Thank you letter from the fabulous Bethan Crisp

A MASSIVE thank you to The Small Things and most importantly, to all of the amazing supporters and donations we have had towards Project Maji. This has been a super quick and successful project but is going to be one that lasts a life time!!

I can't wait to return to Nkoaranga and be alongside the brilliant Bekka, witnessing the smiles and appreciation from the children and the mama's at the orphanage as well as the staff and patients of Nkoaranga hospital.

No more saying 'no' the children when they innocently ask for a cup of water! BRILLIANT!!

We are currently in the position where we are seeking out four additional schools/orphanages/hospitals who we feel would benefit from having a bucket filtration system, as, thanks to the great people at Business Connect, we have been able to purchase SEVEN bucket systems as opposed to the intended three. This is great news and means that we can massively improve the everyday health, wellbeing and lives of other children and patients around Arusha!

We cannot thank you enough for all of the help and recognition we have received and this has given me motivation and a boost to start looking at further possibilities of ways we can help the beautiful people of Tanzania...

AGAIN, THANK YOU TO: 

Pennie and Peter Branden

Amy and Steve Eppler Epstein

Leslie Gildhart

Sarah Patrick

Sorcha Bradford

Mary-Jane Wright

Sharon Hutchinson

Wayne and Sandra Leland 

Jane Butler 

David Cohen 

Dawid Mastalerczyk 

Kiana Thompson, with love from Auntie Kristina 

Tobias Foster, with love from Auntie Kristina 

Noah Foster, with love from Auntie Kristina 

The Ridler Family 

Jordan Louise Edwards

And a special thanks to Oyster Worldwide and Irene at Farrant Aquamatic Products Ltd

And a note from Bekka: I'll leave you with a little video that shows you just how far these kids can come with a little extra attention - for those who don't know, at 12 months Zawadi was really struggling, very sick with worms, badly malnourished, not from intentional neglect from the mamas but simply from the lack of adequate staffing to not only notice that she was suffering from worms, but get her tested and treated. Seh's come such an incredible distance since then - today at 22 months, she is walking, talking, and just generally being a genius in every way. I'm not at all biased, of course, just because I desperately want to adopt her and bring her home. TOTALLY objective. So here she is. 

We do amazing things when we work together. Thank you for being part of our kids' lives. And just because Project MAJI is over, doesn't mean we don't still need the help - we're constantly raising money to get the kids into school, the mamas paid a living wage, keep the chicken coop and garden going and the formula and vitamins stocked - basically everything we can do to keep our kids happy and healthy. Help us today! 

Goodbye Baby Daniel

Today we say goodbye to another Nkoaranga baby, but for a happier reason - baby Daniel is being adopted! A missionary family who already has two adopted African daughters has taken Daniel home with them. While it can take some time for the adoption process to go through, Daniel will live with his new parents and sisters until that happens.

Gorgeous baby Daniel

Growing, laughing, playing! 

Earlier this year, little Joyce (now Soana Joyce) was also adopted by a wonderful family, making it a great year for the Nkoaranga orphanage kids. She's gotten so big and beautiful in the meantime!

Not such a little shrimp anymore!

In both cases, the youngest child in the orphanage was the one chosen. This is the general pattern, and it is understandable from the adoptive parents' point of view - they want to raise their children from as close to birth as possible. However, I can't say it doesn't hurt a little, knowing for our older kids that each day lessens their chances of having an adoptive family. Below are Vicki and Filipo, who came in as newborns during my first month. Look how big they're getting!

Baby Vicki

Baby Filipo

We are thrilled for Daniel and wish him all the best in his new home. Meanwhile, we will work to keep all the rest of our babies healthy and happy. It will never be quite the same as having parents - but it's important to make the Nkoaranga family the next best thing.

Board Bios - Emma Shaw

This is the first of a series of introductions to our fabulous board members - meet the lovely and talented Emma Shaw! 

My name is Emma Shaw and I came to Tanzania through the organisation "Oyster Worldwide" as part of my gap year between school and university. After considering many other countries including Patagonia, Nepal and Zambia I chose Tanzania because of how much the placement had to offer: teaching English to both primary and secondary school children, voluntary work at the local hospital and, of course, care work at Nkoaranga Orphanage.

What I didn’t expect was that I’d become so involved at the orphanage - that I would be the one trekking across the hospital grounds at night, carrying a small, unwell child huddled in blankets. It made me realise that, when it’s a child in your care that needs treatment, the hospital is no longer an ‘interesting place to gain medical experience’. When you’re scared for a child and in need of help you don’t care about any of that. You just want them to make your child better.

