An interview with Mama Pendo

Earlier this week, one of our lovely staff members- Christina, interviewed the Head Mama of Nkoaranga Orphanage - a wonderful and most remarkable woman, Mama Pendo. Read on to find out more about how she came to work at the orphanage and of her inspirational personal views about the children and the changes that Nkoaranga has seen over the years. We hope that you will share our appreciation of such a kind-hearted lady! 

Mama Pendo and her little Angel. Mama Pendo is often referred to as Bibi Angel as their relationship is particularly special! (Angel may have just woken up from a nice nap when this photo was taken!)

Mama Pendo and her little Angel. Mama Pendo is often referred to as Bibi Angel as their relationship is particularly special! (Angel may have just woken up from a nice nap when this photo was taken!) 

• "So, Mama Pendo, how long have you been working at Nkoaranga Orphanage?"

26 years - since March 1988!

• "Wow! Please tell us about your role as a Mama at the Orphanage. What does it involve?" 

General mama duties include changing, playing with the children and singing to them, bathing them each morning, feeding them, taking them to hospital whenever they get sick, exercise, teaching them to talk, encouraging them to stand and eventually to walk!

As head mama, I write jobs each week for other mamas, buy food for the children, watch over everything at the orphanage to prevent and resolve any problems, report issues going on with children at the orphanage and communicates with the families of the children.

Mama Pendo feeding Angel - just one of the many daily routines at the Orphanage

Mama Pendo feeding Angel - just one of the many daily routines at the Orphanage

"How has Nkoaranga Orphanage changed over the time you have worked here?"

“It has changed totally!” It was very small before, with only seven children. The house had only two rooms! There was not enough food or clothes for the children and there were no shoes at all when it started to become overcrowded. There were not even any nappies so children went to the bathroom on the floor and it always smelled. Sadly, people did not like to work there or even go there. 

Now, however, everyone comes to ask for a job because it is such a good place! It is "nice like Europe or the US!" The orphanage has grown in both structure and support and the children have more resources and a better life. 

• "Why did you decide to work at the orphanage?"

Ever since I was a child, I “liked to take care of the babies”. I always knew I wanted to work with children and so I went through Irente childcare training, which is where many of the orphanage's most experienced Mama's have been trained. 

I told the father of Doctor Sam that I would like a job at the orphanage and he agreed because they were in great need of trained nannies. 

Once I began working at the orphanage, I immediately started to make recommendations and suggest changes to better the conditions in which the children were living. 

Mama Pendo singing and playing with Isaac and Angel

Mama Pendo singing and playing with Isaac and Angel

"Do you have children of your own? If so, how many?"

I have three of my own children and have also taken in several from the orphanage. One of my children from the orphanage, Grace, is now 19 years old. Grace's mother died after delivery and she stayed at the orphanage for two years. Her father came to take her home but when I visited Grace, she had terrible diarrhea and was very sick because her family was so poor. So, we brought her back to the orphanage. I eventually took her in to give her the attention and the love she needed.

• "What are you interested in or like doing when you are not working at the Orphanage?"

I care for my children, shop for them and cook for my whole family among other general chores. I also have to take care of the farm by feeding the cows.

I like to be with my children in order to “teach them about life” when they are not in boarding school. 

A note from the interviewer, Christina: "It is clear that Mama Pendo’s life is fully and completely devoted to children - both her own and those at the orphanage. She had to think hard about this question - I don’t think she ever takes a moment to think about herself!"

• "What is the best part about your job?"

I like to teach the children about religion and faith and encourage them to be good people. I love to see them grow and, now, see them so happy and healthy after spending so many years watching the children struggle. The best thing is the future for the children - “I like to think about the future for the children...when they grow up”.  I hope that the children now have the support and ability to grow up and receive a good education, learning to solve their problems themselves.

Mama Pendo with other staff member and children at the Happy Family Children's Village ribbon cutting ceremony. A proud and exciting moment for all!

• Do you have any special or funny memories from your time working here?"

My happiest memories of the orphanage are seeing the children now. It used to be a very hard life for the babies but now they are very happy and have a good life.

• "Do you have a message for the people around the world who support and donate towards the development of Nkoaranga Orphanage and the Pilot House?"

"I would say thank you very much and God bless them. They are doing a good, good, and nice job. God will bless them for helping another life.”

• "Is there anything else you would like to add or tell us about?"

