Part 2 - PLAYGROUND TRIP!

Because so much has happened over the last week I thought that two smaller blogs might be easier to digest than one mammoth one.  The volunteers and Mamas took the kids to a really cool playground -  Tiger Market which is near Njiro (Arusha).  Needless to say, the kids were super excited and had a fantastic time!  Bethan has been amazing with updates of this week, and here she shares some of the most memorable (and funny) moments of the trip!

"The day trip to the playground near Arusha was great!  The playground had a climbing frame, two big trampolines, a large model aeroplane that the kids could climb up and sit in (Saimoni liked to pretend his was the pilot!). There were about nine swings and two large swings that fit about six children and a mama.

"All of the children had a fantastic time (although Shujaa was pretty grumpy!)!  As stated on Facebook, it was Queen's first time on many of the things, and it was so nice to see her running around and jumping around pain free from her injuries and just having an enjoyable day.  Peace particularly loved the ball pit, in fact I think that was the kids' favourite part!  They loved burying themselves and each other under the balls.

"There was a big inflatable slide that the kids climbed up first ad then slid down into the ball pit.  Little Maureen was apprehensive about going down it at first, but as soon as she got the courage to do it once there was no stopping her!

"There was even an electronic aeroplane ride and  an electronic train ride! Brighton was not a fan of the first electronic ride. He got in the seat and cried his eyes out and had to come off.  Luckily he seemed to like the train ride much better!  It was great seeing that he is now settled in well enough to really enjoy everything.

"We made peanut butter sandwiches and they had juice for lunch which went down very well and Franky was still munching away whilst in the ball pit. As long as his sandwich was safe, he didn't care about anything else!

"They were all exhausted in the car, with most falling asleep right away, (I was almost asleep myself with my head resting on a sleeping Ebenezer Kubwa!).  They each had a biscuit as they arrived back at the orphanage and they then had their afternoon nap. After a tiring day, the evening shift was pretty relaxed and most went to sleep quickly that night."

Thank you from us and from the kids for helping to raise the money to make day trips like this possible!

Part 1 - Update on the school kids

A massive thank you for all your support which allows all these kids to attend school!

Bethan with Tumaini (left), Eman kubwa (back right), Eman dogo (middle) and David (front right)

This week Bethan (above) writes about how they visited all of the school kids to find out how they were doing and, especially, to give you a long-awaited update on how our new four - Pendo, Andrea, David and Abdulli - are settling in!  This involved visiting Usa River Academy in Usa to see most of the school kids there, and to visit Abdulli in Tengheru, where he is staying with his family.

Tumaini (left) and Dainess (right) skipping/jumping rope

"So, the Usa visit was brilliant! So nice to see all of the kids! Emelie, Bekka, Riz, Mama Pendo and I went there two Fridays ago. The Nkoaranga kids suddenly ran up from nowhere! They must have all been playing together in some other place on the field. Olivia, a volunteer here from America (my friend) sent me with some skipping ropes which the children immediately wanted.  There were some Nkoaranga kids that I didn't know as they had left earlier than when we were first there but nonetheless they were still so friendly."

"They all spoke very old English, particularly Tumaini! But it was impressive to hear Andrea, David and Pendo who have only been there since January also immediately speak English. They all seemed very happy and it was lovely seeing them all together with strong bonds just like when they were in Nkoaranga.  They all looked very smart in their uniforms.  Mama Pendo brought a suitcase of new woolly hats and jumpers that had been donated and which the kids all loved and crowded round to receive.  A couple of kids came running to the car as we were leaving to see if we had any left - luckily we did!  The school grounds are beautiful and there is so much green grass and outdoor space for them to run around in. As we left, they were all going back to their dormitories. I hope to visit again before I leave in 3 weeks."

Left to right: Andrea, Eriki, David, Pendo, Dainess and Stevie

Dainess, Tumaini and David in their hats

"Unfortunately the SOS children's village visit to see Gracie, Farajah, Aroni and a couple of other Nkoaranga kids was unsuccessful. We arrived to find that very recently they have brought in a new policy where we have to make an appointment to visit any of the children, which never used to be the case. The secretary was not prepared to make an exception, so although we had made the journey especially to see the children and came so close, we were not allowed any further which was such a shame."

"Later at day, we met with Abduli and his father in Tengheru where we then drove to where they stay. They have just one room for Abduli, his father, stepmother and their other young son.  The father spoke of the few problems they are having such as the tiredness he faces everyday having to get up at 5 to journey into Arusha to drop Abduli in at school and then back again later. The Small Things do pay for the transport costs but the time it takes out of the day to get to Arusha twice means that they lose out on some money from their salon. Additionally, Abdulli is wetting himself every time he sleeps, including any naps he has at home. This is a problem as it costs extra to boil water to wash him twice or three times a day. He is still having some problems with being violent and hitting at school."