It was moments like these that made me realise that volunteering at Nkoaranga Orphanage wasn’t going to be something I could just drop and move on from once home. I really didn’t expect this, and I have no idea why! I didn’t realise how important making sure that the children have a safe, happy future would become, which is why I’m so glad to be a part of The Small Things, and so determined to do all I can to give them as bright a future as every single one of them deserves.

Although my hardest moment physically at Nkoaranga orphanage was the morning after my first night shift when we were helping to wash all of the big kids – I remember feeling almost sick with tiredness (a first for me) - it gave me a whole new appreciation of the incredible work the mamas do every day. However, my hardest moments overall were definitely when I was scared for a child. I was scared when Gracie (normally so placid and sweet tempered) was crying so unstoppably, hysterically and harshly and we had no idea why, and I was constantly scared about losing Ebenezer. He was so sick, tiny and premature when he came in - then months later, after he had come so far, he got profoundly ill again and reignited all that fear. I found changing him very hard as there was no escaping how much weight he’d lost and how tiny he’d become. I was scared I’d break him. 

Ebenezer shortly after his hospital stay -
still back and forth twice a day for IV medication

On the other hand, another thing I found really hard was refusing the children water because there wasn’t any that had been purified and I’m so excited that, thanks to the success of Project MAJI, that will never have to happen again!!!

I had SO many amazing moments with the children – all of them hilarious, touching and unforgettable. For me, it was so rewarding to see Pendo settle in, and this sometimes cheeky, sometimes serious but always beautiful, kind and sweet girl emerge from her shell – and give everyone lots of kisses on the cheek! I always found putting the big kids to bed really special. They’d call my name and I’d go over and crouch down under their mosquito net to have a whispered talk with them, before kissing them goodnight, wishing them sweet dreams and telling them I loved them. It meant so much to be able to do that for them. 

Pendo cuddling with her buddies Farajah and David

And then I have tons of hilarious memories, such as the time one of the schoolchildren, Tumaini, and I were searching for socks in the pile of laundry in the sink and, being the adorable but clumsy girl she is, she switched on the tap, soaking everything! Her eyes went wide and her “Ohhh…pole! (sorry)” couldn’t have sounded more shocked (or amused)! Being there for Ester’s first steps; Frankie’s inevitable bawling at my lack of speed whilst feeding him; hanging out the washing and realising that the two little boys helping me were helpfully “rinsing” everything in a muddy puddle before passing it to me…the list is endless!

I think the thing which concerns me most at the moment is ensuring that not just the children ready to go to school this year, but that all those in the coming years will be able to go to school and have a good education, hopefully through our partnership with The Foundation for Tomorrow. While the children are at Nkoaranga orphanage I feel happy knowing that, between Mama Pendo, all the other Mamas, and volunteers looking after them, the children have people who care about and want the best for them. What worries me is when they leave and have to fend for themselves, and the life that awaits them. As we grow and develop as an organization, it is a challenge we will have to face. 

However, I think it’s impossible to say what the most important work to be done is in the long term, because everything that contributes to a healthy, happy childhood for the children matters: it’s important to have the filtration system fitted so that the children don’t have to be denied water, or risk sickness from drinking it straight from the tap; it’s important that mosquito nets are correctly used to avoid malaria; it's important that formula is available to keep babies healthy, and to aid recovery if they do fall ill; it's important that the hospital is also supported because all children need healthcare at some point; it's important that any psychological issues that a child has are addressed, and it's important that when they do go on to school, they are happy, healthy and fully ready to do so. Our job now is to try to balance those many important jobs to be done, and we hope you'll come along with us for the ride! 

Our 99th post, and Project MAJI SUCESS!

I'm thrilled to announce that Project MAJI is now officially fully funded! In December, my wonderful co-sponsor Bethan Crisp and I will be installing one filtration system directly into Nkoaranga orphanage's plumbing, so that ALL the water used for cooking, drinking and washing dishes will be bacteria and protozoa free and safe to drink without boiling! Never again will the mamas or volunteers have to deny a child a drink of water because things have been too hectic to keep some boiling on a back burner.

