Get to know a little bit more about 5 special people

April has been a birthday filled month for The Small Things' children. So here is a recap of our five birthday beauties who are another year older and another year wiser! 

Miriam came to Nkoaranga from the Cradle of Love care home when she was 2 years old. Sadly, her mother was mentally ill and killed several other babies that she had. Miriam was very shy at first when she arrived at Nkoaranga but it wasn't long before she settled in and the other children made her feel like another sister. She is now very comfortable and is extremely sweet and loving. Miriam loves dancing and always has a smile on her face!  

Miriam turned 4 years old on April 1st

Our Easter baby, Ester, is sometimes very cuddly and shy, at other times she is a little mischief! Her mother was very young and died during childbirth,  which is unfortunately such a common occurrence in Tanzania. Ester usually creeps up on you when you least expect it and particularly loves to run away whilst you are trying to dress her. Luckily she giggles so loudly and gleefully whilst hiding that it isn't too hard to find her!

Ester turned 3 years old on April 4th

Pray is very athletic and independent but doesn't always like to listen! Pray was unfortunately one of the babies who suffered burns in the fire at the orphanage when he was about 10 months old. He was in the hospital for about one month recovering and is now just a brilliant burst of energy! Pray is especially fond of playing with the sinks and TV, and climbing things. He won't make the first move for affection but it is great for him to have volunteers make the effort – it is very worth it!

Pray turned 5 years old on April 20th

Maureen Kubwa ('Big Maureen', as we also have a little toddler called Maureen!) is quite an independent little girl but she loves cuddles when she can get them. Similarly to Ester's mother, Miriam's mother died during delivery. Maureen is a very expressive little girl, who loves to blow everyone kisses! It's lovely to see her friendships with the kids who are similar in age to her - Neema, Miriam and several others.

Maureen turned 4 years old on April 22nd

Ericki is now in his second year at boarding school and is thriving! Ericki had a troubled past as his father decided that he couldn't afford to keep all of his children, so he sent Ericki to us at a young age. Ericki has grown up a very mature little boy and is a very happy student! When he was back for the holidays at Christmas, his English was amazing. We're sure he has a bright future to come! 

Ericki turned 7 years old on April 24th

This is just five of our brilliant bunch! 
They are all so unique characters with certain qualities that define them. There are no other children like these! We know that if they could, they would each say a big thank you, send a massive kiss, give a loving hug to each and every one of of you who has supported the work we do at The Small Things. This directly helps these children, and the wonderful Mamas that are there every day, putting food in their mouths, playing with them, putting them to bed each night, and changing an assortment of dirty nappies! 

Karibu dada wetu! (Welcome, our sister!)

This blog definitely needs to start with a welcome for Priscilla.  She arrived at Nkoaranga Orphanage on the 8th April and since then has been charming everyone with how cute she looks in her little woolly hat.  We are so glad to have her with us and that we can help to provide a safety net for such a tiny person.  More pictures soon, but for the moment, we are very happy to let you know that she is healthy and doing well!

Priscilla asleep just after she arrived.

National Siblings' Day was last week (in America).  Blogging about Mother's Day or Father's Day can be a bit difficult, because although some of our children do still have family members the situations are rarely good. Siblings however are not in short supply. With the exception of Pendo and Zawadi, none of the Nkoaranga children are biologically related. However, as I learnt in first-year undergraduate Social Anthropology last year, 'kinship' is about far more than DNA. 

The children all grow up together in what is essentially one big family, with a lot of different parents. With so many adults coming and going, their real stability comes from the other children around them. Naturally, there are squabbles, fights, tears and a bit of hitting, but then, you get some of that in your average sized family! When it comes down to it, though, they really care about each other. The older children join in feeding the little ones (sometimes this is a rather messy idea!), they try to carry them (also a bit risky), and I can't count the number of times that one of them has come up to me and pointed me in the direction of a crying baby, or just dumped one unceremoniously in my lap.

Dainessi (7) cuddling little Isaac. 

Eriki (6) also with Isaac, who doesn't always get all the attention!

The toddlers always have a good group dynamic, and the kids in the school room snatch each others' coloring pencils and chairs, but usually come back best of friends at the end of the morning.  I remember one morning when everyone was out playing in the garden, and Ester and Loveness came over to me to show me that little Neema was sitting in the grass (quite peacefully!) - I think that they thought she wasn't getting enough attention.  Once I had picked her up and put her in the baby swing, they took turns to push her (which needed a bit of overseeing as they were rather enthusiastic!) and taking turns to say 'shikamoo' to her!  I should add that shikamoo is something which you say to elders as a sign of respect, so it was quite amusing to watch them giggle at the fact they were saying it to their little sister...but also very sweet!

Here are a few pictures of some especially close sibling relationships that we have seen develop and look set to continue well into the future!

Maureeni (3) joining Shujaa (1) in his cot.

Neema (1) and Isaac on the changing table.

