Unbelievable excitement!

This morning over 300 slum kids, ages three to seven, battled for victory in their first ever team competition during our Mercy Kindergarten Sports Day. The kids were divided into two teams – The Pink and The Blue – in contests that ranged from relay races and musical-chairs to tug-of-war face-offs. The cheers and chants were deafening!

The only glitch of the day happened during the relay races because both The Pink and The Blue had a bit of trouble passing the batons to their teammates. After several false starts, The Pink eventually won. The Blue surged back, though, in the tug of war; and both teams earned top honors in musical chairs. The contests ended with each kindergarten student receiving a victory medal, a present, and an ice cream cone: a lovely first lesson in the joys of camaraderie.

Then all the children returned to their classrooms to take a well-earned afternoon nap. Photo gallery here.