Board Bio: Bethan Crisp

My name is Bethan Crisp. I am 21 years old and I am currently studying Anthropology at Brunel University in West London.

In the Amazon!

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to pursue my studies and career in Law. That was until I began planning some time out of studying in order to travel to Tanzania. Suddenly, my head was filled with adventure, spontaneity, getting ‘out there’ and experiencing the world, (as cliché as that may sound!)

I visited a few universities  and it was during one visit that the realization fell upon me that spending the next, however many years in a dull, brown bricked classroom, (which is how this one particular Law department looked!) was just not for the person I was becoming.

I changed my course and I could not be happier with my decision. I have been on an inspiring placement to Ecuador where I lived in an indigenous Quichua community in the Amazon for 6 months and the confidence it has given me is brilliant and extremely encouraging.  

Anyway, how did I get to Tanzania? I originally went to Tanzania through the organization “Oyster Worldwide” in September 2010 as part of my gap year between college and university. I taught English at a primary school to a class of 70 students for 6 months, until meeting some amazing volunteers in Nkoaranga, also there through Oyster, who took me on a visit to the Orphanage. I fell in love with the children and from that moment, I just knew it would be impossible for me to keep away.

Big Franky with Pray and Fillipo during music class

Such happy faces make working for The Small Things and being a volunteer at Nkoaranga so rewarding!

I was nervous at first to meet the children. Before Tanzania, I had never really been a ‘children person’ or very natural with babies. The children at Nkoaranga completely changed me. They were so welcoming and full of love that I had no time to be shy. They were just such brilliant characters and made an immediate impression and I suddenly felt like I had come to the place that I was destined to go to since arriving in Tanzania. Something had always been missing and until I met these children at Nkoaranga, I didn’t know what that missing thing was.

This year whilst I was back in Nkoaranga, I saw the arrival of baby Hope. It is a very bitter sweet situation to witness the arrival of a new resident of Nkoaranga Orphanage; to be able to hold and interact with such an amazing form of life but to have to wonder about the tragic circumstances that have brought him or her to us. It was fascinating looking at such a small bundle of 'Hope' in her blankets with her eyes closed and thinking about her future. It was very emotional for me as I stood in the baby room looking over at all of the small, sleeping little people. I can only be glad that they are in a safe place surrounded by love and people who will be there for them for years to come.

Baby Hope in her bundle of blankets, the first day I met her. 

I didn’t expect to become so involved and connected to the orphanage. I think that may have been due to every time in England if I was given a baby to hold, he or she would immediately cry their eyes out! Here, at Nkoaranga, a baby would stop crying and feel content if put into my arms. I felt needed. I felt infinitely responsible to care for them and ensure I could be a part of their lives and a part of giving them a future they deserve; a future that any child deserves.

This is why I now work for The Small Things. It gives me the opportunity to do just that – have the ability to contribute to the livelihoods of these beautiful individuals from England when I can’t physically be there with them. I was first in Tanzania for 10 months and I returned for the Christmas and New Year of 2011. This year, after 18 months, I made my third return and saw such a wonderful difference. Such big, gorgeous, healthy children! I had the opportunity to visit the older school children at USA River Academy who had been at the orphanage on my previous visits. How amazing to see them as such flourishing individuals, learning, happy, running around on the grass together and absorbing life.

Visiting the older children at USA River Academy this year. I first met them in 2011 in Nkoaranga Orphanage. It is so great to be able to see such wonderful, physical changes and pure proof of development.

Life at Nkoaranga Orphanage is tough, to say the least. The mamas and, not forgetting, big Franky, do outstanding work. I'm sure many parents would say that looking after one or two children is hard enough. But imagine two mamas a day with over 20 babies, toddlers and young children craving their attention, not enough toys to go around, or not enough of the same toys to prevent any arguments! Sounds challenging, right? 

Loveness taking care of Isaac. The older children can be so helpful when there aren't enough hands to feed a hungry mouth or to sooth a crying baby.

