Meeting Daniel

A few weeks ago, myself and a fellow volunteer, Emelie, took a very long, hot and dusty bus ride (13 hours each way!) along the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, through the beautiful Serengeti, passing numerous Maasai villages until we eventually reached the town of Musoma in the very north of Tanzania. We were in search of a boy named Daniel Meshack.

The Serengeti on the bus ride back to Arusha

Lake Victoria in Musoma

Daniel is a 16 year old orphan who suffers from a disability with his legs and struggles greatly when walking. He knows very little about his condition and due to a lack of money, his parents were forced to stop any further treatment after one operation that he had as a child.

He is being sponsored largely by a woman named Susan Green to attend Tabora boy's boarding school, as well as by The Small Things who are assisting in covering the rest of Daniel's school fees. Thanks to some amazing donors and Susan, who read Daniel's story and immediately knew she wanted to make a difference to his life, Daniel has been given a wonderful opportunity for education, and his passion for studying was clear to see during our visit.

This was our chance to meet him for the first time, to see how he is enjoying his new school (which he began in January 2013) and to find out his plans for the future.

He is currently living in a community called Nyakato with a 66 year old lady called Ms. Pelagia. She is a remarkable woman who has taken in many other orphans and children who are in difficult positions, which has led to 16 people living in the household at present. She is referred to as 'Bibi' (grandmother) but is not the biological grandmother of Daniel. Ms. Pelagia saw Daniel on the streets and did not hesitate to take him in and provide shelter and care. It was lovely to see the clear bond that Daniel and Ms. Pelagia share, as well as the help and support she tries her best to give, despite her own difficult living situation.

Daniel using Ms. Pelagia to support his weight as he stood for the photo to be taken

From the outside, the house appeared large with two smaller out-buildings. However, as we walked in we saw the crumbling walls and the bare rooms. It was clear to see that the overall construction was unfinished and not in a very good state. Ms. Pelagia and her husband had to take out a loan in order to build the house but, due to a lack of money, they were unable to complete the building and are now unable to repay the loan.

The main house building

The two outbuildings situated on the right of the main building

The living room

On the other hand, Daniel himself is doing brilliantly! He loves school and is thriving there. Every test paper we saw was graded between 80% and 100%! We were unable to see an official school report as he is still in his first term and will receive the report at the end of term. His favorite subjects are biology, chemistry and physics but his ambition is to become an accountant. We could see his face light up when he spoke about school. It was wonderful to see such a contrast after having to go over the difficult part of speaking about his heartbreaking past.

A variety of Daniel's test papers

One test paper where Daniel scored 100%

Another great test paper! Daniel scored 93 out of 100

Additionally, during the vacation periods from the boarding school, the students usually have to take extra tutoring in order to catch up with any work missed when a teacher at the school has been absent. The tutor has been kind enough to give Daniel a discount because of his condition, but it is still another payment for them that is not easy to find.

Daniel is burdened by his condition but he certainly does not let that stop him.

Instead of one pair of shoes that a Tanzanian would usually make do with for a couple of years, Daniel has to go through at least two pairs a year as they wear away so quickly from the way he has to walk.

Travelling to school at the beginning and end of term isn't straightforward. He cannot walk for long without having to take regular breaks, so he has to take a taxi from home to the bus stand in Musoma, then a bus from Musoma to Mwanza where he then has to stay for the night. His journey continues the next day with another bus ride and a taxi. Transport alone is costly but necessary. It is time consuming yet worth it for the joy and respite that education offers Daniel.

Through this inspiring visit, The Small Things would like to assist Daniel to get a hospital consultation for a thorough checkup of his legs. We would like to see if there is anything that can be done to improve or cure his condition. We also plan on discussing options for helping Ms. Pelagia and the other children that live in the household, perhaps by funding their primary school education. Daniel also has a younger brother of 9 years and a sister of 12 years. One lives in Dodoma and the other lives in Morogoro. Unfortunately, Daniel is unsure of who they are living with as the siblings were all split up when their parents passed away. We would love to try and track them down and to explore the possibilities of reuniting them.

Another child who lives with Daniel. She was intrigued by the camera!

Another child living with Daniel. She shyly came over as she wanted her photo taken too

Daniel has had an extremely hard childhood. He lost both parents in the space of a year, lost a friend named Zackaria who died in an accident when he was helping Daniel find a school, he has lived on the streets finding food remains to live on for six months and, throughout it all, he has had to battle a painful problem with his legs. Despite all of this, his thirst for education and enthusiasm for learning is completely awe inspiring. Daniel is an extremely intelligent boy who has the ability and motivation to succeed. He has another three years of studying at Tabora Boy's School and he then wishes to study at University. If you would like to contribute to his future, please click here to donate for Daniel.

Emelie and I hope to visit Daniel again in a couple of years. This was not just a 'business trip,' it was a very emotional and inspiring visit that touched us both. Meeting Daniel put a lot into perspective for us and those 13 hour bus rides didn't seem worth complaining about after all.

Emelie, Daniel, Ms. Pelagia and Bethan

A letter from Daniel

My Dolly - Part 1

Hi everyone,

Just a really quick introduction this week before we hand over the the incredible Anna Black!  Anna had the idea of giving each child at Nkoaranga their very own handmade doll, and since then has been busy contacting several amazing dollmakers who have been making absolutely beautiful dolls - one for each child to love and treasure. Here she talks about her idea, how it came about and how it has developed to become a reality (see the pictures below of the dolls from Jennie at Wild Marigold Toys!). This blog will be the first part of two blogs, the second of which will show you the dolls being received by the kids at Nkoaranga.

