Heri ya Pasaka!

Like Christmas, Easter (Pasaka) is a fairly big part of the Tanzanian religious year. Unfortunately this doesn't permeate much into the orphanage and chocolate is not really on the Easter agenda. As we can't show you the kids cracking open chocolate eggs, let's go for some other Easter themes:

Chickens

There's plenty of these around in Tanzania. One of the Small Things' projects has been to build a new coop for the orphanage and expand their stock of chickens. Thanks to Marie and her mum, it now keeps 10-15 chickens safe and secure so they can provide us with a reliable supply of eggs. Not only do the kids get vital protein out of it, they also get the immense joy of chasing, pointing and shouting at the chickens, as well as occasionally getting into the coop and refusing to come out.

Our new chicken house, which is now complete and occupied.

Playing outside this January, Pendo came running up to me shouting frantically, "Abdulli piga kuku, Abdulli piga kuku!" ("Abdulli hit a chicken, Abdulli hit a chicken!"). Abdulli was indignant at this accusation, and I knew he probably couldn't have even caught a chicken, let alone hit one. He'd also been with me the whole time. When questioned, Pendo confidently told me that Abdulli had got up in the night, sneaked out and started hitting the chickens, with Stevie cheerfully verifying the whole story. Abdulli was very relieved when he didn't get into trouble for this shocking imaginary crime!

Tiny, tiny hands.

New Life

Of course, the reason we have eggs and chicks at Easter has to do with the celebration of new life, which is a good excuse to feature Angel, the newest life at the orphanage.
When they arrive they always seem so tiny, swaddled up in their huge mounds of blankets - Tanzanians take keeping their babies warm very seriously! Here's Angel when she arrived in December, and again in mid-January having already grown beautifully.

Angel shortly after she arrived.

Having kicked off some blankets in mid-January.

Back from the hospital and healthy again.

I'm sure she's much bigger now, having recovered from her bout of malaria. I can't wait to see the new pictures that will be coming very soon.

Hongera! (Congratulations!)

Today, most of the board members of The Small Things will be in one place, which is extremely unusual; we're gathering for the first part of a very international wedding. Bekka Ross Russell is marrying Riz Kaiser, and they will soon be heading off to live as close to the orphanage as possible in Tanzania. Congratulations Bekka and Riz!

Bekka with Zawadi and Simoni

Riz with Zawadi

This is made even more exciting because it brings the adoption of Simoni and Zawadi one step closer. The two of them have already completely accepted each other as brother and sister and are very excited to go and live with Bekka and Riz - even three months ago they couldn't stop talking about it!

Simoni and Zawadi

I noticed that in Swahili, Pasaka means both Easter and Passover, which I think is quite nice, despite the fact they are the celebrations of two different events. Heri kwa sikukuu ya Pasaka to everyone!

Top 10 tips for volunteering at Nkoaranga Orphanage

The first few days of volunteering at Nkoaranga Orphanage (...or any new place, for that matter!) can be quite disorientating: you spend a lot a time feeling confused; a bit lost; trying hard to get your bearings. And then, after a while, all the little things which used to trip you up become second nature. From then on, it's (fairly) plain sailing!  This week, we thought we'd ask former volunteers for one vital piece of advice from their time volunteering at the orphange, that we could share with you... and here are the results!

Adam with Miriam

1.

Don't mix up "habari" ("how are you?") with "hapana" ("no"), otherwise the kids will be very confused when you're angrily saying, "HOW ARE YOU!" - Bekka Ross Russell (although it actually happened to someone else!)

2.

Have a huge pile of suitable-sized vests beside you when changing all the kids at once - it stops them getting chilly while you scramble about at the shelves trying to find something that fits! - Emma Shaw

3.

Picking little Frankie up, and then placing him back on the ground, is asking for trouble - his wails will let you know that you've done something wrong. And the only way to fix it is to pick him back up again! - Riz Kaiser

4.

Don't wear any jewellery you don't want having yanked off you/ going through a child's digestive system! - Bekka Ross Russell

Frankie (aged 2 years)

5.

Folding some of the laundry can be such a huge help, and means that the Mamas have more time to bond with the kids. - Emily Butler

6.

