100 ABSTRACTS - NUMBER 51 AND ABSTRACT THURSDAY

I arranged to meet Lilli, a dear friend for coffee - but actually we both had hot chocolate - over at the Orbital Retail Park this morning and it was so good to see her.  We haven’t met for quite a few months, but as with great friends, once we started talking, it was almost as if we had never been apart and it was so good to catch up with all our family news.

I was quite early though, as I had mistaken the time we were due to meet, so I had a wander around, obviously keeping my eyes open for anything that could be used for one of my abstracts.  There are several shops that have closed down so as well as the doors being closed and the shutters down, there are lots of mannequins in the windows and these were obviously waiting for their 15 minutes of fame on Blip today and this is also for Abstract Thursday, so two for one today.  A little fartnarkling with the Snapseed App and some double exposure (in more ways than one!) and here it is! 

All the mannequins were naked - and they were male and female, some were armless, some were lying down and several were standing, but none of them were taking any notice of the sign which asked them to “Please maintain a gap of 2 metres apart from others at all times”!  

You can imagine the strange looks I got from several people walking by - normally, I would chat with people and explain what I’m doing and why, but in these strange times it’s not quite the same - apart from which I was wearing a mask, so it’s not quite so easy to strike up a conversation with someone.

However, I thought that they would make a great shot for Number 51 in my 100 Abstracts Challenge, which I am doing to raise awareness of the Mamie Martin Fund that helps to provide secondary education for young women and girls in North Malawi.

NGULINGA completed her secondary education at Karonga Girls Secondary school and was supported by the Mamie Martin Fund during that time because her parents were unable to pay the fees.  She is very grateful for all the assistance given to her by the Fund and says that had it not been for that help for the four years she was at secondary school, she would not have reached where she is today.  

Ngulinga started at Mzuzu University in 2018, studying for her Bachelor of Arts in Education and firmly believes that when she has finished her degree, it will help her to motivate young girls in her community to persevere with their schooling even when times are very hard and things seem almost impossible.

Another wonderful role model for those in her community.

“Nothing can dim the light 
     that shines from within.”
Maya Angelou

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MaureenIles