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?
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