Spend as much of your time as possible with the kids when you are there because they grow up so fast, and when you leave you want as many memories as possible of them. - Jasmine Alazawie

Left-right: Gracie (2), Philipo (2), Vicky (2), Frankie (2), Ebeneezer (2).

7.

Be aware of the stickiness that ensues when the kids are given mango to eat - it's good to have a cloth at the ready! - Megan Williams

8.

Make a big effort to get to know all the Mamas' names - it's respectful, friendly and makes such a huge difference, plus, they know a lot more about the kids than you do! - Emma Shaw

Mama Faraja with baby Angel (now 3 months old)

9.

Ask the Mamas if there is anything you can help with, because half of the time they don't feel they can ask you.  I felt like it made them respect you more and feel happier about you being there as you were willing to help them with the jobs that really needed doing, rather than just blundering about and cuddling the babies - Emily Butler

10.

Be open to experiences which will change your life forever. - Kristina Alexander

Saimoni (5) and Zawadi (3)

We hoped you enjoyed reading those! Before we go, Happy 1st Birthday to little Ebenezer!  Born on the 20th of March in 2012, he was very premature, resulting in him developing severe pneumonia as the result of a cold which was going around in the orphanage. Due to your generous donations, we were able to pay for him to receive the high quality hospital treatment he desperately needed - thank you! We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mama Linda, who came in every single day for 30 days to care for him on a one-to-one basis when he was newly born (the same care program little Peace benefited from!), giving him the care and attention that such a young baby needs. Thanks to you and Mama Linda, Ebenezer is now doing really well - always smiling and recently starting to crawl!

Newborn Ebenezer

Ebenezer with Mama Pendo after
leaving the hospital in Arusha

Ebeenezer (1) starting to crawl!

Sharing the love!

Hello everyone, we hope you've all had a great week!  This week our blog features some birthdays, a guest post by three amazing girls telling you about their candy-gram fundraiser, and a little bit about some of The Small Things' committees who are looking for people to join them!

Birthdays!

Saimoni (5 years old)

Today is Saimoni's 5th Birthday!  He is such an amazing boy who has done so well to overcome the rickets he suffered from when he was younger (especially not easy when living in  an orphanage full of more mobile kids) to become the happy, laughing and extremely imaginative little boy that he is today!

Left to right: Faraja (8 years old), Baracka (4 years old) and Neema ndogo (1 year old)

It's been a busy week birthday-wise!  Last Friday, we celebrated two other Birthdays: Faraja - who was at Nkoaranga Orphanage until the age of 6, when she left to live at a nearby SOS children's village - turned 8, and it was also Baracka's 4th Birthday!  And last but definitely not least, just yesterday Neema ndogo turned 1!  We are so happy that they are all growing up safe and happy, although it is very scary how fast it is happening!!

PS. Just in case we are confusing you, 'ndogo' means 'little'!

Candy-grams

by Carly Charlebois, Amanda Roberts and Ashley Pollari

"We are students at Camosun College in Victoria, BC and our team consists of Carly Charlebois, Amanda Roberts and Ashley Pollari.  We are currently taking a Sociology course: Introduction to Africa Studies. One of the main components of our class is to come up with a service-learning project, which positively impacts an African country in a sustainable way.

"All three of us have been to Africa at some point in the past few years.  Carly and Ashley have been to Kenya and Amanda was in Burkina Faso.  Together we have developed a passion for this incredible continent and the amazing people who live there.  Having that personal connection and the experience of being to Africa are important and provide us with a strong basis for this project.  We all connected to The Small Things organization through Kristina Alexander; who we know either through the African Awareness Committee at school, or work.  Having Kristina here at Camosun has been a huge help in developing our project plan.  Since connecting with Kristina and learning more about what The Small Things is doing for the orphanage, we have taken a huge interest in their future projects.

"Two members of our group, Carly and Ashley, are preparing to start the nursing programs in the fall.  Therefore, we are quite interested in how we could create a sustainable project for medical development on the ground in Tanzania.  Our hope is for these funds from our service-learning project to help build the HIV health care facility for the new children’s village, as well as aid in the employment of a full-time nurse.  In addition, Ashley and Amanda plan to make it to Tanzania next year to see the impact of our efforts, which makes the connection much more real.

