iolanda andrade: Calheta de São Miguel, Cape Verde (third day - early morning) - Strolling around; the handing out of the last presents; photographing some more children who would like to have Portuguese "godparents"

I got up fairly early in the morning having met Sr. Meno's wife, as she was off to work carrying their children with her. Maldini, the youngest child looks just like Mauricio did a year and a half ago. Noelle and I have got strongly attached to Mauricio and his parents and when we reached Calheta had no idea another child had since then been born.

I was quite happy to see him off with the little bag I had given him filled with little toys.

Prior to having had time to have my breakfast Nélida and her sister Bruna came around to collect the presents and the money provided for them by both myslf and a private donor in the case of Nélida and Isabel as far as Bruna is concerned. Hélida Maria was also given her presents and the money for her school needs which had been sent to her by a "godmother", Maria Carau who has recently joined the project.

I ended up seing myself be surounded by children asking me to find them Portuguese "godparents", some of them almost certainly encouraged by Djamila. By then I had lost count of how many photographs I had taken and to be honest started not being bothered by that fact. As long as I do what I can I'll be happy.

The photographing went on after breakfast, amidst the handing out of the "lost" sandals to Patrick as he came around to hand out a letter addressed to his "godmother" and Adriana to collect the presents and the money provided for her school needs. Because there wouldn't be too much time left for her to go back home and come back again with the "thank you " letter she quietly sat on Noelle's bed and took to writing on the back of the same envelope she had just been handed out.

As we were waiting for Erica and her mother to collect us Noelle and I decided to stroll around some of the back streets to come across another group of children wanting to be photographed. We stopped somewhere along one of those to hand out two skipping ropes, watch the view over the bay and thoroughly observe a lady "cutchindo midjo" before heading back to the pension