I grew very fond of big Ebenezer. It seems so ironic for him to now be named 'big' Ebenezer (now that we have another little Ebenezer in the orphanage too,) considering he was so tiny and so sick when I first held him back in 2011. I feared for his life. So to see him again this year was indescribable. He is such a funny boy who absolutely loves a cuddle and although he seems relatively sweet and innocent, he definitely has his cheeky moments! He certainly knows how to win your heart, even after you send him to bed and wait for an apology after he has misbehaved, he quickly makes it up to you with a kiss on the cheek!

A tiny, premature baby, Ebenezer,  who became so sick that it was touch and go as to whether he could pull through. 

....But he did! And he is such a fun, lovable, beautiful and, most importantly, healthy little boy today! 

I love a good challenge and what better motivation to complete one, than to do it for the kids? Upon return from Tanzania my first time, I conducted 'Project Maji' which raised over $1,000 for water filtration systems for the orphanage and hospital. 
Then, I went a step up and in December 2011, planned for myself and 4 other previous Nkoaranga volunteers to jump out of a plane and skydive! I still to this day have no idea how I managed that. I not only have a fear of planes, but also of heights! So if THAT wasn’t a challenge, I don’t know what is!
This April, I also took part and completed a sponsored half marathon in aid of The Small Things. I’m not a huge fan of running, especially a run that goes on for more than 2 hours! But I did it and I would do it all over again for the children.
I am of course now thinking and planning my next challenge; something bigger and better. Ideas are on the cards so you will have to keep a look out to see what I plan to get myself into next time!

Success of Project Maji! Stevie, Andrea and David drinking safe, clean water.

High up in the air! A terrifyingly amazing experience.

At the finish line! My first half marathon which I plan to do again next year and beat my time.

  

There are too many amazing memories of the children and Nkoaranga Orphanage for me to go into here. This is why I would tell you to go to Nkoaranga and experience it for yourself and to make your own memories!

 
I am very grateful to be a part of The Small Things because it allows me to play a part in the continuing development of the present and the future of these children. I am a member of the communications, fundraising and volunteers committees and I love being able to assist and help prepare new volunteers who are set to travel out to Tanzania. I am thankful to have met such devoted people and to work as part of a team where our strength grows immensely due to the support of all of you who take the time to read our blogs, keep updated on the children, provide feedback and donate to our projects.

Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement to The Small Things but also to the steps of my past that led me to where I am today. 

About us!

The Small Things

a nonprofit working to support the children and 
staff of Nkoaranga Orphanage, Tanzania

and its parent hospital

Ebenezer

Simoni and Zawadi

Peace with his mohawk and James Bond look!

Vicky, who also has a fantastic scowl when grumpy

Isaac being held by Loveness

Gracie and Eman

A quick refresher on what we do, for those who've joined us more recently! 

The Small Things was founded in June, 2011 and since then we have completed several projects aimed to improve, aid and support these beautiful children and the incredible women who care for them...

Project Maji (water)

One of our first projects was installing a well at the orphanage and hospital, since they were without water as much as one day out of three! Since then, we also installed sustainable water filters into the taps in the orphanage kitchen and maternity ward at the hospital, relieving the need to constantly boil water and wait for it to cool.  Clean drinking water is now readily available, meaning the children no longer need to go without when they are thirsty. 

 - Read more about Project Maji here - 

Light Up the Night

The electrical system at the orphanage was old and dangerous - we decided to raise the money rewire the whole orphanage, to prevent a repeat of the short circuit which caused a fire on Valentines Day, 2009, and would have claimed the lives of seven babies had it not been for the heroic efforts of Mama Cantate, one of the women who looks after the children.  In addition, installing solar panels means no more changing nappies by the light of gasoline lamps or candles.

- Read more about Light Up the Night here -

Project Education

Nkoaranga Orphanage only cares for children up until the age of 5.  If they did not have the option to attend school, there future would consist of being shuffled from orphanage to orphanage, and at best, becoming house servants.  The chance to attend school and receive an education really will change their lives! Project Education works with a fantastic sponsorship organisation called The Foundation for Tomorrow which facilitates the children to attend a high quality boarding school, as well as receiving medical care, pastoral support and extracurricular activities.  So far we have helped 7 children to start school!

