Beaconhurst School supports Project Education

I thought that Christmas Eve would be a lovely time to tell you all about the fantastic success of our Christmas fundraiser carol concert which was run by Beaconhurst School and raised money for Project Education.

Pendo two years ago, and Pendo this Christmas - starting school in January! 

I attended Beaconhurst School from the age of 4 until 18 so I have many fond memories of it.  The school has a fantastic music and drama department and I enjoyed taking part in many musicals and concerts during my time there.  My mum is a teacher at the school, and it was on her suggestion that I approached Mr Bain – the head of music at Beaconhurst School – in late May about the possibility of the school holding a concert to raise money for The Small Things.  Although I knew that the term calendar would already be very full with other exciting things, I trusted her advice and asked Mr Bain what he thought.  To my delight he was extremely enthusiastic and supportive of the idea and suggested that he organise a Christmas Carol Service in which many pupils from the school would take part! 

David this Christmas, starting school in January!

David when we started work with Nkoaranga

The concert was held in Dunblane Cathedral on 13^th of December and included a range of different music performed by pupils and teachers of all ages.  We organised a slideshow of pictures of the kids and mamas from Nkoaranga Orphanage to play before the concert began, to give the audience an idea of who the concert was raising money for.  Both the junior and senior choirs performed, and the audience also enjoyed listening to duets, ensembles and solos.  After a short speech which told them a bit more about the The Small Things and the work we do, the audience tucked into some mince pies and mulled wine during the interval.  One of the highlights of the evening was the more light hearted sing-off between the two sides of the audience: one side sang ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ with great gusto, whilst the other side were determined to out-sing them with the less well known ‘Pine Cones and Holly Berries’!

I wish to say a huge thank you to everyone who made the concert such a success.  I want to thank my family so much for all their support of the concert.  I also want to extend a special thank you to all the staff at Beaconhurst School who were involved in organising the concert – I know from experience how much effort goes into such an event, and without their hard work it just wouldn't have happened.  And of course, a massive thank you needs to go to all the pupils who performed so fantastically on the night!  Finally, thank you to everyone who came to support Beaconhurst School and The Small Things – I cannot thank you enough.

Tumaini  with Baba Christmas 2 years ago

Christmas Tumaini this year, about to
 start her third year with TFFT!

The final amount which was raised was over £1000 which was incredible!  The exact figure is still to be confirmed, but I will let you know as soon as I can.  All proceeds will go to Project Education, which will allow four of our beautiful children to begin school this January (less than a month to go!).  I am so lucky that I will be returning to Nkoaranga Orphanage in time to see Pendo, David, Abdulli and Andrea start school with The Foundation for Tomorrow.  It is because of everyone who has supported Project Education that this can happen, so I just want to finish by thanking you all for giving these children the change to become the incredible young people that they are meant to be.

From all The Small Things' board members, and on behalf of the Mamas and kids (who had an amazing time with Baba Christmas today, and are looking forward to their Christmas meal tomorrow!) of Nkoaranga Orphanage, I wish you all a very happy Christmas!

2013 Calendars are Here!

Hey everyone! I have tons of great news and fantastic pictures to relay from Tanzania - it has been a great first week back! The kids are thriving, happy and healthy. I will post a long blog about it soon, with lots of pictures. Wrapping up 2012 has been great, and now we're looking forward to 2013. As part of that, we're rolling out our brand new Small Things Calendars for 2013! Two types are available - one is bright, cheerful and colorful, each page a different color scheme, with pictures of all 25 children. The other is elegant and beautiful, with black and white photos of 12 of our gorgeous kiddos. We are selling them for $25 or £15, and shipping is free to the US or UK! For anyone from farther away, we ask that you pay in USD, and we will add a $3 shipping fee. In addition, all of our donors from 2012 who contributed $250 or more will receive one of these gorgeous calendars FREE - although we'd love if you order more for family and friends! Get yours today!

US Supporters

Black and White Color

UK Supporters

Black and White Color

Everyone Else

Black and White Color

Heading back soon...

