All kids are thriving!

We're very happy to do yet another post about how all of the Nkoaranga kids are thriving! The babies are growing, the toddlers are running around singing and dancing, and the school kids are in the top of their classes at school! 

On saturday, Bekka, Mama Pendo and I went to Usa River Academy School were we with the help of The Foundation For Tomorrow and our great sponsors among you we were able to send Ericki, Dianess and Steve last year. Many older Nkoaranga kids are also at the school, and everyone was very excited to see us and came running at Mama Pendo with big hugs.

We were able to visit all the different classes with Nkoaranga children in them and see their work and results. It was wonderful to see how all of the kids are doing really well and even have top spots in their classes - so proud! They were all very proud to show us their work and how well they could spell things and tell us what their favorite subjects were - everything from English, Swahili, math, geography to social studies!


Other than doing really well academically the kids also seemed to be very happy and enjoying going to school. We were shown around the school and it is located in a beautiful area with lots of green, luscious  nature surrounding it and it is a great place for the kids to be staying.

At the orphanage all of the children are thriving as well! Filipo is now walking which is very exciting! Frankie still prefers to sit down or to be cuddled - however, I managed to get one step from him yesterday. Hopefully he will be walking on his own in no time! Kristina's beautiful home made dresses were handed over to the kids on Friday and they absolutely loved them! Great colors, adorable prints and pretty little girls to match them! The mamas very grateful as well and thought they were beautiful dresses! So for the past few days we have had colorful, happy girls running around the orphanage with these dresses on!

The orphanage also really appreciated all the shoes, thermometers, sheets, clothes, cups and plates that I brought for the kids that I have received from sponsors in Denmark. 


All in all, the kids and the mamas seem to be doing really well. I am so happy to be here again and I can't wait give you more updates on our work and how the kids are doing. In the coming weeks we will be joined by many other volunteers and we will start working on several projects. The installment of solar energy at the orphanage and parts of the hospital will begin and we are right now looking into expanding the chicken coop at the orphanage as well as expanding the kitchen garden.

Furthermore, our micro grant pilot project will run this summer and it will be very interesting to follow this project.  The mamas have shown their gratefulness for all of the work we have done at the orphanage and since it is very important to us, that we are working with the orphanage staff on what the orphanage really needs and how we can support them it is great to get such feed back. As an example of this, one of our current projects is providing all of the mamas with English lessons and they are enjoying this so much that they have requested to continue attending class for another few months!

My internet time is up - more updates should be coming soon from our current ground members!

Summer week one - welcome back!

Little Ebenezer with his grandmother's sister, who is so proud
to see how much he's grown! 

SO! Things have been crazy but fantastic for the last week, I finally have time to sit down and write a quick recap. The kids have, I swear, doubled in size since I was here in December - in a few cases literally! The two new babies are doing really well - Ebenezer and Neema - although poor Ebenezer has a bit of a chest cold that has been giving him trouble. He's on meds now, so hopefully that'll be taken care of soon. This time of year is something of a trade off - it's colder so there are fewer mosquitoes and therefore less malaria, but they get more miscellaneous bugs, especially since they spend a lot of time squished together inside.

Little Maureen going for
 a stroll

Big Ebenezer, showing
off his standing

Vicky, little Maureen, Gracie, and big Ebenezer are all walking beautifully. Filipo and Frankie can walk well with a hand, and with a bit more confidence I think they could easily walk alone, but they sit down immediately when the hand is removed. Hopefully in a few more weeks I'll have videos and pictures of them walking, too! This group is funny - they can all speak to varying degrees, but mostly choose not to. In particular, Maureen can say pretty much anything she wants to - I've caught her singing full, complex songs - but flat out refuses to do it on command. If you didn't know better, you'd think the whole group was mute! Such a contrast to a year ago when Baracka, big Maureen, Neema, Zawadi, Ester and David were this age - with Baracka and big Maureen chattering away, the rest HAD to start talking to keep up and get their share of attention. No pressure in this group, though!

Maureen (left) and Zawadi

Neema in her LSE gear

The older group is now potty training and starting school, which is fantastic to see - and they're SO. SMART. I love watching them singing, dancing, drawing, and writing in class - they're doing extremely well. Neema is also our new LSE MPA mascot - she was too cute in my sweatshirt. Speaking of the LSE, Light Up the Night is going really well - the entire orphanage is MUCH safer with the adjusted switches and outlets, and we're about to start on the solar lighting for the orphanage and maternity ward (courtesy of fundraising by Kristina and the LSE MPA).

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to see Kristina much, as she's been struck by.... something unpleasant, it's not totally clear, but she's sick. Keep your fingers crossed for her! Marie will be here tonight, so we can help take good care of her. I'm also counting down the days until Riz, Adam, Jordan, my mom, and Patty arrive - it's going to be a full house!

I have a bunch more to say and I haven't even gotten to the older kids yet... but I have to cut it short for now, my internet time is running out. More to come, soon!