- Read more about Project Education here - 

Staff

We have a few different projects that support and enrich our staff. We have directly hired four staff members - Mama Linda, who works with the children, Mama Kevin, a cook, and Mamas Agness and Brenda, who keep the orphanage and grounds clean. We've also started paying overtime for extra mamas to come in on the weekends, when there are rarely enough volunteers, and begun a one-to-one care program for premature infants, where an extra mama is hired to work explicitly with a premature infant until they have caught up in weight and health. We additionally provide English courses and run monthly staff-volunteer lunches to encourage communication. We have also provided management training to Mama Pendo, our incredible head mama. We love our staff! 

- Read more about one-to-one care here - 

Community Outreach

It is said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that's the rationale behind this project. In the summer of 2012, we ran a pilot business education and microgrants program, aimed at helping struggling families in the community providing care for orphaned and vulnerable children. All families in this project were living in dire poverty; in many families one parent had passed away, and in several others the family are caring for orphaned children in addition to their own. It was an amazing experience, and we learned a lot, while helping 14 incredible families. We are currently evaluating our options for future years, as to whether we should continue to run this type of project alone, or whether we would do better to team up with organizations that specialize in this type of work. 

- Read more about the program here - 

We hope you have enjoyed reading about who The Small Things are and some of the things that we do (or at least looking at the pictures!) To get involved, click here, and donate, volunteer, or just help spread the word!

Please join (or like!) us on facebook - HERE!

And if you would like to learn more, we would love to hear from you at info@thesmallthings.org or (firstname)@thesmallthings.org to contact one of us directly.

From all of us at The Small Things...

Thank you!

P.S. Here's a picture of Vicky wearing that scowl I mentioned earlier!

48 hours till I'm on that plane!

What a rush - two days till I'm in the air on the way to my kiddos, and less than three before I get to hold them again! I couldn't possibly be more excited if I tried. And to make everything even more fantastic, our wonderful partners at Speranza Tanzania (a great Italian group that works primarily with the hospital - have Google translate the page for you!) just shared photos of the incredible school supplies they were able to get a hold of. Some will go to the orphanage pre-school, and others will go to Nkoaranga primary school, just next door - over a hundred kids per class, very few materials, and in some classes they don't even have desks. Between Speranza Tanzania's haul and the stationary donated to Claire Wyatt to bring over, hopefully we can make their year a little easier!

We will also be bringing over a water filtration system for each building, because currently students have no access to safe water during the school day - this is an extension of Project Maji, the filters were so well received that we got requests for more! Take a look at some of the amazing donations below...

They were able to collect all this with the help of a local church in Rome. Similarly, a wonderful family recommended donating to us during a Bar Mitzvah ceremony where Claire was the photographer. Claire's older brother Ben has also chipped in, running a charity golf tournament at his university to raise enough cash to buy 20 containers of premature infant formula - an AMAZING gift because it's just not available in Tanzania. Almost all of our donations come in from individuals, and every tiny bit helps. I can't wait to be back on the ground and see the excitement - and watch the solar lighting installation! - firsthand. 

Just for fun, here are a few of my favorite pictures that hadn't made the website yet. They're all going to be so much bigger when I get back, I figure this is probably my last chance to get these great shots out there! 

Morning snack - bread and porridge

Beautiful Frankie

Me and my boy Pray

Ester getting tickled by another kid!

Simoni grinning

Bethan and Maureeni

Maureen cuddling David

Zi looking skeptical 

Baracka shocked by camera flash

When you hear from me next, I'll be on the ground in Tanzania! Can't wait!

Water, water everywhere, and finally safe to drink!!

Water is and always has been a huge problem at Nkoaranga orphanage. In fact, the nonprofit grew out of my very first project here - a well. When we arrived two years ago, the orphanage and hospital were frequently without water as much as one day out of three. On those days, the mamas would spend most of their time hauling water in buckets from the local school, or, if it was out of water too, from the river - leaving them no time for the kids. Just the basic tasks of getting them washed, fed, and hydrated, already no picnic with thirty children, became exponentially greater. The doctors couldn't wash their hands, inpatients couldn't bathe, and people died unnecessarily.

