the torch to the next generation, coming with her daughter Sammy and volunteering their weekend away organising stock.
I can't thank our donors and volunteers enough.
Your contributions have already created an enormous momentum here. The community is just so grateful, energised and relieved to finally have support to improve a place where they have seen so many of their people die completely avoidable and shameful deaths on damp stained mattresses and due to basic limitations that take only a few hundred dollars to permanently fix.
There is still much to do, and your contributions will be put to enormously productive use.
Thank-you.
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