I am “very happy” because, for most of my time at the orphanage, “it was like I was carrying big luggage.” In the past, I never knew what would happen to the children after they left the orphanage and I worried about them going to boarding school, which is why I took in so many children of my own. Thanks to The Small Things, I finally feel relief.

A note from the interviewer, Christina: Mama Pendo spoke a lot about the importance of family, and of the children having family as they develop and go through life. She stressed that boarding school is not good for young children because they miss out on a lot of things in life. While they get a good education, they do not get to experience a lot of other things that children should experience and learn about. That is why she is so “happy for The Small Things,” because now, her idea of The Children's Village and Pilot House arrangement is finally becoming reality. It is finally like the children are home.

An inspirational woman who has been a huge part of the development and positive change of Nkoaranga. We are so happy to be working alongside her!

For more information on the work we do at The Small Things  and how you can get involved, please click here.

Disclaimer: With the exception of the quoted phrases, the responses to the interviewer's questions are based on the interviewer's notes taken during the interview. They may not be exactly how Mama Pendo phrased them but represent true facts spoken by Mama Pendo. 

Guest Blog: 10 things we have learned in Nkoaranga, by Ditte

Ditte and Christine, two of our current volunteers from Denmark, arrived in Nkoaranga in early January. This great blog is a list of ten very useful things to know about volunteering in Nkoaranga! All our volunteers leave saying what an amazing experience it was, but it's also good to be prepared for all parts of living as a volunteer in a small, rural community on the mountain slopes of Meru in East Africa, where, yes, power cuts are an inevitable part of life!

10 things we have learned being in Nkoaranga:

Soon we will have been volunteering at Nkoaranga Orphanage for 4 months and what an experience it has been. We have had the most amazing time with other volunteers, TST employees, mamas and the most beautiful children that we will really miss when we return to Denmark. However, there are some things that we had not thought about before we went away and now we have had time to look back, here’s what we have learned during our incredible trip.

1: The one thing we did not expect to miss was the liquorice!

Down here, far from home comforts, you will find small joys in little things, such as ice cream or chocolate. Though these are good, one thing we have really been missing here is Danish liquorice. You can get everything else here but liquorice is not available anywhere. We can’t wait to have it again, so we wish that we had brought some with us. The same goes for any treats from your own country.

2: Think of a hobby and use your time wisely

When you’re not working, the time here both flies and goes at a snail's pace, so a hobby that you can occupy yourself with would be a nice idea. Especially when there are long power cuts.

Kisses for Christine!

3: Contact lenses can be difficult to use in Africa

So, when you 're down here and it’s been 30 degrees for a month without rain, it begins to get very dusty. I had problems with my contact lenses and then decided to just give up with them. I wasted space in my backpack with contact lens fluid, so glasses would clearly be preferable here!

4: We wish we had taken a kindle or e-reader

We brought some books in paper form but wish that we had taken a kindle with us; it takes up less space and is easier to get new books without having to go to town. They are especially good during power cuts!

5: I should’ve brought a Swahili dictionary

I thought that my English would be OK and I could easily pick up a bit of Swahili. That's one thing I regret, because English is not enough and, though most people know a few words, not everyone speaks it. A Swahili phrasebook, both before you come and during, would be a useful idea. It’s just a great feeling putting the kids to bed and being able to say goodnight and sleep well in their own language.

Our volunteers are unbelievably useful with so many children looking for cuddles, love and someone to play with.

6: Balloons are like gold! 

I brought balloons because as a child I loved them, so it was only natural to bring them to the pilot house. I just wish I had brought more because the kids LOVED them and we had so much fun playing "balloon wars”.

7: You’ll get to experience some really unique things.

We have gone on some great trips during our 4 months. For example we went to a local church service and a wedding, (we wish we had brought some nice clothes for these type of things!). We went to some beautiful hot springs and canoeing on Lake Duluti, which were not bad also! We also visited the nice town of Moshi, which is a 2-hour bus journey away.

8: You will get ridiculously attached to the children at the orphanage

We didn’t have the faintest idea how close we would get to the children. When we think that we will soon not be the ones to wake them up in the morning or put them to bed at night, we realise what a tough goodbye it will be.

Vicky Mouse having cuddles with Ditte

9: It's not only the children you’ll miss.

We will also miss the lovely mamas. When you look at what a great job they do and see the touching, caring moments between mama and baby, you realise what an important part of the orphanage they are and just how much you can learn from them.