We will also be installing three bucket filtration systems in each of the Nkoaranga hospital wards (male, female and pediatric), so that hospital inpatients will no longer risk their already stressed immune systems by drinking untreated water. The advantage of the bucket system in this case is that it makes the filtration system visible, and since hospital inpatients change every few days, it is important that they be conscious of the filtration process rather than risking dehydration by avoiding all the hospital water.

I could not be more thrilled and proud with how willingly (and fast!) everyone stepped up to the plate to help make this happen. We will be sure to bring back lots of photos, videos, and responses from the orphanage and hospital once the systems are installed. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for helping to keep our babies, and all those who pass through the hospital, healthy and safe.

Special thanks for this project go out to:

Pennie and Peter Branden

Amy and Steve Eppler Epstein

Leslie Gildhart

Sarah Patrick

Sorcha Bradford

Mary-Jane Wright

Sharon Hutchinson

Wayne and Sandra Leland
Jane Butler
David Cohen
Dawid Mastalerczyk
Kiana Thompson, with love from Auntie Kristina
Tobias Foster, with love from Auntie Kristina
Noah Foster, with love from Auntie Kristina
The Ridler Family
Jordan Louise Edwards

And a special thanks to Oyster Worldwide and Irene at Farrant Aquamatic Products Ltd

I'll close with a favorite quote from the always wise and wonderful Margaret Mead:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Equal opportunity family

One of the things I love most about Nkoaranga orphanage is their total lack of awareness of gender stereotypes. Partly this derives from sharing everything - if a dress happens to be the closest thing on the rack that fits, a dress it'll be!

Very happy cross dressed Simoni in pants turned shorts and the wrong shoes

Simoni was an especially frequent example of this phenomenon, simply because with his rickets it's a little harder for him to scale the shelves to find something that fits him just right - so when he finds something, he pulls it on, no questions asked. He also likes to do things himself - as evidenced by the shoes on the wrong feet!

One of the kids' other favorite activities is when volunteers bring over nail polish, and then EVERYONE gets in on the action. Really, the only limiting factor is patience - Pray was particularly funny running around with one hand with red fingernails for a week, because he simply couldn't hold still long enough to get both done.

Eman showing off his nails (Thanks Amy for the pictures!)

Baracka testing to see if they're dry

Dainess and Loveness, our fashion plates

I honestly believe this is part of what makes the kids so close - they go through thick and thin together, and they enjoy their little pleasures together (the small things, if you'll forgive me then pun. You won't? Ok, little pleasures it is then.) The result is the gorgeous, happy, if incredibly rambunctious little family you see here.

Farajah and Maureeni

Ericki, Farajah and Andrea in.. a conga line? Not sure, but it's cute!

That sense of belonging is so important for kids, and although the Nkoaranga orphanage family might not be the most traditional family to belong to, and it can't truly replace parents of their own, it's a pretty fantastic one nonetheless. I feel pretty darn lucky to be a part of it.

Help us make our family safer by contributing to Project MAJI - keeping our kids healthy as well as happy with a water filtration system for the orphanage and hospital wards.

Why we do this: Remembering Reziki

Just a quick video reminder of why we do this. Project Maji, the chickens, garden, vitamins, and formula to keep them healthy, supporting the mamas to recognize their hard work and ensure that they can take care of their own families so that when they are at Nkoaranga orphanage they are THERE with the children 100%. Happy, healthy kids - that's all we want.

Ebenezer just turned eight months, happy and healthy despite serious trials, on August 8th - he came in on the same day as our little man Reziki, who sadly did not make it. That's the other half of why we do this. Because unsafe wash-water on a bottle might have made a difference. Because more staff might have made a difference. Because even if nothing would have made a difference, we have to and we will keep trying to make sure that every child who comes through our doors has as bright a future as we can give them. Reziki, we remember you and we do this for you.

Reziki and Ebenezer, early days (Thanks Amy for the photo)

Gone but not forgotten

Announcing Project MAJI!

I am taking a break from my physician approved immobility to let you all know that we are officially kicking off Project MAJI (water) today! Please check out the page and see how you can help bring clean, safe water to our beautiful babies at Nkoaranga orphanage and the thousands of impoverished Tanzanians who pass through the Nkoaranga hospital wards every year. This effort can and will save lives. Want to find out more?

Nearly a month already!

It's impossible to believe that I've been home for almost a month, it has actually gone really fast, but that would be because I've barely been at home in that time, so I've completely failed at blogging. My last evening with the kids all that time ago was really great though and a wonderful way to say goodbye to them.

