Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Halloween isn't really a big deal in Tanzania, but, like any other kids in the world, our kiddos love to dress up and play pretend. Let's check out the Nkoaranga kids' flair for the dramatic...

And Ester is a blockhead. 

Shujaa is the tiniest Santa

Baracka is a cool dude

Zawadi is a present (appropriate since her name means gift!)

Andrea is a daddy!

Filipo is a... table?

Ebenezer is a chair

Little Maureen is an unhappy little old lady!

Simoni is a bookworm

Zi is a bathing beauty

Simoni is Michael Phelps

Maureen is a ferocious tiger!

David is a field hockey superstar

Zawadi is a piki piki driver

Isaac is a burrito!

And Vicky is the world's grumpiest little old man

And here's a bonus video of Ebenezer trying on Olivia's glasses. 

Got any other great dress-up pictures of the Nkoaranga kids? Post them on our Facebook page! Like us on Facebook for bonus pictures, videos, and updates on all the kids! 

Nkoaranga Angels: Jan Maltby, Brinnington Health Centre, Stockport Foundation Trust and Jade Devon

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the number of people who want to help the kids when they have never even met them. They've heard stories or seen pictures and know that they want to help them even though they've never had the pleasure of getting to know the kids, the pleasure of loving them and being loved in return. These people are kind and selfless and the sort of people we need more of in this world.

I want to say a huge thank you to the wonderful Jan Maltby, a friend of my mothers, who has heard all about my adventures in Tanzania and the amazing people I met there. Over the past few months, she has been raising money for the orphanage through her knitting business, Artijan. She is a talented knitter and has used her skills to raise money for our wonderful children and we couldn't be more grateful. She is naming The Small Things as her 'good cause' for the year and, for each item she sells, is donating one pound. This is an incredible gesture and we are very thankful for your selflessness and generosity. Thank you for caring about our kids.

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Brinnington Health Centre, the Stockport Foundation Trust and the incredible Jade-Marie Devon. Jade is one of my house mates and has spent many an hour listening to loads of stories and watching tons of videos as I natter away about those beautiful kids who mean the world to me. She's always taken an interest in my life in Tanzania and I want to say a huge thank you to her for comforting me when I moan about missing it all. This wonderful girl has arranged for the medical supplies that are not going to be used at Brinnington Health Centre to be donated to The Small Things and sent out to Nkoaranga Hospital. This plan has grown and grown and we have now received a huge donation from the whole of the Stockport Foundation Trust who wish to continue to make donations to Nkoaranga Hospital indefinitely. This is amazing news and incredibly generous of them, so thank you to everyone who has been involved. You are wonderful and we are eternally grateful. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Jade and Becca, who helped us to collect this massive donation. Without the use of a car and a few spare hands, we would still be struggling to get them off the bus, so thank you.

None of these people have ever met the kids of Nkoaranga Orphanage or the patients of Nkoaranga Hospital but they all want to help them and I think this is remarkable. It shows what generous and caring people there are in the world and it makes me proud of the people I know.

So, to all those people who have helped the kids, donated to one of our projects, listened to our stories and read our blogs, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. It's people like you who give me faith in humanity.

Here's some videos of the kids to enjoy...

Vicky and her gremlin hands

Saimoni and Vicki (renamed Vixen by the kids) having fun

The kids experimenting with sound

Birthdays, Birthdays, Everywhere...

Three more birthdays to acknowledge this month - it's been a crazy one!

Our fantastic little guy Andrea turned five a week ago today. He is starting school in January with the help of My African Child, a Danish organization that has taken on his sponsorship. Andrea is a sweet and funny kid - and so smart! He is constantly translating for the volunteers, and loves helping in any way he can. He often gets so excited to tell you something that he stutters his way through it! And when he was little... oh did this boy have chub. He gives Frankie a run for his money on the fat baby scale! Thanks to former volunteers for the baby pictures - from being a baby to carrying one on his back! (Don't forget that we're still a few hundred dollars away from the up front fees needed to start our kids into school - check out the details and consider donating at the Education page!)

Neema is a little ray of sunshine with the greatest dimples in existence, and she is turning three on Saturday the 27th. She is a delicious little butterball, always cheerful and cooperative - and she's loved having her picture taken since she was tiny! As soon as a camera comes out, Neema is ON IT, usually smiling and saying "Ndizi!" which means banana - it's the Swahili version of saying "Cheese!" and Neema is the expert. 

 

And then there's Zawadi, my Zi. Technically nobody knows exactly when Zawadi's birthday is - she was brought into the orphanage after her mother died and father ran away, by relatives who hadn't known she was born until her mother passed away - it appears that her father was abusive and may have been involved in her mother's passing. I was so heartbroken by the idea of her having a birthday of October 0, 2009, which is what her file said when I met her, that we decided to give her the seventeenth. So today is her third birthday, or as close to it as we can hope to know. Zi has overcome malnutrition and bad rickets, and is now one of the healthiest kids at the orphanage (although she's still tiny!). She's incredibly smart, talkative, funny, and gorgeous - not that I'm a little biased! As many of you know, I am currently in the early stages of the adoption process with this angel (and Simoni). As much as it's killing me to be away, I am proud to say this will be her last birthday as an orphan.

 Zawadi splashing at a trip to the hot springs in August

This is the end of our insane crush of birthdays, at least until the end of November when Vicky and Filipo turn two. It's also a "birthday" for me - I first arrived in Tanzania on October 14th, 2010, and my first trip to Nkoaranga was that very next week. We're coming up on two years that I've been part of these kids' lives, and vice versa - I can't remember what my life was like before them, and it also feels like it has gone by so incredibly fast. I am truly blessed. 

