Part 1 - Update on the school kids

A massive thank you for all your support which allows all these kids to attend school!

Bethan with Tumaini (left), Eman kubwa (back right), Eman dogo (middle) and David (front right)

This week Bethan (above) writes about how they visited all of the school kids to find out how they were doing and, especially, to give you a long-awaited update on how our new four - Pendo, Andrea, David and Abdulli - are settling in!  This involved visiting Usa River Academy in Usa to see most of the school kids there, and to visit Abdulli in Tengheru, where he is staying with his family.

Tumaini (left) and Dainess (right) skipping/jumping rope

"So, the Usa visit was brilliant! So nice to see all of the kids! Emelie, Bekka, Riz, Mama Pendo and I went there two Fridays ago. The Nkoaranga kids suddenly ran up from nowhere! They must have all been playing together in some other place on the field. Olivia, a volunteer here from America (my friend) sent me with some skipping ropes which the children immediately wanted.  There were some Nkoaranga kids that I didn't know as they had left earlier than when we were first there but nonetheless they were still so friendly."

"They all spoke very old English, particularly Tumaini! But it was impressive to hear Andrea, David and Pendo who have only been there since January also immediately speak English. They all seemed very happy and it was lovely seeing them all together with strong bonds just like when they were in Nkoaranga.  They all looked very smart in their uniforms.  Mama Pendo brought a suitcase of new woolly hats and jumpers that had been donated and which the kids all loved and crowded round to receive.  A couple of kids came running to the car as we were leaving to see if we had any left - luckily we did!  The school grounds are beautiful and there is so much green grass and outdoor space for them to run around in. As we left, they were all going back to their dormitories. I hope to visit again before I leave in 3 weeks."

Left to right: Andrea, Eriki, David, Pendo, Dainess and Stevie

Dainess, Tumaini and David in their hats

"Unfortunately the SOS children's village visit to see Gracie, Farajah, Aroni and a couple of other Nkoaranga kids was unsuccessful. We arrived to find that very recently they have brought in a new policy where we have to make an appointment to visit any of the children, which never used to be the case. The secretary was not prepared to make an exception, so although we had made the journey especially to see the children and came so close, we were not allowed any further which was such a shame."

"Later at day, we met with Abduli and his father in Tengheru where we then drove to where they stay. They have just one room for Abduli, his father, stepmother and their other young son.  The father spoke of the few problems they are having such as the tiredness he faces everyday having to get up at 5 to journey into Arusha to drop Abduli in at school and then back again later. The Small Things do pay for the transport costs but the time it takes out of the day to get to Arusha twice means that they lose out on some money from their salon. Additionally, Abdulli is wetting himself every time he sleeps, including any naps he has at home. This is a problem as it costs extra to boil water to wash him twice or three times a day. He is still having some problems with being violent and hitting at school."

"Despite these issues, they are determined to keep Abduli with them in their family at home, which is brilliant. They want to work through the problems which we of course will help with wherever possible, as long as Abduli stays with them. They seem like a very strong unit.  Abduli spoke of his best friend at school which was lovely to hear about and he wrote his name down for us in a notebook.  He is enjoying it.  But we will talk and look into other options like a closer school, and also speak to the school about how they are managing the students and just get their opinion on how Abduli is doing."

Mama Pendo with some of the many kids she has raised and who were delighted to see her!

We will continue to monitor how all the kids who are at school with your help (THANK YOU!) are doing and to help out wherever we can, and keep you updated!  We have lots more pictures of individual kids that we will share with you all on facebook - there just wasn't room for them all here!  Thank you, Bethan!

Off to school!

As promised, I will now tell you all about Andrea, David, Pendo and Abdulli heading off to school!

Before I start, a quick update to say that the final total from Beaconhurst School's Christmas Carol Concert fundraiser was £1,770 - thank you so much to everyone involved in raising this fantastic amount towards Project Education!

David, ready for his first day at school

As Emily was last year (read here), I was so grateful to be able to be there to wave the kids off at their first day at school at USA River Academy with the help of The Foundation for Tomorrow and, of course, their fantastic sponsors.  Andrea, David and Pendo were collected by TFFT on 7th January, but we wanted to wait until Abdulli had also left (on the 14th) so that we could tell you about them all at the same time.