In 12 days’ time I’ll be heading to Heathrow airport to get on a flight back to Tanzania. It’s a strange feeling to be going back to a place that I feel like I know so well but actually has probably changed quite a lot in the year and a half that I’ve been away. Some days I wonder if it’s the best idea and other days I can’t wait to be back, especially when I remember who I’m going all that way to see. The big question is whether any of them will remember me!

When I left, Zawadi had only just started walking. Dainessi, Stevie and Eriki hadn’t gone to school and Peace, Shujah, Isaac and little Ebenezer hadn’t even arrived. The kids I think of as the babies were still the babies and those I think of as the toddlers hadn’t graduated to ‘big kid’ status yet, but that will all have definitely changed. I’ve just seen the pictures Bekka’s taken since she arrived and they all so happy, but so much bigger than I remember them, especially Filipo – that’s just incredible! Thanks to the Small Things, the orphanage will have changed as well. Last time I was there the Small Things had only just been set up, I was writing my first ever blog and wondering where all this was going to take us. Now I’ll be going back to be greeted by better paid mamas, in an orphanage with safe electricity, clean water, a proper chicken coop and a playground that doesn’t flood your mind with potential accidents. I’m so impressed and proud of what’s been achieved in a year and a half and I can’t wait to see it all in person.

The 'babies' as I remember them

 Today I went shopping and stocked up on balloons and nail varnish. I’m waiting for the boxes of donations from other volunteers to come through the post and attempting to resurrect my Kiswahili. It has really hit home that I’m actually going back, and how much fun it’s all probably going to be. Having seen Bekka first photos I can’t wait to be there, although I’m still just a tiny bit scared. I was scared last time though and that was 200% worth it, I’m sure this will be totally worth it too.

All that’s left for me to say is that I hope Bekka is having a wonderful time and I’m looking forward to joining her there. Christmas is a really exciting time to be going. If anyone wants to use it as a good opportunity to help the orphanage out, we send out a card for gifts made in the name of others to the Small Things over the holiday. It looks lovely and even if it’s only for a tiny amount would make an excellent stocking filler.

Nkoaranga Angels: Fred's World and green gorilla

I got the best surprise I've had in a long time today, when on opening the door I found two HUGE boxes filled with incredibly beautiful, soft, organic kid's clothes from Fred's World in Denmark. Fred's World is an amazing friend of The Small Things - their founders have now sent two loads of beautiful, high quality clothes to our kids. Add to that the similarly gorgeous baby clothes donated by Phil at green gorilla, another organic Danish clothing brand, and we are getting spoiled! I'm so happy to know that each of the kids will get their own, brand new Christmas outfit this year!

Fred's World

green gorilla

If you have kids, or have siblings or heck, good friends with kids, go take a look at the green gorilla and Fred's World websites this holiday season. And thanks to the fabulous Marie for setting up this great partnership. We are very grateful! 

We know the Fred's World clothes hold up well, because they arrived this summer just in time for our safari! The kids were so excited to try on their new outfits, and they made a beautiful, stylish little troop as we visited the snake park and the game lodge! Check out some fantastic pictures below taken by our volunteer, Claire, from the trip. 

Ester in head to toe Fred's World! 

Zawadi (left) and Miriam (right) in their Fred's World gear

David in head-to-toe Fred's World, posing
in front of a zebra on our mini safari!

Ester in her cardigan and Fred's World shirt/dress

Baracka in head-to-toe Fred's World

Neema showing off her belly AND the Fred's World shirt

Frankie in a Fred's World bib

Andrea in his Fred's World shirt

Gorgeous kids, gorgeous clothes!

Nawapenda daima, watoto yangu

I am very sorry to announce that this will be my last blog for The Small Things as I am having to step down from the board. Unfortunately, my workload is very intense at University this year, and I cannot continue to work on the board due to time constraints. I am genuinely heartbroken about this as The Small Things is something that is very important to me as, by working with them, I have a connection with the kids that is invaluable to me. It is a way for me to have a positive impact on those beautiful children's lives, despite being so far away.

It's taken me a long time to decide to step down from the board, but I have realised that I just can not balance University work and The Small Things. However, I shall still be working in very close contact with The Small Things, just at a lower level and will most definitely still be a part of the children's lives. I am planning to return to Tanzania for a month next summer and couldn't be more excited about this.