Happy Birthday David!

It's getting to be that time of year again... time for the kids to start school. Today is the fifth birthday of an amazing little boy, David, who has been through more in his five years than many of us will have to face in our entire lives. Today we want to celebrate his journey and how far he's come!

David's had the same great smile since day one!

David in 2010

David's mother was sadly mentally ill, and in light of the lack of mental healthcare available in Tanzania, she abandoned him as an infant at the orphanage. At 15 months, he was badly burned in a fire at the orphanage caused by an electrical short - see Project Light Up the Night for details about the fire and our (now completed!) project to rewire the orphanage to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Thanks to Mama Cantate, David and all the other babies in the fire were saved, and after six months in the hospital, he recovered with full mobility. However, he's had some serious emotional repercussions from the long period of hospitalization and painful recovery. When we met him two years ago, he was completely incapable of handling any time of opposition without completely losing control and striking out violently at anyone who was around him, including mamas, volunteers, and other children, leading to alienation from many of them.

What a far cry from where he is today! David now has close and loving relationships with the other orphanage children, and even helps out frequently with the babies and younger kids. He loves to help and gets will happily escort little ones around, grab napkins, and help hand out food. His tantrums have declined to next to nothing, and he can frequently be convinced to stop himself before losing control. He still has some trouble with rocking and retreating when he's in pain - in August he had a bad blister of some sort inside his mouth, and I only discovered it because I went to ask him why he was rocking in a corner instead of playing with the other children. He still didn't say anything but dissolved into tears from the pain when I asked him repeatedly what was wrong. The poor boy is still afraid of the hospital and prefers to try to hide his illness - but he's improving in leaps and bounds, and we are working hard to constantly reaffirm his secure and loving place in the Nkoaranga family.

Playing field hockey with Claire

In order for David to start school in January, he needs his year-to-year sponsors and up-front sponsorship - thank you to Kristina, her parents Wayne and Sandra Leland, and Emma Shaw for funding his future!  As for the up-front tuition, we have now raised over $7,300 of the $8,800 total we need to pay for two years tuition for each child (David, Andrea, Abdulli, and Pendo). We are just $1,500 away from that goal - but if we do not reach it before January, they cannot start school. Go to our Education page to donate to getting these wonderful kids started on their educational journeys!


David, we are so proud of you and how far you've come, and we know you are going to do an incredible job in school next year! We love you!

Update: Our wonderful boy Abdulli is also now fully sponsored! Huge thanks to Emma Shaw, the Williams family, and the Bianucci family! Now we just have to find that last $1,500 and all the kids will be able to start school in January! Thank you to all our amazing supporters. 

Happy Birthday Abdulli and Desperately Seeking Sponsor

UPDATE: The Williams family has offered to take on quarter sponsorship for Abdulli's schooling! That means we are looking for just $825 more per year. If you are able to commit to a three quarters ($825/year or $65/month), half ($550/year or $45/month) or quarter ($275/year or $23/month) sponsorship for him, please let us know. 

Thursday was the sixth birthday of an incredible little guy, Abdulli. Take a look at Abdulli over the years, thanks to pictures from amazing former volunteers! Then read on below to find out about the plans for his future and how you can help. 

Discerning readers will notice that Abdulli is turning six, a year older than the age that most kids leave the orphanage to start boarding school. That is because Abdulli has some developmental delays, we think due to a cerebral infection he had as a young child. When I first met him at age four, he barely interacted with volunteers and would barely talk, and often resorted to violence to communicate with the other children - we worried worried about potential autism. However, he has come an incredible distance in the past two years. He is a warm, sweet, and much more verbal boy who has developed good relationships with lots of other children. Our fantastic pre-school teachers have worked with him closely, and although he has difficulty following along in a group setting, he has done extremely well in one-on-one work. He can count well in Swahili and is working on writing his name - right now he can get most of the letters out, just not in the right order! However, he loves school and is a hard worker, and is so proud when he makes breakthroughs. 

Megan and Abdulli

Life for individuals with disabilities is incredibly tough in Tanzania. We feel incredibly lucky that we have been able to locate a great school in Arusha with the help of TFFT that works with children who need extra attention, who are willing to take Abdulli on and give him the one-on-one tutoring he needs to potentially rejoin his friends at USA River Academy in a few years. Step by Step Learning Center was founded by an incredible woman with an autistic daughter, and it caters to children with severe mental retardation all the way through slight cognitive delays like Abdulli's. It is a day program, but Abdulli is lucky enough to have a father who loves his son very much, and with financial support for his food and care, Abdulli can return to his father's home. However, he still needs sponsorship. It will cost $1,100 per year for Abdulli's tuition, food, medical care, and transportation to and from school (click here for more information on our sponsorship program). We are looking for yearly sponsors totaling that amount - are you able to take on a full, half ($550/year) or quarter ($275/year) sponsorship for this incredible boy? It is so important to us to provide opportunity for all of our children, regardless of special needs. I know most of you reading have a loved one with learning disabilities or cognitive delays of some sort - it shouldn't hold them back and it shouldn't hold Abdulli back either. 

To become a year-to-year sponsor for Abdulli, email us, or to donate towards his two years of up front tuition, click below or go to our Education page. Thank you so much for helping give this incredible boy the chance he deserves! 

Give this incredible boy a chance. Sponsor him today!