Abdulli before leaving with TFFT

As the TFFT car pulled up outside, all the younger kids got very excited.  We held back with them whilst the Mamas, who have known the kids since they were babies, got Andrea, David and Pendo ready for school, changing them into bright new clothes and filling a bag each with extra things which they would need. It was all a bit of a whirlwind and a bit overwhelming for them, as any first day of school is...

Left to right: David, Andrea and Pendo in their going-to-school clothes!

..but they were all very excited and couldn't wait to get into the car!  So after lots of cuddles and goodbyes, they climbed in.  David even got to sit in the front seat!

Andrea, Pendo and David enjoying their lollies!

Abdulli will be attending Step by Step Learning Centre in Arusha (about 30mins drive away) which is a day-school; therefore, we have arranged for him to live with his biological father who will accompany him on the dala dala (bus) there each day.  On my last day in Tanzania, Mama Pendo took Abdulli for his compulsory medical check at the hospital and then the excited waiting began all over again while everyone waited for the TFFT car to arrive to pick him up and take him to his father's house.  Although I was not there to witness the reunion with his father, I can tell you all that his father has been very involved over the last couple of weeks and is really looking forwards to being involved in this new chapter of Abdulli's life!

Abdulli showing off his artistic skills!

We are so proud of the four kids - starting school is such a huge step in any child's life, and especially for Andrea, David, Pendo and Abdulli who have left the orphanage very infrequently during their lives.  However, I speak for all of us at The Small Things, when I say that I know they can handle this new adventure, and we can't wait to see the incredible things they achieve.  Eriki, Dainess and Stevie have all done fantastically during their first year of school and I'm sure they will all be there to look after their younger 'siblings' if they need it whilst settling in!

Andrea (middle) surrounded by Eman (left) and Eriki (right)
who are already at USA River Academy

Thank you so much to their sponsors and to anyone who has supported Project Education - the chance to attend a high quality school really will change these kids' lives.

Beaconhurst School supports Project Education

I thought that Christmas Eve would be a lovely time to tell you all about the fantastic success of our Christmas fundraiser carol concert which was run by Beaconhurst School and raised money for Project Education.

Pendo two years ago, and Pendo this Christmas - starting school in January! 

I attended Beaconhurst School from the age of 4 until 18 so I have many fond memories of it.  The school has a fantastic music and drama department and I enjoyed taking part in many musicals and concerts during my time there.  My mum is a teacher at the school, and it was on her suggestion that I approached Mr Bain – the head of music at Beaconhurst School – in late May about the possibility of the school holding a concert to raise money for The Small Things.  Although I knew that the term calendar would already be very full with other exciting things, I trusted her advice and asked Mr Bain what he thought.  To my delight he was extremely enthusiastic and supportive of the idea and suggested that he organise a Christmas Carol Service in which many pupils from the school would take part! 

David this Christmas, starting school in January!

David when we started work with Nkoaranga

The concert was held in Dunblane Cathedral on 13^th of December and included a range of different music performed by pupils and teachers of all ages.  We organised a slideshow of pictures of the kids and mamas from Nkoaranga Orphanage to play before the concert began, to give the audience an idea of who the concert was raising money for.  Both the junior and senior choirs performed, and the audience also enjoyed listening to duets, ensembles and solos.  After a short speech which told them a bit more about the The Small Things and the work we do, the audience tucked into some mince pies and mulled wine during the interval.  One of the highlights of the evening was the more light hearted sing-off between the two sides of the audience: one side sang ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ with great gusto, whilst the other side were determined to out-sing them with the less well known ‘Pine Cones and Holly Berries’!

I wish to say a huge thank you to everyone who made the concert such a success.  I want to thank my family so much for all their support of the concert.  I also want to extend a special thank you to all the staff at Beaconhurst School who were involved in organising the concert – I know from experience how much effort goes into such an event, and without their hard work it just wouldn't have happened.  And of course, a massive thank you needs to go to all the pupils who performed so fantastically on the night!  Finally, thank you to everyone who came to support Beaconhurst School and The Small Things – I cannot thank you enough.

Tumaini  with Baba Christmas 2 years ago

Christmas Tumaini this year, about to
 start her third year with TFFT!