Little froggy Frankie trying to get into my water bottle

With the help of some other amazing volunteers, some generous donors, and the donated labor of a local driller, we were able to get a well up and running within four months. The nonprofit grew organically out of that first project, and the understanding of what a huge impact could be made with comparatively modest resources. The key has always been listening carefully and respectfully to the people we work with - they do this work every day, and they know best what they need!

Could you say no to this face?

Although the well has made a huge difference, the water saga has not stopped there. Drinking water straight from the taps in Tanzania means playing Russian roulette with typhoid, dysentery, amoebas, worms, and a whole catalog of other fun creepy crawlies. That means the mamas spent countless hours and hundreds of dollars of fuel on boiling water for the bottles and for drinking, day in and day out. Because of the thousand other tasks awaiting their attention, and the hours it took for boiled water to cool, there would frequently be periods when the kids were thirsty and we simply had no safe water to give them. There is nothing more heartbreaking than telling a child no to such a simple request - and it made us determined to never have to do it again.

Zawadi trying out one of the bucket filters for the hospital from inside - is it comfortable, Zi?

With our own Bethan Crisp at the helm, we took on Project Maji - which many of you contributed to! - to install a plumbed in water filter in the orphanage and a bucket filter system in each of the hospital wards. Inpatients and laboring mothers, already extremely physically vulnerable, were all drinking unfiltered water, seriously increasing their risk of complications. We exceeded our goal and were able to get a few extra filters for other places in need - hugely exciting! Click here for all the details and a list of donors.

Emily delivering the bucket filter to some very excited kids at Mama Jane's!

As of last week, the filter is permanently installed in the orphanage sink, meaning that not only can every child get clean water at the turn of a faucet knob, but in addition, that all the dishes and hands will be washed in clean water, limiting one more source of potential infection. Thank you from the bottom of our heart for helping us to make their lives healthier. In addition, the hospital now has filters in each ward (male, female, pediatric, and maternity), as well as in the local primary school, and at Mama Jane's, another nearby orphanage. In fact, they were so well received that we have been asked to bring over one for the secondary school and one for the outpatient department on our next trip! Lives WILL be saved by this initiative, and we are so very grateful for your support. .

Thank you from Stevie, Andrea, and David - and all of us!

And just for fun, here's a short clip of one of our biggest water fans - baby Filipo, at his favorite time of day.

Thank you letter from the fabulous Bethan Crisp

A MASSIVE thank you to The Small Things and most importantly, to all of the amazing supporters and donations we have had towards Project Maji. This has been a super quick and successful project but is going to be one that lasts a life time!!

I can't wait to return to Nkoaranga and be alongside the brilliant Bekka, witnessing the smiles and appreciation from the children and the mama's at the orphanage as well as the staff and patients of Nkoaranga hospital.

No more saying 'no' the children when they innocently ask for a cup of water! BRILLIANT!!

We are currently in the position where we are seeking out four additional schools/orphanages/hospitals who we feel would benefit from having a bucket filtration system, as, thanks to the great people at Business Connect, we have been able to purchase SEVEN bucket systems as opposed to the intended three. This is great news and means that we can massively improve the everyday health, wellbeing and lives of other children and patients around Arusha!

We cannot thank you enough for all of the help and recognition we have received and this has given me motivation and a boost to start looking at further possibilities of ways we can help the beautiful people of Tanzania...

