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