10: You will make new friends in the Volunteer house that you will miss when you leave

We didn’t think about how close you would get to other volunteers, but when you spend so much time with each other you really get to know them. You will definitely miss them when you go home, even their bad habits. The coolest thing of all is that they are so different and come from all over the world, so really help expand your horizons.

Ditte with our lovely Lulu!

Those are some of the things we have learned from our trip to Nkoaranga. Some things will probably be useful for you and some might not. But despite these things, this is an experience we would not exchange for anything in the world. We have come to love Africa and especially the children at the orphanage and we will definitely come back and see how they are doing. We will definitely recommend Nkoaranaga and the lovely children to our friends and any one else who might be interested in being a volunteer!

Team Small Things to run 13 miles this Sunday!

This week has been an exciting week for The Small Things.

The happy couple!

Not only did we see Bekka, the director and Chair of The Small Things become married to Riz on Thursday, but they have now moved house and are living in Tanzania and are settling in great. We will soon have a lot more information on how the kids and Mamas are doing as well as recent developments on our projects. So stay with us for lots of updates coming soon!

This Sunday at 10.30am, Bethan, Charlotte, Emily and Jake will be running 13 miles in a half marathon in their home town of Taunton, in order to raise money for The Small Things. Together, they are hoping to raise approximately £500 and this money will go directly to the orphanage.

Training has certainly been challenging, not to mention, sweaty!

Charlotte with Filipo in January 2011
 (Now 2 years old)

So why The Small Things?

One of our runners, Charlotte, says how lucky she feels to have had 'the privilege of volunteering at Nkoaranga Orphanage with the amazing children and staff. I miss seeing the wonderful children and admire the work that The Small Things are doing to help make a difference to the lives of the people at the orphanage. This is why I have decided to run the Taunton Half Marathon to raise money for The Small Things. I am not someone who is particularly good at running so this is definitely a challenge! Training is so hard! However it will be worth it for this amazing cause.'

And how are our runners feeling about the big day coming up?

Bethan explains how 'The nerves are really starting to kick in now! I'm sure the adrenaline, the atmosphere, and the support that we will receive on Sunday will keep us going and get us to the finish line. It's certainly been difficult training at the gym and going on runs in such chilly weather! Not to mention trying to balance studying for a degree! But I'm confident we will all do well and that we will encourage each other to reach the end, however long it may take!'

Bethan with Maureen Kubwa
 (3 years old - soon to be 4 on April 22nd!)

We feel very proud of our four runners who are taking part in this challenge purely for our kids and the Mamas. This is another act of support that keeps us dedicated and thankful to you all who help us at The Small Things.

Click here to sponsor our team and to get them closer to their target. Any amount will be greatly appreciated by us all and a little goes a long way!

Keep an eye out next week to find out how the run went as well as updates and new photos of the beautiful children coming soon.

Good luck for Sunday to Team Small Things: Jake, Emily, Charlotte and Bethan!

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!

Guest Post: Claire, Stine, Peter

Claire and Gracie

Coming to Tanzania as three privileged people has made us more appreciative of everything we have, and allowed us to recognize our good fortune and focus on what is truly important. Straight away we all felt a sense of connection and love between everyone at Nkoaranga orphanage.We take for granted all the necessities that the orphanage so strongly depends on - we don't realise how lucky we are to  have access to the basics whenever we want in our countries.

Nkoaranga orphanage offers a community and access to education, which is vital for these children in their process. Education is extremely important for the children and they are so lucky to have the school house and access to our own wonderful teacher. We volunteers look back to our home towns and recognize many younger individuals that abuse the opportunity of education, which can change lives here. It's not something we will take for granted again!

Peter and Shujah

The most important factor the orphanage offers is their home. The passion and hard work of everyone involved in the orphanage (and The Small Things!) is the reason for the success and happiness of the kids. This success comes from the pure love and attention that the kids receive from the mamas, volunteers, and each other. They all want to please, and all depend on this nurturing to thrive.

The orphanage offers good nutrition, medical care, and a healthy environment for these children, which in this society is nothing to be taken for granted. They are bathed and changed continuously, and all the children are very well fed - don't let the fact that they chant "CHAKULA!" or "FOOD!" before each meal trick you into thinking they aren't! The children have a strong bond with each mama, and it's heartwarming to see these relationships. The mamas are extremely hardworking, and the orphanage could not function without them.

We each have our own personal memories of the orphanage - below, we will each write about some of our favorite moments.

