Three of the happiest children in the orphanage...or maybe the world!

So everyone knows from our last few blogs that we are looking for sponsors for the kids at the moment. We want to find people who really care about these children to make a committment to helping them start out in life. We have a bit of an urgent need to find sponsors for the kids who are starting school in January:  still sponsor-less, we have Isaak, Queen and Auntie...

Here's Isaak giving us jaunty wave...

...Queen giving us her trademark massive grin...

...and Auntie giving a twirl.

But these three have already been the centre of attention for one blog. You know the need.

So, what I thought I would do this week is try to feature a couple of the other kids who also need sponsors and just give you an insight into their absolute incredible-ness. It's always tricky to be choosing between children, but my selection is based purely on the kids that I personally know the best, not on anything else. My challenge to the readers of this blog is to find someone to be a 'friend' to these children, to put them on our 'Give to Receive' Christmas tree. That means signing up to $15/£10 per month, which really isn't that much when you think about it.

So...introducing Baracka, Neema Kubwa and Maureen Kubwa. They are among the children I know the best because I met them nearly three years ago when they were toddling about around the transition from the toddler dormitory to the big kids' room. Then, when I went back last Christmas I got to see how they have blossomed at age four. Here they all are dancing together back in January:

As you can see, Baracka (at the front for most of the video clip) has tons of spirit. He was a massive surprise to me in January because when I left him a year and a half before he was very definitely still a toddler. He had (and still has) the loudest scream in the world, which he would use at every opportunity. He seemed to be quite often crying and had a tendency to run away with whatever another child was playing with. I'm not going to pretend that some of that isn't still true, but let's give him a break - he is only four!

What amazed me in January is how keen he was to help, to learn and just generally to socialize with me. He was probably the most verbal out of all the children in his interactions with me. He was desperate to learn to read, and sat and listened to me read 'The Cat in the Hat' in my very broken, spontaneous translation into Swahili about five times in two days. We couldn't tear him away from the book because he got so involved - it was all that he wanted to do over, and over, and over, and over again. He's still full of mischief, but I wanted to post the video below of him because I think it shows how smart and engaged he is. Please excuse the poor video quality and the crying in the background, I think there was a major dispute over a crucially important toy going on behind us!

For the record, we are naming fruit: pili pili = pepper; chungwa = orange; nanasi = pineapple. 

 

I am extremely proud of the progress Baracka has made and can't wait to see how he does when it is his turn to begin school!

Next, Neema kubwa (Big Neema). Neema and I have always got along well, right from when she was tiny. She was always a happy little soul, but it's amazing to see how her personality has developed. She loves to sing, loves to eat and loves to dance (as I'm sure you can see from the groove she's got going on in the first video - and that's with no music on a day that she was feeling shy). Neema is the one to find if your day at the orphanage is getting a bit much. There are never any tears unless it's for a good reason, and where there are they get blown away quickly by the next new game. She's active, a little bit of a tomboy perhaps, always on the swings and apparently has now perfected the art of the monkey bars - go Neema! Here she is with me in 2011 doing her favourite thing in the world for that week:

And here is a collage which some of you may remember from a while ago on Facebook - the endlessly-available-for-photos 'Neema grin:'

Finally, let's get on to Maureen Kubwa. Maureeni can be a little shy at first, but if she decides to shout then cover your ears! When I first met her she was the furthest ahead of these three and on the way to 'moving up' a room from toddler to child. She was gorgeously sweet wandering around when all the other little ones were in bed and the older ones (including her!) got an extra half an hour to stay up. Here she is at that kind of age:

I have to say I was pretty disappointed when I got back and they'd got rid of her little bit of hair! Once again, it seems obvious to comment on how much they've all grown up in two years, but that really is what strikes you most. I would say Maureeni is now very mature for her age. She has her best friend, Miriam, is lots more confident, and did plenty of singing with me. She's also been really into the art they've been doing in the schoolroom and she loves, and I mean really loves, the camera. Although to be honest, that's true for pretty much all the kids.

Showing off her artwork.