The final amount which was raised was over £1000 which was incredible!  The exact figure is still to be confirmed, but I will let you know as soon as I can.  All proceeds will go to Project Education, which will allow four of our beautiful children to begin school this January (less than a month to go!).  I am so lucky that I will be returning to Nkoaranga Orphanage in time to see Pendo, David, Abdulli and Andrea start school with The Foundation for Tomorrow.  It is because of everyone who has supported Project Education that this can happen, so I just want to finish by thanking you all for giving these children the change to become the incredible young people that they are meant to be.

From all The Small Things' board members, and on behalf of the Mamas and kids (who had an amazing time with Baba Christmas today, and are looking forward to their Christmas meal tomorrow!) of Nkoaranga Orphanage, I wish you all a very happy Christmas!

Happy Birthday Pendo!

Well, it's been quite a week! Everything is going well, the kids are thriving and happy, I'm just worn out. Today is the sixth birthday of our beautiful little mama, Pendo. As you may remember from our post, "Meet Pendo," she has had a rough time of it in the past - a probable history of abuse, moving from her parents to her grandmother to the orphanage, etc. That said, this girl is unbelievable. She is SO smart and talented, and has just blossomed in the past year. We made a choice to keep her back at the orphanage for an extra year rather than sending her to school last year, even though she was old enough, to allow her to settle in better - she had only been with us for eight months last January when the others headed off to USA River Academy. The past year has proven that to be the right decision - the shy, quiet, overwhelmed little girl has turned into one of the most smart, motivated, helpful, and loving kids you can imagine.

We're also thrilled to be able to say that Pendo is all ready to start school in January, since she is fully sponsored! All of our gratitude goes out to Emma Shaw, Millie Pike, Anna Black, and Anna's parents for her year-to-year sponsorship, and to Claire Wyatt for raising her first year's tuition towards her up-front costs. We are so very proud of her and excited to see what she does next! Here are some of my favorite pictures of this amazing girl.

The first day I met Pendo - outside her grandmother's
hut with her grandmother, great uncle, and Mama Pendo
holding Zawadi

The sisters - Zawadi and Pendo on her first day at the orphanage

Beautiful girl Pendo (left) with Farajah and David, as she
settled in during her first months with us

Pendo cuddling Miriam

Beautiful smile

Rocking an LSE sweater

Cuddling with Claire

Tumaini and Pendo singing

I'm also thrilled to officially announce that three of our four kids starting school next year are fully sponsored for their year-to-year costs! Huge thanks to My African Child for sponsoring Andrea and Kristina Alexander, Wayne and Sandra Leland, and Emma Shaw for sponsoring David. Now we just need to find a sponsor for our wonderful special-needs boy, Abdulli, and to finish raising the two years up-front tuition required for each kid. Check out all the details here. Thanks also to Rob Wyatt, Claire's father, for his generous recent donation!

Nkoaranga Angels: Finding Magnolia

First daughter, Magnolia Zinashi,
chowing down with Ababi (dad)

This wonderful family is currently in the process of adopting a second daughter (this one with some special needs) from Ethiopia. Instead of taking out a standard loan or asking for unrestricted donations, they came up with a very cool and innovative concept - the "Give it Forward" loan. They ask people to donate towards their adoption costs - however, each month, they pay back an installment of those costs (usually $200), plus 10% interest, plus a 10% matching donation from an anonymous donor. These payments go to charities voted on by Finding Magnolia's readers - and this month, they chose us! Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us - we love this entire concept and the idea that each donation to this wonderfully family is effectively doubled, as it helps them with their adoption now, and then has a second impact as a donation to a charity as they pay it back. What a cool idea!

We have decided to put their $240 donation towards Project Education - we are now more than half of the way to the total amount we will need to raise to get all four wonderful kids enrolled next year! In case you need a reminder, these are the fantastic kids we are working to get into The Foundation For Tomorrow's amazing program, which puts them in high quality Tanzanian boarding schools, with fantastic extracurriculars, emotional and academic support, and care and transport over school breaks. This donation will help with the two years of up-front tuition required to enroll each child - however, we are still looking for long term sponsors for most of these beautiful kids. A quarter sponsorship is just $19 per month! Take a look at our beautiful kiddos, and then check out the Project Education page for more details on them and the program.

Andrea, our sweet silly boy - one quarter sponsored

Abdulli, our sensitive little man - not yet sponsored

Pendo, our loving girl - fully sponsored

And David, our little firecracker - one quarter sponsored

Mosey on over to the Project Education page to find out more about the program and how to get involved and help give these wonderful kids the future that they deserve. Thank you again to Finding Magnolia and everyone else who has helped us come so far! 