AGAIN, THANK YOU TO: 

Pennie and Peter Branden

Amy and Steve Eppler Epstein

Leslie Gildhart

Sarah Patrick

Sorcha Bradford

Mary-Jane Wright

Sharon Hutchinson

Wayne and Sandra Leland 

Jane Butler 

David Cohen 

Dawid Mastalerczyk 

Kiana Thompson, with love from Auntie Kristina 

Tobias Foster, with love from Auntie Kristina 

Noah Foster, with love from Auntie Kristina 

The Ridler Family 

Jordan Louise Edwards

And a special thanks to Oyster Worldwide and Irene at Farrant Aquamatic Products Ltd

And a note from Bekka: I'll leave you with a little video that shows you just how far these kids can come with a little extra attention - for those who don't know, at 12 months Zawadi was really struggling, very sick with worms, badly malnourished, not from intentional neglect from the mamas but simply from the lack of adequate staffing to not only notice that she was suffering from worms, but get her tested and treated. Seh's come such an incredible distance since then - today at 22 months, she is walking, talking, and just generally being a genius in every way. I'm not at all biased, of course, just because I desperately want to adopt her and bring her home. TOTALLY objective. So here she is. 

We do amazing things when we work together. Thank you for being part of our kids' lives. And just because Project MAJI is over, doesn't mean we don't still need the help - we're constantly raising money to get the kids into school, the mamas paid a living wage, keep the chicken coop and garden going and the formula and vitamins stocked - basically everything we can do to keep our kids happy and healthy. Help us today! 

Board Bios - Emma Shaw

This is the first of a series of introductions to our fabulous board members - meet the lovely and talented Emma Shaw! 

My name is Emma Shaw and I came to Tanzania through the organisation "Oyster Worldwide" as part of my gap year between school and university. After considering many other countries including Patagonia, Nepal and Zambia I chose Tanzania because of how much the placement had to offer: teaching English to both primary and secondary school children, voluntary work at the local hospital and, of course, care work at Nkoaranga Orphanage.

What I didn’t expect was that I’d become so involved at the orphanage - that I would be the one trekking across the hospital grounds at night, carrying a small, unwell child huddled in blankets. It made me realise that, when it’s a child in your care that needs treatment, the hospital is no longer an ‘interesting place to gain medical experience’. When you’re scared for a child and in need of help you don’t care about any of that. You just want them to make your child better.

It was moments like these that made me realise that volunteering at Nkoaranga Orphanage wasn’t going to be something I could just drop and move on from once home. I really didn’t expect this, and I have no idea why! I didn’t realise how important making sure that the children have a safe, happy future would become, which is why I’m so glad to be a part of The Small Things, and so determined to do all I can to give them as bright a future as every single one of them deserves.

Although my hardest moment physically at Nkoaranga orphanage was the morning after my first night shift when we were helping to wash all of the big kids – I remember feeling almost sick with tiredness (a first for me) - it gave me a whole new appreciation of the incredible work the mamas do every day. However, my hardest moments overall were definitely when I was scared for a child. I was scared when Gracie (normally so placid and sweet tempered) was crying so unstoppably, hysterically and harshly and we had no idea why, and I was constantly scared about losing Ebenezer. He was so sick, tiny and premature when he came in - then months later, after he had come so far, he got profoundly ill again and reignited all that fear. I found changing him very hard as there was no escaping how much weight he’d lost and how tiny he’d become. I was scared I’d break him. 

Ebenezer shortly after his hospital stay -
still back and forth twice a day for IV medication

On the other hand, another thing I found really hard was refusing the children water because there wasn’t any that had been purified and I’m so excited that, thanks to the success of Project MAJI, that will never have to happen again!!!

I had SO many amazing moments with the children – all of them hilarious, touching and unforgettable. For me, it was so rewarding to see Pendo settle in, and this sometimes cheeky, sometimes serious but always beautiful, kind and sweet girl emerge from her shell – and give everyone lots of kisses on the cheek! I always found putting the big kids to bed really special. They’d call my name and I’d go over and crouch down under their mosquito net to have a whispered talk with them, before kissing them goodnight, wishing them sweet dreams and telling them I loved them. It meant so much to be able to do that for them. 

Pendo cuddling with her buddies Farajah and David

And then I have tons of hilarious memories, such as the time one of the schoolchildren, Tumaini, and I were searching for socks in the pile of laundry in the sink and, being the adorable but clumsy girl she is, she switched on the tap, soaking everything! Her eyes went wide and her “Ohhh…pole! (sorry)” couldn’t have sounded more shocked (or amused)! Being there for Ester’s first steps; Frankie’s inevitable bawling at my lack of speed whilst feeding him; hanging out the washing and realising that the two little boys helping me were helpfully “rinsing” everything in a muddy puddle before passing it to me…the list is endless!

