Mike Horn and his crew sail Pangaea into the city of Hurghada where they can rest after there long non-stop journey over the pirate territories off the coast of Oman and the Gulf of Aden.
Wikipedia ; Hurghada is a main tourist center and second largest city (after Suez) in Egypt located on the Red Sea coast.The city was founded in the early 20th century, and since the 1980s has been continually enlarged by Egyptian and foreign investors to become the leading seashore resort on the Red Sea. Holiday villages and hotels provide aquatic sport facilities for sailboarders, yachtsmen, scuba divers and snorkelers.
Hurghada stretches for about 36 kilometres (22 mi) along the seashore, and it does not reach far into the surrounding desert. Until a few years ago it was a small fishing village. Today Hurghada counts 248,000 inhabitants and is divided into three parts: Downtown (El Dahar) is the old part; Sekalla is the city center, and El Memsha (Village road) is the modern part. Sakalla is the relatively modest hotel quarter. Dahar is where the town's largest bazaar, the post office and the long-distance bus station are situated.
The city is served by the Hurghada International Airport with scheduled passenger traffic to and from Cairo and direct connections with several cities in Europe. The airport has undergone massive renovations to accommodate rising traffic. Hurghada is known for its watersports activities, nightlife and warm weather. Daily temperature hovers round 30 degrees celsius most of the year. Numerous Europeans spend their Christmas and New Year holidays in the city, primarily Germans, Russians and Italians.
After staying at Fontein Combined School for so long, we really feel at home. Even when we walk around in the township the people greet us by our names! Impulsively, the two of us decided to stay for another week to finish off some things before we head back home.
We decided to paint as much as we possibly could. Most of the school buildings now boast a new coat of paint and are decorated with educational messages and diagrams. The kids really liked some of the math problems on the walls and often asked their teachers to explain it to them.
We are also very excited and proud to announce that the junior bathrooms will be opened to the kids tomorrow. The kids really enjoyed taking their first look at the new sanitation facilities.
“These are the most beautiful bathrooms I have ever seen!” said Dinovan, a 9-year old boy from the school.
Mister Elmer Williams, the principal of the school, mentioned that the new bathrooms have really improved the quality of life at the school. He was really thankful for all the work we did. “It has lifted the morale of everyone at the school. We cannot express our gratitude in words.”
In the end, we (PANGAEA and Geberit) managed to complete the following:
• Installing brand new bathrooms and sanitation facilities
• Starting the food garden that is now flourishing. Veggies are being harvested and the excess is sold to raise funds for more seeds.
• Painting most of the buildings and decorating them with educational diagrams
• Building a new playground for the foundation phase kids
• Upgrading all buildings by installing new windows and burglar bars.
• Supplying the sports department with soccer posts and netball balls
• Providing new tables and chairs for the classrooms
• Putting up benches all over the school yard
• Putting bins all over the property and take part in major clean-ups
• Taking each child on various educational excursions
• Initiating a fresh drinking water system at the school
• Creating awareness on pollution, the environment and cultural differences
• Workshops on hygiene and sanitation
• Improving the kitchen facilities and feeding scheme
• Improving structures in the school eg. Installing new ceilings
• Providing the kids with games on the tarmac
• Fitting the soccer team with new uniforms from Laureus
• Distributing toothbrushes and toothpaste to the children
• Providing the kids with stationary
• Distributing fruit and bowls to learners
• Equipping the school with gardening tools and provided workers with basic education on how to use them
• Fitting the drains with new grids to prevent injury
• Removing unsafe structures from the school yard
• Managing the water flow from the fountain on the property
• Removing poisonous and alien plants
When we said goodbye, we realised something interesting. It is not necessarily about leaving and maybe not coming back, but it is seeing how much you mean to the kids at the school. We have made a difference in their lives and they will be reminded by our work every day. Even though we don’t always realise it, we have a major impact on their lives.
This project also had a major impact on us. We have learnt to take responsibility, to handle different situations with integrity and to work as a team. We have broadened our horizons and we’re emotionally touched by the children and the environment they live and grow up in. We will cherish these experiences and we can only encourage other Young Explorers to become involved in projects like these. It has been worth it 100 times over!
Spectacular sunsets and scenery welcome Pangaea as she sails the Red Sea. The temperatures remain hot and the seas calm but Pangaea continues northwards at a steady pace towards the Suez Canal.