"Despite these issues, they are determined to keep Abduli with them in their family at home, which is brilliant. They want to work through the problems which we of course will help with wherever possible, as long as Abduli stays with them. They seem like a very strong unit.  Abduli spoke of his best friend at school which was lovely to hear about and he wrote his name down for us in a notebook.  He is enjoying it.  But we will talk and look into other options like a closer school, and also speak to the school about how they are managing the students and just get their opinion on how Abduli is doing."

Mama Pendo with some of the many kids she has raised and who were delighted to see her!

We will continue to monitor how all the kids who are at school with your help (THANK YOU!) are doing and to help out wherever we can, and keep you updated!  We have lots more pictures of individual kids that we will share with you all on facebook - there just wasn't room for them all here!  Thank you, Bethan!

Welcome Queen, we hope you get well soon.

Things move fast at Nkoaranga orphanage. Until recently we didn't even know that our little Vicky had a sister, and now she's moved in!

Queen is five years old, which is a little older than the children the orphanage usually takes, but she's in quite a desperate situation and it's really important for us to help her. She's been living with her very loving father who has been trying his best to look after her but is extremely poor. Obviously, he needs to work, so he has been leaving Queen with her grandmother during the day. Recently her grandmother has been selling fruit and vegetables in town, so Queen has been spending her days with a neighbour.

Queen arriving at the hospital.

Unfortunately, there was an accident while Queen was at the neighbour's house. Another child accidentally scalded her by pushing over a pot of boiling water, leaving her with horrible burns from the waist down. She was taken to the hospital in a lot of pain, struggling to walk or sit down. It's clear that she can't really be cared for at home any more, so since coming out of hospital she's moved into the orphanage with her little sister. Her dad and grandmother are still really involved and are visiting a lot, which is great. This has also been good news for Vicky, who has gained confidence from seeing them a bit more. Bethan, who is in Tanzania at the moment, says that it's brilliant to see Vicky in her dad and grandma's arms when she's usually too scared to go anywhere near them. 

Here's Vicky. Can you see a family resemblance?

Queen has been at the orphanage for two nights now and seems to be doing really well. Each night she has to have her dressings changed by one of the mamas, but she is extremely brave about all the pain - she was even still smiling in the hospital! She's sitting down on her own now and although she's walking with a slight hunch this is a huge improvement on the situation when she arrived. She is very sweet, soft-spoken and gentle but also very smiley, especially given how uncomfortable she still must be. She's been helping Bethan pair up the shoes today and laughing at some of the random odd ones that have found their way into the orphanage. Of course, she's missing her family a lot, but it is great that they are around so much and that she's in a place where she can be properly cared for. We're waiting on a few more pictures of her in her new home.

We put up an appeal for donations towards Queen's medical care on our Facebook page a few days ago. We were looking at an unexpected expense of about $250. Thank you so much to everyone who has given money towards that, particularly Vicky Crisp for getting the ball rolling and Charlotte Foster for putting in her fundraising money from the half marathon. We are pleased to say that thanks to all the donations we have received, Queen's immediate hospital bills are almost covered. 

However, in order for her to be able to stay at the orphanage we need to be able to guarantee to cover the costs of her on-going care. Although we are thrilled she's out of hospital so soon, the severity of the burns means she will need longer term support for check-ups and fresh bandages etc. Any donations towards Queen's care would be really appreciated and are vital to allow her to stay.

Donate to Queen's on-going medical care

Thank you for all you have already given. It has done really visible good for one little girl.

Next week's blog will be coming direct from Bethan in Tanzania. We won't steal what she wants to tell you all about, but here is a taster of her visit to see the older kids at boarding school in Usa River.

Bethan and Vicky with Tumaini and David (either side of Bethan), Stevie, Dainess and Eman Ndogo (in the middle) and Andrea and Eman Kubwa (at the front).

Mosquito Nets (and a Lot of Duct Tape!)

Ebeneezer kubwa (2) was diagnosed with
malaria this week.

As you may know from our facebook page, four of the kids have been suffering from malaria over the last week.

Big Maureen kubwa was diagnosed first.  The first step in this is realizing that a kid is feeling poorly, following which you go to the wooden 'DAWA' ('medicine') cupboard in the kitchen so that you can check their temperature, and if this is abnormal the next step is to take the five minute walk down the grassy slope to the hospital to get them tested for malaria. Neema kubwa, Ebeneezer kubwa and Saimoni also haven't been themselves and have also all been diagnosed with malaria in this way.

The fact that malaria is so common in Tanzania means that the test at the hospital is very easy, quick and efficient, allowing the kids to be diagnosed and started on medication as soon as possible.