I think the thing which concerns me most at the moment is ensuring that not just the children ready to go to school this year, but that all those in the coming years will be able to go to school and have a good education, hopefully through our partnership with The Foundation for Tomorrow. While the children are at Nkoaranga orphanage I feel happy knowing that, between Mama Pendo, all the other Mamas, and volunteers looking after them, the children have people who care about and want the best for them. What worries me is when they leave and have to fend for themselves, and the life that awaits them. As we grow and develop as an organization, it is a challenge we will have to face. 

However, I think it’s impossible to say what the most important work to be done is in the long term, because everything that contributes to a healthy, happy childhood for the children matters: it’s important to have the filtration system fitted so that the children don’t have to be denied water, or risk sickness from drinking it straight from the tap; it’s important that mosquito nets are correctly used to avoid malaria; it's important that formula is available to keep babies healthy, and to aid recovery if they do fall ill; it's important that the hospital is also supported because all children need healthcare at some point; it's important that any psychological issues that a child has are addressed, and it's important that when they do go on to school, they are happy, healthy and fully ready to do so. Our job now is to try to balance those many important jobs to be done, and we hope you'll come along with us for the ride! 

Our 99th post, and Project MAJI SUCESS!

I'm thrilled to announce that Project MAJI is now officially fully funded! In December, my wonderful co-sponsor Bethan Crisp and I will be installing one filtration system directly into Nkoaranga orphanage's plumbing, so that ALL the water used for cooking, drinking and washing dishes will be bacteria and protozoa free and safe to drink without boiling! Never again will the mamas or volunteers have to deny a child a drink of water because things have been too hectic to keep some boiling on a back burner.

We will also be installing three bucket filtration systems in each of the Nkoaranga hospital wards (male, female and pediatric), so that hospital inpatients will no longer risk their already stressed immune systems by drinking untreated water. The advantage of the bucket system in this case is that it makes the filtration system visible, and since hospital inpatients change every few days, it is important that they be conscious of the filtration process rather than risking dehydration by avoiding all the hospital water.

I could not be more thrilled and proud with how willingly (and fast!) everyone stepped up to the plate to help make this happen. We will be sure to bring back lots of photos, videos, and responses from the orphanage and hospital once the systems are installed. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for helping to keep our babies, and all those who pass through the hospital, healthy and safe.

Special thanks for this project go out to:

Pennie and Peter Branden

Amy and Steve Eppler Epstein

Leslie Gildhart

Sarah Patrick

Sorcha Bradford

Mary-Jane Wright

Sharon Hutchinson

Wayne and Sandra Leland
Jane Butler
David Cohen
Dawid Mastalerczyk
Kiana Thompson, with love from Auntie Kristina
Tobias Foster, with love from Auntie Kristina
Noah Foster, with love from Auntie Kristina
The Ridler Family
Jordan Louise Edwards

And a special thanks to Oyster Worldwide and Irene at Farrant Aquamatic Products Ltd

I'll close with a favorite quote from the always wise and wonderful Margaret Mead:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Why we do this: Remembering Reziki

Just a quick video reminder of why we do this. Project Maji, the chickens, garden, vitamins, and formula to keep them healthy, supporting the mamas to recognize their hard work and ensure that they can take care of their own families so that when they are at Nkoaranga orphanage they are THERE with the children 100%. Happy, healthy kids - that's all we want.

Ebenezer just turned eight months, happy and healthy despite serious trials, on August 8th - he came in on the same day as our little man Reziki, who sadly did not make it. That's the other half of why we do this. Because unsafe wash-water on a bottle might have made a difference. Because more staff might have made a difference. Because even if nothing would have made a difference, we have to and we will keep trying to make sure that every child who comes through our doors has as bright a future as we can give them. Reziki, we remember you and we do this for you.

Reziki and Ebenezer, early days (Thanks Amy for the photo)

Gone but not forgotten