As I'm sure you all know by now, the kids are amazing. They are all such beautiful, funny, kind, CRAZY, brilliant children and they are going to do some incredible things in this world. I didn't think it was possible to fall in love with so many people in such a small amount of time, but we all did. As we've said before, the kids have a way of working their way into your hearts and permanently cementing themselves there. I can confidently say that they will always be a part of my life, and Nkoaranga will always feel like one of my homes.

Nkoaranga is a place where I met some incredible people, had some wonderful experiences, and made a home with my fellow gap year friends. It is a place that I will continue to visit for the rest of my life and it will always have a place in my heart.

I miss Nkoaranga every single day. I miss the kids. I miss the Mamas. I miss the wonderful people in the village. I miss the fun times we had. I miss the food we ate. I miss the day to day living. I miss the mangoes! It is a place that will always be my home.

I miss the children every day, and The Small Things is a way of me being able to help the kids from so far away, which is why I found this decision so difficult. I will, however, continue to be as close connected to the kids as possible and work with The Small Things to help the children as best as we can. This kids will always be a part of my life, and I will continue to work with The Small Things to keep them safe and happy. I know that I will be visiting Nkoaranga Orphanage for the many years to come, and I hope that, one day, I will be able to take my children their and show them the people that I have fallen in love with (though this will be very, VERY far in the future).

I want to take the opportunity to thank my fellow board members. I feel so lucky to have been able to work with you all. You're such amazing people and I know that you are going to continue to do some incredible work for the kids. I am so proud of the progress that we have achieved so far and the work we are going to continue to do in the near future. I am thankful every day that we all met and were able to start such a wonderful charity and help the children who really mean the world to us.

I also want to thank my friends and family for their ongoing support towards The Small Things. You always ask me how the kids are and what you can do to help. You know how important the children are to me and have always supported me in the work I have been doing. This has been a very difficult decision for me to make, and you have supported me along the way, so, thank you. I especially want to thank my Mum, Dad and brother, James, for always supporting me and caring about what is important to me. Thank you for being the best family I could possibly have. I love you.  

And finally, I want to thank you wonderful people. Without you, none of this would have been possible. You're ongoing support is invaluable and it never ceases to amaze me how generous people are about a group of children that they have never met. It really shows the kindness of strangers and the way in which the children can touch the hearts of those who have only heard stories and seen pictures of them but know what amazing kids they are.

So, this is me, signing out. I am heartbroken to have to step down from the board but I am going to continue to work with The Small Things to help the kids as best as possible and will still be visiting the kids in the many years to come. Thank you for all of your help and support; what you are doing is amazing.

And to you, our beautiful children, I love you and I always will. I count myself as the luckiest person in the world to have met you and been loved by you and I know we will always be a part of one another lives. Thank you for being you.

Nawapenda sana. Tutoanana baadaye. x

Two Miracles

Early days, he was so little!

Thanksgiving has just passed us here in the US, where I am visiting my family for a week. It has been a great visit, but I have spent a lot of time thinking about two little guys who are still far away. The two things I'm most thankful for in the past year - little Ebenezer and Peace. This time last year, we were just raising the money to implement one-to-one care for the first time for a premature baby - little Peace - who was at that point over a month old, and just 4 pounds (2 kilos). We were hopeful that it would help, and worried that it wouldn't - it was at that point an untried strategy. I was counting down the days until my next trip to Tanzania (still am!), but desperately worried that he wouldn't be able to hold on until we arrived. 

Tiny little boy

Well, those days are over. Peace is one of the fattest, healthiest one year olds I have ever had the privilege of knowing. And such a happy boy! He spends most days with Shujaa, his buddy and partner in crime, smiling and playing and exploring the world. I will never forget hearing giggles coming from the baby room, entering to investigate, and finding him happily clapping his feet and laughing at the world. His progress - his survival - is all down to your donations and Mama Linda's hard work. This boy would never have made it through this amazing year without your help, and the world would have been a much poorer place for it. We love you Peace!

Eating him up as he got chubby

David cuddling Peace at 6 months

Happy boy showing off his teeth!

Loving the spoons

You talkin' to me?

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME???

Crawling!

Almost spherical little face! 