The reason the kids don't get malaria as often as they otherwise might is due to mosquito nets!  Every night (normally between the mass changing of all the babies and toddlers; giving them all the hot drink of 'Ugi', and trying to ensure that all the big kids have a clean sheet and clean duvet cover...and are in the correct bed and not trying to trick you!) a mosquito net is put over every crib (babies), slightly bigger cot (toddlers) and bed (the 'big kids') that a kid is sleeping in to ensure that they are protected from the mosquitoes which will appear in the evening.

Neema ndogo's (1)* favourite way to be in her cot when
she was little was sitting up, making her especially
good at grabbing the mosquito net!

(*it is Neema kubwa who currently has malaria)

Sounds simple...until you realize that:

1. Toddlers love to grab anything above them and PULL (not great when the cot is made of wood which is rough for the fine net material to be dragged across).
2. Despite the fact that we have bought new nets to replace the old ones, unfortunately, the wear and tear of children and orphanage means that they grow holes at an alarming rate!
3. ...and this is where the duct tape comes in! Because any hole is an opportunity for a mosquito to get in and potentially cause malaria, any hole has to be either tied up, or duct taped.

Since Ebeneezer kubwa (2) is now on
medicine he should be feeling better very soon.

And, as you can imagine, this can take quite a while some nights!  It is 110% worth it though, as it means that cases like Maureen, Neema, Ebeneezer and Saimoni are much more infrequent than they otherwise would be.  Unfortunately it is not possible to ensure that they are never bitten (and not possible be on anti-malarial tablets long-term (ie. if you are permanently living in the country)), but the situation is SO much better than it would be without the nets!

With the help of medication, these four little ones are on the road to recovery and we will keep you all updated on their progress.

Your support helps to buy new mosquito nets when they become too damaged to be safely used, allowing us to protect the kids against what can be a lethal disease.

Thank you so much for caring.

Peace (1)

Then and now. Meet Maureen Ndogo, Franky, Ebenezer Mkubwa and Peace!

This week, The Small Things would like to present to you four of our slightly younger little people. Perhaps you are already familiar with the backgrounds of some of the older children? Check out this blog to get to know a few of our toddlers; Maureen Ndogo, Franky, Ebenezer Mkubwa and Peace; what they have been through and how far they have come, with big futures ahead of them.

Maureen Ndogo (Little Maureen)

Maureen was born on September 7th, 2010. She was normal weight; however, her mother was very sick and died about a month after she was born. Maureen has a father and teenage sisters who come to visit regularly. She is shy with new people but very bright and verbal once she gets comfortable. At two, she could already count to ten in English and Swahili, and knows tons of songs! She is growing up beautifully!

Then

Now: 2 years and 9 months old

Franky

Franky was born on September 14th, 2010. Like Maureen, he was normal weight. However, his mother was mentally ill and was found on the street and brought into the hospital to give birth. Unfortunately, she did not recognize the child when he was born and she returned to the street. A nurse from Salien gave him his name and brought him to Nkoaranga orphanage. He started walking late (at 2 years old) and his speech is still delayed.
He tries to bully each new volunteer into holding him for hours, and will scream when he is put down. We will continue working with him to improve his development and we are sure he will soon catch up!

Then

Now: 2 years and 9 months old

Ebenezer Mkubwa (Big Ebenezer)

Ebenezer was born on December 8th, 2010. He unfortunately got off to a bad start from birth. He was premature and very underweight, and sadly his mother died during delivery. He then suffered from malaria when he was around 4 months and was sick for several months. Through the amazing help of the hospital staff and the work and care from the mamas at Nkoaranga Orphanage, Ebenezer soon began his recovery to health and started meeting his milestones. He does however have rickets but with good nutrition, this should fix itself over time. He tends to fall, jump, and generally hurt himself a lot – so don't leave him unsupervised on top of cabinets or on the changing table! He knocked his front teeth out jumping from the top of his bed! He has a father and two brothers who come regularly to see him and who hope to take him back eventually. 

Then

Now: 2 years and 6 months

Peace

Peace was born on November 17th, 2011, originally named Daoudi. His name was changed when he was very young because there were already several Davids. Similarly to Ebenezer, Peace was premature. He was born to a young girl, about 17 years old who died at birth. There is no father but his Grandparents do come to visit. Peace was in the premature infant one-to-one care program with Mama Linda, devised by The Small Things. He is now a healthy, laid back little man and is now walking more than a few steps on his own!

Then

Now: 18 months old

Keep checking The Small Things facebook page for daily updates on what is happening at Nkoaranga Orphanage. From next week, we have lots of volunteers arriving and the volunteer house is full for the summer! That means lots more exciting events for the children, a full table for the monthly volunteer lunches with the mamas, and a lot of laughter and fun in Nkoaranga!