Maureeni (3) and Ester (3)

A bittersweet welcome and marathon success!

This week two children - Brighton and Priscilla - have been brought to the orphanage.  It has been a four months since a new child has arrived at the orphanage, and it is always a bittersweet time.  It is heartbreaking that these children have been separated from their families and left alone in the world and, despite the happiness of the kids at Nkoaranga, it is important to never play down what they have lost.  At the same time, I am so grateful that Nkoaranga Orphanage - and other orphanages - provide a place of safety where the child can grow up feeling as secure, valued and loved as possible. Thank you for your help in supporting this!

Left to right: Brighton (2), Philipo (2), Zawadi (3) and a grinning Maureen (3)

Meet Brighton!

This little guy is 2 years old and very cute!  His father passed away and he was brought to the orphanage after his mother became very mentally and physically ill due to HIV/Aids, putting Brighton at risk.  Brighton has been thoroughly tested and is healthy and, despite his difficult background, we are very happy to tell you that he is in good shape.  He is naturally a bit clingy, as any child would be in a completely new situation, but he is very sweet and seems to be settling in well!

We are delighted to tell you that the Taunton Half Marathon, which Team Small Things took part in on Sunday, was a great success!!  We are so proud of Bethan, Charlotte, Emily and Jake who ran in support of The Small Things, and want to send them a huge thank you!  We thought that they were the best people to tell you about their experience, and so here are their thoughts!

"Monday was an extraordinary pain suffered after 13 miles of running on the Sunday!  But a good roast dinner helped ease the recovery process and I'm now back to walking like an average 21 year old!  I'm so happy that I completed the half marathon and it's given me the boost to perhaps take part next year too!  I'm really proud of the amazing work that Charlotte, Jake and Emily also contributed in order to raise money for the orphanage and it is truly heartwarming to realize exactly how far the support for The Small Thing stretches.  Thank you on behalf of all Team Small Things for the support and donations that you have put towards this great cause!" - Bethan Crisp

"The marathon was much harder than I was expecting.  It was great to see so many people running for lots of different charities but, for me personally, the thought of the money raised for the orphanage was driving me on to finish as quickly as I could!! I just hope it made a small difference to someone's life" - Jake Fuller

"I was so pleased with our half marathon on Sunday! I was so nervous in the days before as I have not had much experience or training and I was worried I might not be able to do it. I loved the whole experience and challenge of the run. I did struggle at times but we did it!!! So happy and lucky to be able to have raised some money from the kind people who sponsored us for this wonderful cause." - Charlotte Foster

Thank you so much again to you all for your ongoing support, it is fantastic and we really appreciate it.  Please check back in next week to meet little Priscilla, and for more news on how the kids are doing and for the final total that Team Small Things raised!  In the meantime, I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Team Small Things to run 13 miles this Sunday!

This week has been an exciting week for The Small Things.

The happy couple!

Not only did we see Bekka, the director and Chair of The Small Things become married to Riz on Thursday, but they have now moved house and are living in Tanzania and are settling in great. We will soon have a lot more information on how the kids and Mamas are doing as well as recent developments on our projects. So stay with us for lots of updates coming soon!

This Sunday at 10.30am, Bethan, Charlotte, Emily and Jake will be running 13 miles in a half marathon in their home town of Taunton, in order to raise money for The Small Things. Together, they are hoping to raise approximately £500 and this money will go directly to the orphanage.

Training has certainly been challenging, not to mention, sweaty!

Charlotte with Filipo in January 2011
 (Now 2 years old)

So why The Small Things?

One of our runners, Charlotte, says how lucky she feels to have had 'the privilege of volunteering at Nkoaranga Orphanage with the amazing children and staff. I miss seeing the wonderful children and admire the work that The Small Things are doing to help make a difference to the lives of the people at the orphanage. This is why I have decided to run the Taunton Half Marathon to raise money for The Small Things. I am not someone who is particularly good at running so this is definitely a challenge! Training is so hard! However it will be worth it for this amazing cause.'

And how are our runners feeling about the big day coming up?

Bethan explains how 'The nerves are really starting to kick in now! I'm sure the adrenaline, the atmosphere, and the support that we will receive on Sunday will keep us going and get us to the finish line. It's certainly been difficult training at the gym and going on runs in such chilly weather! Not to mention trying to balance studying for a degree! But I'm confident we will all do well and that we will encourage each other to reach the end, however long it may take!'

Bethan with Maureen Kubwa
 (3 years old - soon to be 4 on April 22nd!)

We feel very proud of our four runners who are taking part in this challenge purely for our kids and the Mamas. This is another act of support that keeps us dedicated and thankful to you all who help us at The Small Things.

Click here to sponsor our team and to get them closer to their target. Any amount will be greatly appreciated by us all and a little goes a long way!

Keep an eye out next week to find out how the run went as well as updates and new photos of the beautiful children coming soon.

Good luck for Sunday to Team Small Things: Jake, Emily, Charlotte and Bethan!