I got to know our second little miracle over the summer. Little Ebeni was also premature and also benefited from our one-to-one care program. However, when a cold swept through the orphanage in July, his lungs were too underdeveloped to handle them, and he developed a bad, treatment-resistant pneumonia. We were so worried about him! He ended up in the hospital in town for almost two weeks - something we would never have been able to afford to pay for alone. Your donations meant that he got the highest quality care at the best hospital in the region, and now he just keeps getting better - his teeth are coming in, he's working on crawling, and is generally just one of the happiest and nicest babies you could hope to meet. 

Newborn preemie Ebeni

A few weeks in

Beautiful smile!

Mama Pendo and Benny at the hospital in Arusha

Adam visiting Ebeni in the hospital

Little boy is chubbing up now!

Such a big, handsome, smiley baby!

We couldn't be more grateful for his continued health, growth, and development. These two kids are concrete proof that what we are doing matters, that this work matters, that a few dollars can make a big difference. These children will never be anything but a blessing to us, and we can't wait to see them continue to thrive. We hope that you'll continue to come along for the ride! And if you are inspired by these little fighters, please donate so that we can continue to provide the best possible care to all of our kids, today and every day. What better reward could their be than their smiling faces and chubby thighs? 

Sunday sharing...

I thought I would share some of my great memories and pictures

from this summer at Nkoaranga with you all. 

Playground fun with Z in her lovely
dress made by Kristina and her mother!

Hanging out with Baracka on the swings
in the afternoons! Such a happy boy.

Visiting Stevie and the other school kids at
Usa River Academy and hearing about how how well they are all doing!
All have top spots in their classes and are thriving :-)

... another shot from Visitor's Day at Usa River Academy.
Such bright children!

Spending time with the mamas was great! It is always so great
to see them spend time with the kids.

Showing my mother the everyday life of Nkoaranga and seeing her with the kids
was fantastic. The kids loved having another Mama around!

... and she had her hands full most of the time! 

Here's to Mr. Frankie! What a hard working, lovely young man who is
absolutely fantastic around the kids. It was great to see him again
and the kids are so blessed to have him around. 

Meeting Baba Nicki who has become a great part of the Nkoaranga family
was a pleasure. He works so hard and takes care of the chickens and kitchen garden at the orphanage.
It was great to work with him when we had a new chicken house built! 

... and heres the chicken coop being build! It was great to be able to
see the entire building process and being able to support the orphanage in this way.
A big thank you goes out to all of my friends and family members who helped make this happen!

More playground fun! What a beautiful smile Loveness!

Falling in love with this little guy was a big part of the summer as well.
Such a happy, healthy little hero!

... and again! How can you not love this little hero?

We took all the kids out and played with buckets of water one afternoon
and they had a blast!

Seeing how big and beautiful Miss Vicky has grown was such a pleasure.

Buying 6 months worth of chicken food was an adventure!
Thanks to all the people who donated money towards this! 

Playing with the parachute was also great fun! Again, being able to bring this
and give the kids such experiences was fantastic and only possible because of all
the kind donations my mother and I received before we left for Tanzania.

Another afternoon of joy. Here's Neema trying to carry a box (of gin!?)
on her head like all her Mamas do it!

What an adventurous day with lots of fun and learning!
This trip was also funded by all the kind donations we received by
friends and family before we left! 

... and the kids got to wear all the great clothes donated to them
by Freds World - a Danish clothing company.

Spending time with this clever boy was so enjoyable. He is such
a caring little child who will do great at school!

Playing time in the play room on a cold afternoon.
Doesn't get much better.

Watching Pendo helping out the Mamas with the daily household jobs
and nursing all the other kids was just great to watch.
I'm so happy we have found sponsors for her schooling!

This is one happy Frankie boy! So happy he is finally walking now!

... after a lot of hard work practicing on the playground!

Spending time with other volunteers over the summer was fantastic.
Here is Stine cuddling with Loveness, Peace and Gracie. 

Watching Bekka with Z was also a great joy!  And what a cute picture!

Cuddling with Neema under a blanket. What a wonderful lille girl she is.
Great day at the orphanage with a big party being held by a local school.
It was a day full of joy, music, food and lots of excited kids.

Have a great Sunday everyone! 

- Marie