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!