Ok, this is going to be a long one, and pretty picture intensive. But please, I promise it's worth it, if not for my completely inadequate words then at least to learn a little something about how things are going over here. Last Friday was my first day at Nkoaranga (probably spelled wrong) orphanage, wayyy up on top of Mount Meru in Tanzania. To get there, you take one dalla-dalla to a stop called Kilala, then wait for another one to go up the mountain. And I do mean mountain - twisty, turny, dirt road, single lane up and down mountain in a dalla that can't really even begin to handle the stress - and since it's a tough ride, they pack the dallas as full as conceivably possible. Sigh. This is a picture from the back of the dalla - now keep in mind that there's another row of seats and there are only 3 people standing rather than the usual 7 or 8. Often the boy employed to rustle up customers and collect money actually rides on the outside of the van because there's no room inside.
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| This actually underestimates the insanity by several factors of ten |
Anyway, the orphanage. It was intense. They usually have a maximum of 23 kids but they just received 3 babies - Maureen and Frank, each one month, and Grace, four months - who came in and went straight back out to the hospital for a week, because she had (still probably has) malaria. A volunteer paid for treatment, and she's back now. On top of that they have another 24 kids ranging up to about age 6. Within the first three minutes I had a kid plopped in my lap - not that I don't love it!
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| Baby Grace - about the same size as the one month olds, she's teeny from the malaria. |
The orphanage consists of a kids' dormitory, a babies' dormitory, shelves and shelves of shared clothing (nothing is individually owned), a kitchen, and the central room that serves as a classroom, feeding center, playroom, and everything else. They had a second dormitory for the older kids but it was burned down in a fire last year - several of the kids sustained some pretty serious burns.
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| The main, central room and the older kids eating |
This particular day, two of the central volunteers were gone for a week, so it was just me, Christian, Christine, and Guilia - and Christine and Christian had to leave in the afternoon, so for the afternoon it was just the two of us.One little girl in particular really liked "helping" with the babies - hard to tell how much of it is actually wanting to help and how much is just looking for attention, obviously a difficult commodity to come by. All the older kids pick up the little ones, not really understanding how to support their heads, and leaving me in a constant state of moderate panic. I could REALLY have used some Xanax that day!
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| Christian putting down baby Maureen, Tumaini "helping" with Zawadi. |
The orphanage runs through the constant work of between three and four "mamas" - Mama Pendo, who has been running the orphanage for 22 years and is the heart and soul of the place, and a few others. However, their attention is essentially utterly consumed by the incredible amount of work it takes to do the laundry, the cooking, boiling the water, changing the diapers, on and on forever - and their ability to interact with the kids is consequently pretty seriously limited. For social and emotional interaction, it's pretty much all down to the volunteers.
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| Breakfast - from left, big Maureen, Baracka, and Zawadi. | |
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| Zawadi, in baby-bird mode |
The kids are total sweethearts, but definitely a little wild. Baracka, pictured above, spends 80% of the time he's not in someone's arms crying, and because of sheer logistics, he can't be in someone's arms all that often, so the munchkin is usually miserable. Zawadi, on the end, is about half the size she should be - she's a year old - and she eats a lot, so there's some suspicion she may be HIV+. Unfortunately, they can't get tested until 18 months. I'm aware that several other kids are positive, but it's not openly discussed.
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| The slide of death |
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| Slide of death angle 2 |
They have a backyard with an absolutely terrifying slide, that honestly nearly gave me several heart attacks over the course of the day. More than 45 degrees, and the kids are fearless. They also wander in and out of the buildings, even in and out of the gates - the horrible truth is that no one wants them so no one would ever abduct them, and they know to come back because it is the only place they will get fed. Breaks my heart.
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| Neema and her movie star smile |
That said, these are for the most part remarkably happy, sweet, adorable kids. They all need as much love as possible, so they tend to cling - I spent most of the day with a kid on each hip (and sometimes another on my back), at least three piling into every available lap! They push every limit and it's really difficult to keep them safe - but they actually keep themselves remarkably safe given how badly they could be hurt almost every minute of every day.
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| Christina entertaining on the trampoline - close to the ground, but the springs do not mix with little fingers |
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| A crazy merry-go-round thing that wouldn't have made it a week in my old elementary school |
As the kids can go in and out, so can animals. A rooster made the unfortunate choice to enter, and was gleefully attacked by a mob of kids. Mama Pendo grabbed it, but then gave it back to the kids to "play" with. I ended up grabbing it and taking it outside, the poor thing could barely move it was so scared. Everyone laughed at me because the same chicken will probably be dinner - but it doesn't need to be tortured before that.