I'm so proud of these three. I have watched them grow for 2 years and I'm so glad I got to go back and see them and I hope I will again. I'm not encouraging you to sponsor any one of the children over the others. I just wanted to try and paint a fuller picture so that those of you who have never met them see them as the people that they are, with full personalities and a serious love of life, rather than just some cute pictures.

If you can sign up to be any of their 'friend' this holiday season (or sponsor them at a higher level!), we would be so grateful and thrilled to welcome you to the Nkoaranga family! Check out our sponsorship page for all the details. 

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!

We all love bubbles...

As I’m sure my parents, and probably a few others, would agree, having little children in the school holidays can be a bit stressful. If you then multiply the number of kids with too much time on their hands by about 24, you get the holidays at the orphanage.

The teachers at the orphanage are amazing, and going to school is huge part of the day for everybody from Zawadi and Neema’s age group upwards. It also works out some of their crazy excess energy so that they are all sleepy for naptime after lunch. One of my favourite memories of our recent trip was watching Kantate (one of the teachers) organise running races across the front of the orphanage grass before school in the morning, seeing Zawadi and Miriam showing off their best running styles, Big Ebenezer risk getting flattened as he wandered aimlessly across the racetrack, Eman winning every race effortlessly, and Tumaini really not being too happy about it!

As a result, when school is not on, everybody is full of beans and raring to go. One of the most fool-proof ways to entertain them, and work off some of that energy, is to get out the bubbles:

….and an hour and a half later….

They are always a hit and the kids really can do this for hours and hours. I hope everyone spotted Frankie trying to eat the bubbles in that last video! (13 seconds in)

(The real joy comes when there is a really big bubble that everyone wants to pop; the real challenge is learning to blow extra-big bubbles on demand as everyone shouts “Kubwa! Kubwa! Mimi kubwa!!” (Big! Big! A big one for me!!) every five seconds. Unfortunately we didn’t get a video of this, but the highlight of my bubble-blowing morning was when I did manage to blow a really big bubble, but if went too high and everyone missed it. After a lot of pointing and shouting and jumping, the kids stood literally open-mouthed, necks craning at the sky, watching this bubble get higher and higher and linger, still intact, right over the top of the orphanage roof. We never did see it pop, it went right up and over to the other side of the building! The only problem was that I couldn’t repeat this miracle on request – and there were a lot of requests!

Here are a few pictures, just to show you how much the kids really do love bubbles:

Pray's gymnastics and high jumps to get there first are always impressive - rivalled occasionally by Baraka 

Neema was determined to get whole clouds of bubbles all by herself.

Zi makes up for not being able to reach by swinging with her cardigan!

I think Ester was just posing really :)

And my personal favourite: Miriam is unable to contain her excitement!

One piece of good news this week is that the Small Things has been able to find sponsors for Daniel's education. Daniel is an orphan who was struggling to raise the money to start secondary school. He had already managed to get a part scholarship thanks to his impressive grades finishing primary school. From the newspaper article, it's clear Daniel has not had the easiest life. We are very happy that thanks to the generosity of Lonnie, Garry, Wendy, Susan and the Somji family, we will be able to pay the remainder of Daniel's school fees and living costs for this year, as well as put a bit away towards next year. It is really great to be able to help someone who will make the most of the support the way Daniel will.

Read more about Daniel at: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/4-national-news/28862-dreams-in-jeopardy-as-disabled-child-struggles-to-raise-fees.html 

On a final happy note, we are really pleased to be able to tell everyone who may not have seen it on Facebook that Neema Ndogo is much better and back at the orphanage, and is likely to be falling asleep into her food once again.

Drumroll, please... Announcing MUSIC CLASSES!

Neema banging on the drum!

Music is a hugely important part of Tanzanian culture.  One of the most stirring and beautiful experiences I had whilst in Tanzania was listening to the Mamas sing a prayer before we ate lunch together one day.  The harmonies were absolutely incredible, and so effortless, because music and singing is just something that children are brought up with!

Music teacher, Amani with little Maureen

The kids were very excited about Amani's mini keyboard!

Because of this (and also because it would be really fun!), we thought that it might be really cool for the kids to have weekly music classes, and we were delighted when we found out that Amani - a young local man - was willing and able to bring his (handmade!) drums and little keyboard along to the orphanage to do just this!