"Our first fundraiser for this project was a Valentine’s Day candy-gram service that raised awareness and funds for the Nkoaranga orphanage.  For three days, we sold handmade cards, and Fair Trade chocolates on campus for two dollars.  Then they were delivered on Valentine’s Day.   

"We had a positive and optimistic outlook from the beginning about our candy-gram fundraiser.  Despite it being a last minute decision to do this fundraiser, we feel as though we reached out to many people and fostered awareness about The Small Things and their mission.  In the end, we raised approximately $150.   

"In the coming weeks, we hope to build on this success through a penny drive and bottle drive.  As we learn more in our Sociology class, we will continue to work with Kristina and The Small Things to support Nkoaranga Orphanage.

"Our reward will come when can visit next year and meet the children that we have grown to love though photos and stories."

Committees

We are looking for passionate and dedicated people to join The Small Things's committees!  Below is an outline of the different committees and the sort of people who we'd love to join us working on them.

Stevie, Andrea and David drinking the
filtered water provided by Project Maji

Strategic planning

• What it involves: discussing in what direction to develop the charity for the future and considering factors which influence this; planning how to implement these decisions
• Looking for: Individuals who have experience starting or building a successful company or non-profit
• Commitment: 1hr per week + 1 meeting per month

'The Mosaic Ladies' - a beautiful
quilt made by Sandra to auction off to
raise money to rewire the orphanage

Fundraising

• What it involves: Working with volunteers to support their own fundraising projects, organising events to raise money and awareness and developing products such as calendars etc to sell
• Looking for: People who have experience organising events, connections to companies or experience with general fundraising
• Commitment: 1hr per week + 1 meeting per month

The kids looking delighted in beautiful
clothes donated by 'Fred's World'

Child welfare

• What it involves:Consideration of how best to support the mental and physical health of the children in our care, developing advice for volunteers in the form of manuals and development charts, coordinating in-kind donations such as vitamins and clothing
• Looking for: People with medical, psychological, or child development expertise
• Commitment: 1hr per week + 1 meeting per month

If you are interested in working on any of the above, please get in touch with us at info@thesmallthings.org - thank you!

Vicky (2 years old), loving her new nappy
donated by 'Baba and Boo'

Thanks for reading!

Good Luck Gracie!

Beautiful Gracie

This week's news from The Small Things includes an exciting update about Gracie. Sweet Gracie, aged 2 years and 8 months, has left the orphanage and her Grandmother has brought her to the SOS Children’s villages. Gracie has an older sister already at SOS so they will now be together. Born very underweight on June 21st, 2010, Gracie Spent her first three months in the hospital and was very sick. Her mother was HIV positive and died shortly after birth and at around three months old, Gracie arrived at the orphanage. Since then, she has grown into such a beautiful little girl who has a great future ahead of her. This is a fantastic opportunity for Gracie and we are very happy for her. We will miss her so much, as will the other children! She is such a bubbly and happy girl who will no doubt make an impression and fit in well at her new home. Luckily she won't be far away so it will be easy to visit!

Gracie, I don't think that is where the nappy is supposed to go!

Gracie will not be on her own. Our wonderful Farajah is also there and thriving. Farajah will be turning 8 years old on Friday and has always been a very bright and mature young lady so we have no doubt that she will keep a watchful eye on Gracie as she settles in.


To find out more information about the work of SOS, click here.

More good news! The kids who had malaria in the last two weeks are now recovered and doing really well. Mama Pendo has informed us that Little Ebeni is crawling everywhere and very quickly! Little Neema is still "swimming" on the floor but doing well and is very mobile.

Poor Angel is fighting an ear infection that's leaving her miserable but she's otherwise healthy and really gaining weight.

Keep a look out for upcoming blog posts featuring guest blogs from our half marathon runners who are hard at training in preparation for April 7th, as well as details on our new fresh food program at the orphanage and an insight into our new addition to the media team - Chelle McCann!

Click here for The Small Things 2012 in review newsletter released today! And if you aren't already signed up to receive our annual newsletter by email, sign up now to avoid missing out next time.
(You can find the subscription link on the right).

Bekka with Grace on day 1

A very happy baby

Even happier when she got her independence and learnt to walk!

Gracie and Eman, amazing children. We will miss you Gracie!