Update from Kristina - This week at NK

Baby Peace is sitting up and eating solid food - where does the time go? I'm thrilled to say that I'll be out there in just 11 days as another pair of hands - I can't wait! Thanks Kristina for the updates, and thanks to our fabulous incoming Danish volunteers Stine and Peter for funding a significant portion of the new dryer purchase. We appreciate it and can't wait for you to meet the kids this summer!

"Light Up The Night" - A Blazing Success!

It has been a long time coming, but finally on April 29th my gala dinner and silent auction for "Light Up The Night" (details) took place at at The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa in Victoria, BC.  

"Light Up The Night"

The evening proved to be a huge success; and thanks to the generosity of all who attended, and made a donation in lieu of attending we were able to raise $608.00 for food which includes: bananas, pineapples, rice, oil for cooking, meat, fish, chicken, toothbrushes, and underwear.  This will help to stock the pantry and provide them with a surplus to use in times of need.  Thank you to those who purchased 3 containers of baby formula.  This will help with our new baby Ebeni who is very weak and struggling right now.  I feel fortunate to be able to return in less than 2 weeks to assess the needs of this little one and help where I can.

 $1100.00 was raised for education and an additional  $7292.00 for the electrical work and solar panels for the orphanage. With the $60 already donated, that brings us to a grand total so far of $7352! 

Thank you to everyone in my local community that contributed to the silent auction tables.  Thank you to The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa in Victoria for sponsoring my event, and taking a chance on a girl with a crazy fundraising idea! I can't even begin to thank the members of my team at work who have provided the funds for David's first year of education; and I feel blessed to be a part of sponsoring this amazing kid.  

Many people are wondering where "The Mosiac Ladies" ended up.  Well, the beautiful quilt that was made by my amazingly talented mother was auctioned off with all funds going towards "Light Up The Night".  It will be a lovely house warming gift from one sister to another.  Don't worry if you missed out on this beautiful piece of fabric art, there will be a chance to bid on another one...more details to follow.   

"The Mosiac Ladies"

I can not even begin to express my thanks and gratitude to my family as I have planned this fundraiser, whilst working on my degree.  Their support has been more than I could have ever asked for.  From the very beginning my mom has been hands on assisting where she could.  Thanks to my dad for taking some wonderful and memorable photos of the event.Thanks to my sister and brother in law who out bid many people and took home 8 silent auction items; the record for the evening!  Without them this night would not have been possible. Last but not least a tremendous thanks to my boss at work for giving me the time off so I could return to Nkoaranga, and spend 7 more weeks with the children and mamas; I can't wait!        

My family ~ my cheerleaders!

I wish that I had the words to express how thankful I am for everyone that attended the evening and made it possible, but there are no words to express what I feel and how grateful I am for all of you.  I think that Mother Teresa says it best, "We ourselves know that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.  But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.  We can do no great things, only small things with great love."  That's what we are all about at The Small Things as we work to enhance the children and mama's lives at Nkoaranga, one small thing at a time.

My brother in law, my beautiful sister and niece. 

My "oldest" sponsors, my grandparents

Neela, Sandra (my mom), and Deborah.
Deborah made 50 pairs of pants and shorts for the children this summer.  

      

My work team and some of David's new sponsors

To contribute to "Light Up the Night" and help us reach our goal, click below! 

Thank you to everyone who came out, and who has helped us to reach this point. Your help will save lives, and we are very, very grateful. 

With a Needle and Thread Great Things are Made

What started out as an idea has transformed my life and my home. When I decided I would return to Tanzania my mom suggested that over the Christmas holidays we make some dresses for the little girls at Nkoaranga. We went through all of her old sewing bins for scrapes of fabric and sent out a few emails in hopes of gathering a few more pieces. A coworker of mine provided me with fabric that her mom had been hoarding for years after convincing her she was never going to use it for anything else, to my house it came. My mom’s coworker offered to make pants and shorts for the little boys out of fabric she had laying around. We were well on our way! We spent our spare time in the evenings cutting out the patterns, sewing, and sometimes unstitching as I had sewn a few armholes shut! On the weekends we would have sewing marathons that started at 9am and went into the late hours of the evening. After they were sewn my mom would sit and hand-stitch the snaps, and her “Made with love by your Canadian Granny” tags in them. With each dress that was complete I could picture one of our little girls wearing them - I can't wait to see it this summer!

My mom is now working on a quilt that will be auctioned off at my fund raiser “Light up the Night” April 29th, 2012 at The Westin Bear Mountain in Victoria, BC.  My goal is to raise $10,000 so we can completely rewire the orphanage and install solar lighting to keep our gorgeous children safe. If we exceed our fundraising goals, we will also be able to install solar lighting in the hospital maternity ward, saving the lives of women and preventing children from being orphaned in the first place. Check out the details of the project here. 

My mom has spent time at the fabric store carefully selecting just the right colours for her quilt, countless hours upstairs in her sewing room laying out the fabric, designing the women, their outfits, their head pieces, and has just began to lay pieces on top of each other. As she begins to sew them together they come to life. I can see the ladies on the quilt as vividly as I see the ladies in my village back “home”. This morning she was up bright and early at 4:30am laying the colours out on the last lady, and entitling her quilt “The Mosiac Ladies”. With each new piece she cuts and lays down the quilt transforms. Through her talent, her time, and love for the children at Nkoaranga she will change their lives!