Nkoaranga's Angels: Claire

This is one in a series of a few posts we're going to have honoring some really amazing people who've found ways to make a difference for the orphanage kids. This starts with Jordan and her wonderful grandparents. In honor of her beloved grandfather's passing, her grandmother has decided to ask for donations to The Small Things instead of flowers - what a beautiful way to honor his legacy. Lewis John Williams had fallen in love with the kids through the photos and pictures Jordan brought back from her trip. So far over £600 has been donated in his honor. There's more information and photos here. We wish all of your family love and peace in this difficult time.

Today we're talking about my incredible cousin Claire, who I'm thrilled to say will be joining us in Tanzania this summer. She knew she wanted to make a contribution to the organization before coming out, and after talking over the options, she chose to help us to raise money towards the tuition for one of the kids starting school in January. She fell in love with Pendo, Zawadi's older sister, who has had a rough time of it but is absolutely thriving now. For each child to start school, we need both long term sponsors to commit to a full, half, or quarter sponsorship for ten years ($1,100, $550 or $225, respectively) - and we also need two years of up front tuition so that if the sponsors were to drop out at some point, we have two years to find a replacement. As long as the sponsors stay enrolled, the money goes towards their last two years of schooling.

Happy Pendo!

(Shameless plug: We still need sponsors for David, Abdulli, and Andrea - please check out all the details on Project Education and consider whether you can spare as little as $19 per month for a quarter sponsorship to change a child's life.)

Donation cans 

Claire has raised £830, or over $1,300, towards that payment - and she's only fifteen years old! She managed to get her entire school involved, doing a series of presentations about the orphanage and about Pendo specifically. She also organized a talent show at her school, handed donation cans around, and worked with the administration to get a no-uniform day arranged to benefit the kids. It just goes to show how a whole bunch of energy can make an amazing difference, even without a ton of resources or training - good intentions and commitment are really all it takes. We're so proud and grateful, and I can't WAIT for Claire to meet the kids this summer!

Claire presenting

Talent show participants

We've been really lucky in the last few months to have some amazing people come forward with their talents and energy to create change for the kids. You'll be seeing more in this series! And if you want to become one of our angels, it's easy to do and we'd be thrilled to help you out with any plans you have. Coming up next: an amazing fourth grade class. Just you wait!

Portrait of a birthday

 This is my second consecutive birthday at the orphanage - what a blessing. Zawadi's name itself means gift - and she's the best one I could ask for. They've changed so much since last year, though! This was my happy birthday reception from them last year - although the video was taken two weeks after the birthday itself, they didn't quite understand the concept and just thought it kept going on and on. Very sweet!

Here is the kids this morning, all saying hi, and then singing the "Nakpenda (I love you)" song that I made up to sing to them last year. Usually one of their names goes in the middle - they put mine in. They are my heart.

The computer seems to be cooperating with me, at least for now, so I'm going to hurry up and upload some pictures before I lose everything. So without further ado, the kids.

Mama Andrew and Shugya, 4 months and thriving

From right, Loveness, Andrea, Neema, Miriam, Mauren and Dainess playing on the new see saw

Little Peace - doubled in size and doing really well!

Little Froggy Frankie all grown up and chunky as ever

Beautiful Loveness with flowers in her hair

Mama Pendo helping Neema to brush her teeth

Mama Pendo brushing Zawadi's teeth - she's wearing one of the mama's headscarves!

A volunteer holding little Maureen, while big Maureen  holds Shugya. She loves helping!

The sisters - Pendo (left) and Zawadi (still in her mama headgear). They look more alike every day!

Me and my little man Simoni - guess who is who?

The playground is looking fantastic - we lucked out, and a local small volunteer organization has had two of their volunteers raising funds to redo it as well. It's actually almost done - but we're going to add a few finishing touches, including a huge climbing frame (the kids climb on EVERYTHING so it'll be good to have something designed to withstand it!). The kids are loving it, and I'm loving seeing them playing together - it's such an important part of what makes this place special, the relationships they develop.