Amani with Miriam

The kids have been really thrilled with his classes, which involve lots of singing, dancing and hard banging of drums!  Amani is really amazing with them, and we are so grateful for his time and expertise.  I sat with him after the lesson one day whilst he let Loveness press the 'demo' button on his keyboard so that 'Jingle Bells' played repeatedly!

Amani helping Miriam to play the keyboard

And of course, there is the dancing!  All the kids loved it, but Neema led the way in dancing to 'The Wiggle'...

...helped by a very delighted Miriam!

We are indebted to music teacher Amani for his enthusiasm, kindness and time, and to all of you for your support - these classes are exciting and happy and LOUD and they couldn't happen without you!

Marathon for Nkoaranga, fancy a challenge?

Have you been looking for a way of helping out the kids but not sure how? 

Well, this could be for you. 

How about challenging yourself this April by taking part in the Taunton half marathon? There are also options for a full marathon or a fun run.

Shujah says you can do it!

Bethan Crisp, Charlotte Foster, Emily Hayman and Jake Fuller are the first four registered runners, racing on behalf of The Small Things. They are looking for anybody else to join them in what is going to be a very gruelling but also VERY rewarding day!

Date: Sunday 7^th April 2013

Time: 10.30am start with a 4.30pm cut off point. 

Where: Taunton, Somerset, England. 

Click here to find out more

Or if you would like to support this event in a different way, any kind donations will be greatly appreciated to get us to the finishing line!

A big thank you from Charlotte, Emily, Jake, Bethan and all of us at The Small Things, for helping our wonderful children.

Sponsor Bethan

Thank you! From Zawadi, Maureen, Neema, Miriam and Ester 

Birthdays, Birthdays, Everywhere...

Three more birthdays to acknowledge this month - it's been a crazy one!

Our fantastic little guy Andrea turned five a week ago today. He is starting school in January with the help of My African Child, a Danish organization that has taken on his sponsorship. Andrea is a sweet and funny kid - and so smart! He is constantly translating for the volunteers, and loves helping in any way he can. He often gets so excited to tell you something that he stutters his way through it! And when he was little... oh did this boy have chub. He gives Frankie a run for his money on the fat baby scale! Thanks to former volunteers for the baby pictures - from being a baby to carrying one on his back! (Don't forget that we're still a few hundred dollars away from the up front fees needed to start our kids into school - check out the details and consider donating at the Education page!)

Neema is a little ray of sunshine with the greatest dimples in existence, and she is turning three on Saturday the 27th. She is a delicious little butterball, always cheerful and cooperative - and she's loved having her picture taken since she was tiny! As soon as a camera comes out, Neema is ON IT, usually smiling and saying "Ndizi!" which means banana - it's the Swahili version of saying "Cheese!" and Neema is the expert. 

 

And then there's Zawadi, my Zi. Technically nobody knows exactly when Zawadi's birthday is - she was brought into the orphanage after her mother died and father ran away, by relatives who hadn't known she was born until her mother passed away - it appears that her father was abusive and may have been involved in her mother's passing. I was so heartbroken by the idea of her having a birthday of October 0, 2009, which is what her file said when I met her, that we decided to give her the seventeenth. So today is her third birthday, or as close to it as we can hope to know. Zi has overcome malnutrition and bad rickets, and is now one of the healthiest kids at the orphanage (although she's still tiny!). She's incredibly smart, talkative, funny, and gorgeous - not that I'm a little biased! As many of you know, I am currently in the early stages of the adoption process with this angel (and Simoni). As much as it's killing me to be away, I am proud to say this will be her last birthday as an orphan.

 Zawadi splashing at a trip to the hot springs in August

This is the end of our insane crush of birthdays, at least until the end of November when Vicky and Filipo turn two. It's also a "birthday" for me - I first arrived in Tanzania on October 14th, 2010, and my first trip to Nkoaranga was that very next week. We're coming up on two years that I've been part of these kids' lives, and vice versa - I can't remember what my life was like before them, and it also feels like it has gone by so incredibly fast. I am truly blessed. 

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!