What started out with an idea has now transformed her life and home, and it becomes evident that with a needle and thread great things are made.

Our Christmas Tradition - Why does my family give?

I'm Kristina Alexander, the latest board member at The Small Things. I'm currently studying social work in Canada - and counting the days until I return to Tanzania next summer!

Multitasking with David (left) and Ester - look how much
they've grown!

As far back as I can remember I have always wanted to go to Africa. My parents would maybe even tell you that at certain times in my life it was all I talked about. I know this to be true as the months that led up to my trip there I researched, I read, I packed, I repacked to fit more into my suitcases, and in a last ditch effort to take everything I wanted to donate to the orphanage I vacuum packed a suitcase! My family and friends gathered for a farewell dinner where they showered me with love, encouragement, and donations to take with me. What started off as my dream became my reality when I boarded the plane from Victoria, BC, Canada and flew for 22 hours to Tanzania in August 2010. My mom’s last words were “I love you”, and my dad’s were “go live your dream.” And that’s what I did.

I was fortunate enough to live with a local family in a small village not too far from Nkoaranga. They accepted me as their own and taught me the customs and cultural traditions in a country that I was unfamiliar with. In the evenings I would have Swahili lessons with the children in my new family, and my room mate and I would lay under our mosquito nets and talk about our days and this crazy place that we were calling “home”.

Cuddling my "bean," Ester

I still remember the day I arrived at Nkoaranga and was greeted with an abundance of bright smiles, hugs and kisses from the school children, and open arms from Mama Pendo. Instantly you fall in love with this place, you can’t help it. Mama Pendo is an amazing woman and I have never met anyone quite like her. She has been at the orphanage for 22+ years and has seen some of the children arrive as babies and graduate from school 18 years later. She remembers everything about the day a child arrived, why they are there and who comes to visit them and when. She is a support system for the mamas that work there, the volunteers that come and go, and a true servant. She is full of enthusiasm, can cook, clean, mend a scrape on a knee, feed the children, laugh with them, change them, fold laundry, tend to administration work and sing like an angel; the list goes on. She was truly a mentor for me when I was there.

As my days turned into weeks, and my weeks into months Christmas was on the horizon. With Christmas coming it was time to decide what my family would sponsor this year. Without hesitation my sister’s suggested Nkoaranga. What more could I ask for then to carry out our Christmas tradition in a place that I loved, and my family was growing to love through my emails and photos I was sending home. It’s a whole different experience when you get to see your donations in motion. Our Christmas tradition started in 2002 when my Grandma Margery Scanlon passed away.

My nephew holding a "Project MAJI"
bottle and a picture of Stevie that I
gave him to help him understand that I'd
made a donation to "Auntie Kristina's African
babies" in his honor.

Growing up my Grandma was always an important part of my life. As far back as I can remember she was always there for me. Her constant flow of encouragement to try harder in school, set my goals in life high, and become a better person was evident; after all she was a teacher. She taught me that sand stayed at the park so empty your shoes before you leave. She taught me how to eat chocolate wagon wheels, and hide my smarties from my Grandpa. She taught me how to pick raspberries from the bushes in her backyard. She even assisted me with my school work, and sibling rivalry. But, perhaps the greatest lesson that I learnt was to put others before myself, to help those less fortunate than I was, and be generous in everything I do.

For over 25 years my Grandma sponsored children through World Vision. At any given time she had multiple children on the go. She proudly displayed their photos and sent them little presents in the mail. I was always intrigued by this. When she passed away my parents sponsored her children along with the ones they already had. And it was that Christmas my sister’s and I started a new Christmas tradition. We wanted our Grandma’s legacy to continue and the generosity that she shared with others to not be forgotten. Each year since then we have sponsored children in the field of education in a third world county. I just never imagined that last year I would get to give our families donation to Nkoaranga and see our donation make such an incredible difference for the children there. For that I am truly thankful.

This year will mark the tenth Christmas that our family will celebrate without my Grandma. However, when my mom opens up the gold present under the tree in my Grandma’s memory, and the tears flow, we will feel her there. The gold present simply contains a page of written words put together by three sisters and their families to remind my parents that Grandma will never be forgotten. She lives on in the gifts we give to others, the moments and memories we share as a family, and “the small things” that we do. I never imagined that my families' Christmas tradition would ever make it hand delivered to Africa, but I’m so thrilled it did.

However your family chooses to celebrate the holidays this year I would encourage you to create a new tradition. A tradition of sponsorship for the lives and education of the children at Nkoaranga. A tradition that will make the difference between a child attending school or not. A tradition that you will always remember, and will be a gift that the children will never forget - ever. You may never have the opportunity to meet them in person, and may only hear the stories and see the pictures through The Small Things, but I can tell you first hand these children are the future for their country. They will become the voices of change, the movers and shakers, but they need our support to get there, so this holiday season please give.

In Memory of our Grandma Margery Scanlon 1913 - 2002


Please consider starting your own family tradition of charitable giving - we're grateful for anything you can give.