I met with the electrician and solar expert yesterday - it was really useful, and we're close to finalizing plans for redoing the dangerous orphanage electrical system (which caused the fire a few years ago which seriously injured Pray and David Kubwa), putting in solar lighting for when the power is out (see Emily's rendition of In the Jungle for alternative coping strategies), and possibly expanding even further - I'll explain more when we've made final decisions!

As many of you know, Pendo has a little bit of a rough history - and it meant until we were able to track down some extended family a few weeks ago, we weren't sure exactly how old she was. We were under the impression that she was four. However, it turns out that she just had her FIFTH birthday - and after talking to the orphanage teacher, it sounds like she's actually all ready for school. We already have 3/4 of her sponsorship secured - is there any chance that someone out there was planning on doing another quarter sponsorship and just hasn't decided yet? This gorgeous girl could use your help.

I'm so grateful for all the support we've received - Thank you especially to my amazing family, who have poured in from all over the world to help the kids. To everyone else, I can't wait for you to see the looks on the kids' faces when Christmas comes!

Meet Pendo

Pendo means love in Swahili, and she definitely needs it. Pendo has had quite a rough start in life. Zawadi, who is her sister, was born when Pendo was about two and a half. Shortly after Zi's birth, their mother passed away and father disappeared. There appears to have been domestic violence involved, but there was never a formal investigation, so it is unclear. Since Pendo was old that she didn't need formula, she was taken in by her mother's mother, while Zawadi came to Nkoaranga orphanage. For the next two years, Pendo lived with her grandmother in severe poverty. Mama Pendo, who runs the orphanage, keeps in contact with all of the children's families where possible. In January of last year, she heard that Pendo's grandmother was having trouble caring for her, that her own health was flagging, and that Pendo was suffering as a result. 

Mama Pendo (center) holding Zawadi, with their
grandmother (left), Pendo, and great uncle in front of
the grandmother's house.

In April, Mama Pendo, my own mother, Zawadi and I got into a car and drove the several hours to find her family and talk to them about her future. Once we arrived, it took us over an hour of going to different relatives' houses to find the grandmother. It turns out that she had run away and hidden because she was afraid that we were bringing Zawadi back to her, and, heartbreakingly, she knew she was incapable of caring for her. When we explained that we just wanted her to see how well Zi was doing, she was thrilled to hold her granddaughter and let us get to know Pendo. 

Pendo was in fairly good physical shape, but she was undernourished and hadn't been vaccinated. The grandmother stated that she had a lot of trouble taking care of her, and asked for her to also come to the orphanage. As with all of the children, it is understood that should there be family members willing and able to care for the children, they are always welcome - and they are highly encouraged to keep in touch.

When we got back into the orphanage and got her washed, it became clear that Pendo has had a rough time of it. Her entire body is covered in small burns, and while it's theoretically possible that they are accidental kerosene burns, their regularity and number suggests that they are the result of some type of abuse. She had some trouble adjusting to life at the orphanage - for her first few months she was often violent with the other children and had trouble bonding with the mamas. She spent days barely speaking to anyone. 

Pendo (left) with Farajah and David

That girl is gone. Pendo today is a gorgeous, happy child - cuddling with mamas, volunteers, and the other kids, fully integrated into the Nkoaranga family. She's LOUD - confident and excited to share every thought. She's incredibly smart - despite having no exposure to English and limited exposure to Swahili in her early life (her family spoke primarily the dominant tribal language Ki-Meru), she is thriving in kindergarten and will be ready to go to school next year with Abdulli, David, and Andrea (and the help of The Foundation For Tomorrow). We are so proud of how far she's come. 

To start school next year, Pendo will need a sponsor - someone who can commit to being part of her life for the next ten years. An excellent education, room, board, clothes, extracurriculars, medical care, and care over vacations all cost just $1,100 per year through our partnership with TFFT. We are still looking for sponsors for all four of next year's kids. We hope that someone reading this will end up being part of the family we're creating for Pendo - whether through a full, half, or quarter sponsorship. She's been through more in her five years than any child deserves - but we are determined to give her the happy, healthy childhood she, and all of our children, deserve.

UPDATE: Three sponsors have stepped forward for Pendo's year to year tuition (one committing $550 and two to $225), and the wonderful Claire Wyatt has raised a significant portion of the money it will take for her two years's tuition year up-front payment ($2,200 total). Thank you so much! 

If you are interested in sponsoring Pendo or any of next year's children, please get in touch with us!