Selma, AL – Nov. 24-30, 2024

This week in Selma, we were joined by a youth group of 7 teenagers and 3 adult leaders, from southern Ontario, in the Straffordville area.

The temperatures in Selma were fall-like with 30s at night and 60s-70s daytime highs… and some rain mid-week.

We were joined by Afriye (A-free-yay) for supper on Monday. See this family’s story below…

Volunteers continued rebuilding and restoring Rosemary’s home. This week’s volunteers completed her bathrooms, electrical & plumbing upgrades and finished all the painting. We fix her back door making it weather-proof. The job card should be signed off Monday or Tuesday. She treated the volunteers to Church’s fried chicken Wednesday.

Terence’s home is advancing well. The outside work is completed with new soffit and windows installed. Many more gallons of drywall compound was used as the volunteers spent many hours applying and sanding ceilings and walls. Painting is under way and new floors laid in bedrooms.

Dorothy’s job card was signed-off this week.

We started working on Nadine’s home by replacing the kitchen floor and repairing her ceiling. The crew was serenaded by a Marching Band practicing at a nearby high school.

Denis Sabourin, Office Manager

Afriye We-kandoit

Afriye is Ghanian for “human from the earth”. Our guest for supper this week changed her name to Afriye We-Kandoit in 2002 while living in Chicago. Her mother was born and raised in Selma but moved to Chicago to raise her family.

In 2004 Afriye was unexpectedly told to move to Selma by several of her close friends and God. She resisted for some time but eventually did move with $24 in her pocket and two suitcases. 

She began as a volunteer in a local museum eventually becoming its director. From there she rented a downtown building and opened a community center calling it the “By The River Centre for Humanity”

Afriye is an advocate for Selma and its residents and its history. Recently she opened a cafe in the front of her building. With it she intends to train single mothers to cook and manage a restaurant. 

She rode out the tornado in the bathroom of her apartment. She did not suffer damage but has friends who did. She expressed her thanks to MDS volunteers for assisting her community. 

You can find more about her on her Facebook page and web site.

Don Yoder, Project Director