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| You may not be able to tell, but she is carrying a chicken in her hands. |
Some of the kids have other medical issues. Simoni is over 2 years old, but he doesn't walk yet - he can crawl and stand when lifted, but the lower half of his calves seem to not work. Thankfully, a doctor from a nearby rehabilitation center has agreed to come out and take a look at him. It still doesn't slow the little munchkin down!
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| Christian and Pray |
The kids are almost never given water to drink, because the few gas burners are almost always in use for cooking and can't be used for boiling water. Also, the less they drink, the fewer diapers have to be changed. I had water with me and ended up distributing it all out - a few kids, like Pray (full name Pray-God), guzzled for minutes on end, cup after cup. Pray also has some pretty serious burns on his head and body from the fire, but if possible, it seems to have made him into even more of a risk taker - the kid's a bulldozer, keeps up with kids twice his age.
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| Toddler Baracka |
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| Farajah |
Since the kids don't have clothes of their own, and their hair is usually shaved to avoid lice, it's sometimes hard to distinguish gender. This is Farajah, a sweet, sweet 5 year old who became my little barnacle. She has finished the pre-school they offer at the orphanage and, luckily, has been sponsored to continue in her education. That's the hope for each of these kids - most of them get a sponsor who will pay the cost of their tuition, room, board, uniforms, etc for a local boarding school. It's only a $900/year commitment, and it makes a world of difference for these kids. Without it, they will probably be shuffled to another orphanage, where education usually stops at age 10, and go on to become house servants, at best. With a sponsor and education, they can do amazing things. Crispin, the founder of Tamiha, the organization I'm working with, was raised in an orphanage himself, before being sponsored and sent to boarding school, earning scholarships through college, and coming back home and transforming the lives of hundreds of people in the 5 years since Tamiha started - over 200 women in the microfinance group, over a hundred kids have gone through vocational training, and just this week they're opening up a shelter for homeless women and children - apparently the first of its kind in Tanzania.
All of this brings me to Emmanuel.
He's one of the oldest kids there. He has absorbed everything they have to teach him at the orphanage - he's a fast and voracious student, can do basic reading and math, is quickly learning English, and has a smile that could light up any room. He's generous and kind with all of the other kids, helps with the babies, and is just all-around one of the nicest kids I've had the pleasure of meeting, here or anywhere else. Of all the kids who are ready to go to school, Emmanuel is the only one left without a sponsor. Unfortunately, as these things go, people on safari will sometimes stop by, volunteer for a day, pick the cutest kid (statistically, usually a girl), and leave money for them. Which is why I'm asking here whether any of you might be willing or able to take on Emmanuel's cause. It's no small commitment - $900 per year for 12 years to get him through schooling and eligible for college. But it is his best hope.
If you can't take on the commitment for Emmanuel, I'll be posting soon about the Tamiha orphanage, which schools and cares for kids who have no parents but have extended family to take them in at night. They also need sponsors, $470 per year, to attend the local school (I'm hoping to sponsor a child there myself). Additionally, and I know this is a long way off, I'm requesting that anyone who might be considering giving me a birthday or holiday gift this year please donate instead - I'll be working on figuring out how to use the money most effectively. As of last week, they were out of almost all staple foods and another volunteer paid for Mama Pendo to go into Arusha to get more gas, because they were also out of fuel for cooking. Every cent is scrupulously documented and accounted for - I was there yesterday when a pickup truck piled to absolute maximum capacity pulled up to the orphanage loaded with food for the next 3 months, for all the kids, using only half of a thousand dollar donation from Christina's family. There's also no medical fund, which hasn't become an emergency since the hospital next door will usually agree to treat the kids regardless, but things like follow-up antibiotics, check ups, or more serious medical issues are all up to chance and who happens to be there with a few shillings in their pocket that day.
I'm going to keep writing about the orphanage and all of their needs, as well as another orphanage we work with, called Farajah, which apparently is in even worse shape but houses slightly older kids. Please, please think about whether you might be able to help - trust me, I'll remind you later. If you're able or willing:
In the meantime, I'll be off cuddling some munchkins.
I thought about how Gracie first learned to stand by 
When you hear that the kids have been asking after you and missing you, but you can't be there with them, it's hard. It's really hard. So, I have to hold on to those memories and cherish them. I try to think about the wonderful times I have had with them and the fact that I was able to help them when they needed it the most. I think about the fact that, even though I'm not there with them, I was there. And I will be there again. I think about the fact that they are safe and with people that love them.