We arrived at the school with mixed emotions. It was our last day here at Fontein Combined School. On the one hand we were happy that we finished our work. We were proud of what we had achieved. But on the other hand we have grown attached to the kids and their happy faces. I was rather sad to leave.
We gathered in the church hall for a goodbye ceremony. Some kids gave us a wonderful display of poetry reading and dancing. When we played some music between intervals, the whole school started singing along at full volume. It was simply overwhelming to watch these kids who have practically nothing enjoy something so trivial as a pop song. It really made us all reflect back on our own lives and how we are usually unhappy with everything we have. We were all overcome with emotion as we watched them dancing and enjoying the moment.
Our last goodbye was given to all the children and teachers. We presented them with a tree – a symbol of our journey of growth together. Waving for the last time, we headed back home to pack our bags. Becci and I said goodbye to the Geberit apprentices (and now our friends) at the airport and went home for a well-deserved nap.
This project has touched us all deeply. I think it has somehow changed my perspective on life. It has taught me more about necessities, relationships and compassion. I am extremely thankful for all who participated and made this project such a big success. Hopefully we can return to Fontein combined School soon to continue our journey.
After many long days of drilling, welding and sawing, our work has paid off! We revealed the new bathrooms to the foundation phase kids (ages 7 – 10). Each class had the chance to see their new facilities and to learn how to use them properly.
We used role play (with lots of help from some older kids: Jason, Reedwann, Kaylin and Abegail as well as Geberit apprentices Ruben and Ramona) to show the little ones how to keep it clean and beautiful. They really enjoyed seeing and using the brand new bathrooms! We had a good laugh at the little boys as they explored the new facilities. Eyes bright with happiness, the kids thanked us for all the work.
We also finished putting in a new floor in the kitchen. The school has a feeding scheme were they supply one meal for 850 children every day. The kitchen however, had a very old wooden floor that was extremely unhygienic. We decided to put in a new vinyl floor that is easy to clean! The ladies in the kitchen were very happy to receive this along with some new overalls and cooking utensils.
On the morning of the 31st, we joined the school children for their annual athletics day. Even though it rained, the weather could not dampen the spirits of everyone around. We joined in several races: 100m, 400m and the gruelling 800m. It was great fun to join in the singing and general team spirit. This was also a great way to get to know the kids better and learn more about their culture. All in all a very good day!
Giving something to someone who really needs it is the best thing in the world. “Giving is receiving and receiving is giving. That’s really the secret that lies behind living.”
All of us here in Port Elizabeth have felt that feeling during the last two days at Fontein Combined School.
One of my favourite experiences was going to people in the townships and giving them blankets, cutlery, bed linen and pillowcases. We went right to the top of the hill where rickety shanties sprouted up from the bare ground. Large stones rested on the corrugated iron roofs in order to hold them down in the gale force winds that frequent this area. Gingerly we entered some of the shacks – they seldom had more than two small rooms and had to accommodate up to eight people. I have no idea where they all sleep at night.
We met many parents of kids who attend Fontein – they were very thankful for the blankets and things we offered them. Knowing that you made a difference in the lives of one family is a wonderful feeling.
We continued our work at the school where we distributed cups to each child. These will be used to drink clean water from the newly installed taps. This will not only contribute to better health, but it will also save the school a lot of water. Every class now has a water supply where the kids can drink from during the day.
Today the workers started with the boxing of the sanitation facilities. The floors and walls are now tiled and look lovely and new! Once this is done we can start installing the toilet bowls, basins and urinals. Soon the school will be equipped with brand new bathrooms!
After 9 days of rather intense sailing (since leaving Abu Dhabi) Mike and his team arrive in the Red Sea. "Myself and the crew were on constant guard because of the threat of pirates. We saw very few boats in the Gulf of Aden and happily we can say we made it through without any unpleasant encounters. It's a beautiful region. What a shame tourists are at risk when they enter this region."
Another 15 hours in the red zone and then we turn north up the Red Sea towards Monaco. Pangaea has another 2850nm to go before she retrrns back to Monaco. She has done well.
After a short stop-over in Abu Dhabi, Mike and his crew sail Pangaea out of Abu Dhabi – next step, Suez Canal, direction Monaco. Mike marvels at the breathtaking scenery off the coast of Oman.