This video is from the day before I left. The filming is a bit erratic because it's quite hard to keep your hand steady when you're being climbed on! One of the most amazing things about the orphanage as a volunteer is how excited the children are to see you. Whether you've been gone for days or just nipped home for some lunch they greet you with amazing enthusiasm, bouncing towards you and shrieking your name. You feel that just by turning up you've given them something and your arrival is always something to be excited about - which isn't always good if you were just quietly trying to sneak in to feed the chickens and not attract any attention!

Of course it takes a while, but for me the point that the children knew my name was when I really fell in love with Nkoaranga orphanage. Before that I had struggled to feel a part of it, but this kind of welcome means you know you are wanted there as much as you can be there...and more.

The games, oh the many games....

One thing that never ceased to amaze me was the imagination of the children and all the little games they used to make up. Whether it was pretending to make 'chakoula' (food) for you with a book and colouring pencil or herding imaginary cows around the playroom, there was always more fun to be had and no end to the incredible games they would play.

One of my favourite memories is definitely the day Saimoni walked past me muttering to himself. Now, Saimoni would often have a good natter to himself, but this day he kept repeating the word 'wapi?' meaning 'where?', so this made me quite curious and, wanting to know what he was looking for, I followed him into the bedroom. He started looking around the room, searching in different places, and I really couldn't decide what it was he had lost. Then he lifted up his mattress, said 'hapa!', meaning 'here!', and hid his toy duck under the mattress. He hadn't been searching for a lost object, he had been trying to find a hiding place for his favourite toy. When he turned around and saw me, he started giggling uncontrollably with his incredibly infectious laugh, so, obviously, I found it impossible not to join in. I picked Saimoni up, both still in hysterics, gave him a massive hug and said 'Saimoni, wewe cheesy sana', which means 'Saimoni, you are crazy'. He found this even funnier, and again the infectious laughter began.

Watching the children progress and grow and increase in confidence was a real pleasure. I will never forget the morning that I was in the playroom with the toddlers, I had Baracka climbing all over my lap and I was watching Big Maureen and Miriam pottering around the playroom. Then Maureeni stopped, pointed at the television and started chattering in Swahili to Miriam- from what I could work out, she was saying that they couldn't watch Bob the Builder because there was no power, then Miriam turned to Maureeni with a serious but accepting look on her face, shrugged, and said in Swahili, no power. As if to say, 'oh well, never mind.' It was one of the most adorable and hilarious moments I had ever seen- watching Maureen and Miriam discuss what to do with their day; they looked like a pair of old ladies, shaking their heads at the obstacle that was getting in the way of their fun.

The friendships that develop between the children are really special. Miriam came to Nkoaranga orphanage in April, and, when she first arrived, she was so quiet and afraid- understandably of course. But now, she is running around the orphanage with Maureen, having a whale of a time. One day Faraja turned to one of the other volunteers and said 'Dainessi is my best friend'; it's so lovely that the children become so close and really love one another. The children all look out for each another, and if a child is crying in another room, I can guarantee that one of the children will come and tell you, as well as explaining the reason for the tears.

The best game we ever played at the orphanage would definitely be 'wewe chakoula' (you're food), made up by the funny, clever and brilliant Steveni. It could happen at any point in the day- I would be changing Frankie's nappy and suddenly 6 children would come running towards me from the other side of the orphanage screaming 'Emily chakoula, Emily chakoula!!'; this was quite a terrifying site. I would then turn around and (in a very panicked voice) reply with 'Emma chakoula' or 'Megan chakoula', depending on the other volunteers at the orphanage. The children would then turn around and run off, looking for the volunteer I had chosen the name of. The children loved this game, but I think their favourite part of the game, would be the point at which they caught you, because if you weren't careful and they caught you off guard, or you weren't quick enough, they would jump all over you and pretend to bite you as, in their minds, you were food. They found this hilarious and would giggle hysterically as you tried not to fall over due to the sheer mass of children clambering over you. However, unfortunately for the person whom they currently saw as food, sometimes the 'pretend biting' would accidently be real- very painful.

Spending every day running around with the Nkoaranga children, enjoying their made up games and hearing their laughter as I danced around the playroom was the best time of my life. I count myself as one of the luckiest people alive for having the privilege of getting to know the children, loving every single one of them, and knowing that they loved us all in return.

This is a video to show you an example of the sheer mass of children that get involved with the 'wewe chakoula' game and the amount of energy and excitement that goes into it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!