Anna with her two daughters

'My name is Anna Black and I am a new member of the Child Welfare Committee for The Small Things.  I have been fortunate enough to be involved from afar in the lives of the beautiful children, Mamas and volunteers of Nkoaranga for a couple of years, since I read about Bekka’s amazing work with The Small Things on Rebecca Woolf’s Girls Gone Child blog.  

'I have been involved with children and their families for the past ten years in various ways.  I am a Montessori teacher and have worked full-time in a classroom as well as part-time with children and their carers in small activity groups.  The welfare and development of children is a passion of mine, and since having my own children (two girls, now aged 3 and 6) this interest has extended into attachment, emotional security and how to best support joyful learning.

'Earlier this year I was watching my daughters play with two of their most treasured soft toys.  I could see how much comfort and security they gained from these particular toys, even though they have both been lucky enough to spend their whole lives being loved and cared for by both parents.  I thought how significant such a comfort item might be to a child living without a parent - however well and lovingly cared for they otherwise were.  I knew that although the children at Nkoaranga have access to plenty of toys and games, those toys are of necessity shared.  Building a secure connection to a toy can’t occur very well if the toys are shared.

'Through my work and parenting life I have often come across Waldorf-style dolls.  These are handmade dolls, usually made from natural materials, and very huggable with lovely appealing faces.  As they are handmade, each one is unique and they can be made with culturally appropriate colouring and features.  Although these dolls are very expensive to buy - over $150 for a larger one - they tend to be made by people who truly love children and toys.  I thought there might be enough dollmakers out there who would make a doll to donate to Nkoaranga so that each child could receive one for Christmas.

'I was so exited by the idea I started contacting dollmakers immediately and almost straight away heard from Jennie at www.wildmarigoldtoys.com.  She was delighted to be able to offer her help, it was clear that this would be a true labour of love for her.  At this point I thought I had better notify Bekka of my idea to see if she thought it would be something that the children needed and would enjoy.  She was enthusiastic and supportive, so my search for dollmakers continued.

'Soon Shelley from www.littlesparrow.net.au got in touch and volunteered to make as many dolls as we needed.  And lastly, Susan Healy, of www.etsy.com/shop/jemilynndolls, has also volunteered to make one of her beautiful dolls for Nkoaranga also.  

'I am so grateful for these wonderful women who are giving their time, materials, knowledge, energy and love for the children of Nkoaranga.  I know they are all keenly anticipating seeing photos of Christmas morning when all the children will be given a special doll of their very own.'

Anna Black

On behalf of everyone at The Small Things I just want to say a massive thank you

to all of you for your hard work in bringing together something which will mean so much to each kid.

Bonanza Donation from Fred's World

This is looking back a bit now, but The Small Things is very grateful for the amazing support it gets from Fred's World in Denmark. Fred's World is a company that specialises in beautiful organic clothing for children. We have been so lucky that such a brilliant manufacturer has chosen to support us, and in such a big way.

Back in January Fred's world made an incredible donation. They were moving offices, and decided to give us 7 boxes of gorgeous, strong, good quality clothes - an impressive 105kg!!! As our board member Dorothy remarked, "Those kids are going to be the best dressed children in Tanzania. Fred's World rocks!"

Here are some of the pictures of this amazing haul of clothes:

The boxes arrive...

...bursting at the seams.

Here's what Fred's World say about their own clothes:

"Fred's world by Green Cotton is designed with a Scandinavian approach to children's development. There are no princes and princesses but active kids with a lust for life in practical but smart clothes. Keywords for how we want our children to develop are:

Safe, active, knowledge, understanding of the human interaction with nature, experience, absorption, fantasy, possibilities, co-responsibility, rights, freedom."

...which sounds perfect for our kids.

And quite clearly, it is perfect:

Peace in Fred's World

Andrea in Fred's World

Dainessi in Fred's World

There's nothing better in the orphanage than being able to dress the kids in good quality clothes that aren't ripped, stained or falling apart at the seams.


So, once again THANK YOU FRED!!!

Next week, we should be able to have a detailed welcome blog for our new baby (see Wednesday's Facebook post), plus wonderful things that have been made for Nkoaranga by some very wonderful people.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away...

Last week you all had a lot to read, with two different blogs covering our week's news!  Because of that, we thought that we would keep this week a little shorter!  So, in light of our Facebook post about how the kids get their heads shaved regularly because it makes keeping them clean (and healthy) so much easier, this week's blog is about some of the other things that your support allows us to do to promote the kids' well being.

1. An apple MANGO a day keeps the doctor away!

Maureen ndogo tucking into her fruit of the day.

The Mamas and volunteers make sure that the kids get fresh fruit from the orphanage garden or local market each afternoon. This can include bananas, oranges, pears, mangos, avocado, oranges etc.  Sticky but yummy!

2. Healthy and balanced meals cooked by our fantastic cook!

Dinner time - before the floor is strewn with food!

She has previous experience working as a cook at a safari lodge, but decided to leave there to spend more time with her children (and now LOTS of other children too!!).

3. Multivitamins!

Miriam and Maureen showing off their dazzling smiles (the Mamas and
volunteer ensure that the kids brush their teeth every morning).

The kids take these every day to ensure that they are getting everything they need to grow up fit and healthy, and strong enough to fight off all the bugs that are so easy to catch when so many kids live together! The toddlers take them in a liquid form and then graduate onto the solid 'pipis' ('sweeties'!) when they are old enough.

4. And for the tiny-tots: formula milk to get them off to a good start!

Priscilla looking big and healthy just before she moved onto solid food!

The combination of oats, milk and peanut butter which the older babies are fed just doesn't contain what newborn babies need to be nourished with; formula milk ensures that they get everything they need to aid healthy development from birth.

Thank you!