Ester shot by Claire

Claire: My name is Claire Wyatt, I'm sixteen years old, and coming to Tanzania has completely changed my perspective. I encourage any young people to do something like this when the opportunity arises, because it puts your priorities in order and makes you realize what's truly important. I come from a big family - I have two brothers, two sisters, and three step-sisters. Before I came here, I was always grateful for having such a big family, but now I appreciate it even more. The orphanage feels like one big family, with all of the children (and their big personalities!) forming strong bonds with each other. Pendo is definitely the little mama, and Simoni is everyone's cautious grandfather. My fondest memory comes from a day when I was sitting in the house, which looks onto the orphanage. I watched little Ester (2 years old), who had wandered outside on her own, and started to cry. I was about to go comfort her, but before I could act, I saw Loveness (age 4) walk up to Ester and wipe her face, pick her up, and take her inside. This moment brought home to me how deep the bonds are between these kids, and how they look out for each other. It made me realize that while they may not have parents, they do have a family in each other. 

Stine and Ebenezer

Stine and Peter: Our names are Stine and Peter, we come from Denmark and we chose to volunteer over a year ago. We didn't have the slightest idea what to expect - we were totally overwhelmed by the love and the trust the children put in our hands from the first moment. This alone would have made the trip worthwhile!

Our greatest moment was to see the development of baby Ebenezer, who suffered from a bad bout of pneumonia when we first arrived at the orphanage. Stine in particular felt drawn to him from day one. He is over three months old but his size is similar to a newborn, despite how much he's grown since first coming to the orphanage. We noticed straight away his trouble breathing, and after a short period of time, Stine felt a strong passion and responsibility and passion to act as his mother would have. She spent most of her time at the orphanage caring for him, and she felt a strong connection whenever their eyes met. After just a few days she could tell he recognized her as well, and felt safe. During our stay, though, he was extremely ill and struggled to keep weight on, as he was also having stomach trouble from his antibiotics - we felt very worried for his health. However, we and the mamas took him to the hospital to be treated, and we are confident he will make a full recovery. We know he is in very caring and capable hands to monitor him as he recovers. We are also very grateful to The Small Things for allowing us to stay involved in his journey to recovery, and to continue to watch him grow and thrive.

We have so many wonderful memories and we are very motivated to go home and take action on some of these critical issues. We feel a strong responsibility to find a way to help. We have met so many wonderful and welcoming people on our trip. Even though they have their own struggles, and most have far less than anyone from our home country, Denmark, they are so happy and generous. We could and should learn from their example. We want to take their attitude and apply to our own lives, wherever we are. The kids will always be in our hearts - there is nothing like hearing them shouting your name in excitement when you enter a room!

While we are here, though, there are some projects that we and The Small Things would really like to take on, that we can't currently afford. These will be continuing into the future, but here is a brief summary.

• English classes: The mamas have thrived in their English studies, and it has made a big difference in their ability to communicate with the volunteers. They have asked us to extend the courses for another three months. To pay for 14 mamas' classes for three months, including all transportation, costs approximately $1,000 dollars. 
• School uniforms: The kids have been out of their adorable school uniforms now for a while, because they have been worn to pieces. To purchase new material and sweaters, repair existing uniforms, and pay for tailoring, will cost approximately $500. 
• Chickens, rabbits, garden: While Marie and her mom financed the building of a new (amazing!) chicken coop and food for six months, there is still some more work to do to make the entire area optimally productive. The new building requires new fencing, and the replanted garden needs fertilizer. Baba Nicky, our resident expert on agriculture and raising animals, also wants to create a small rabbit area and buy a few rabbits, which will, in time, be a great source of nutrition for the kids (and a lot of fun for them in the meantime). These projects together will cost approximately another $400. 
• Micro Grants: as you know from our last post, the Micro Grants project is going incredibly well, but still needs support. Every dollar helps deserving families in the community to support themselves and become self-sufficient business people. 

Please consider donating if any of these seem like worthwhile projects to you!

Special focus?

Wherever the need is greatest English classes School uniforms Chickens, rabbits, garden Microgrants
You will enter the amount you'd like to contribute on the next page.

Progress

Just one of many outlets and
switches moved out of the
reach of little fingers

We've come an amazing way in the last few months. Between Kristina's event for Light Up the Night and your generous donations, we're now at almost $7,500 of $9,500 total needed to finish the project by installing solar lighting in the orphanage and hospital maternity wards, an effort that WILL save lives. Check out the difference this project has already made - the orphanage rewiring is now FINISHED. No more electrical outlets in the reach of little fingers, no more dead lights in the baby room from the fire years ago, no more random holes in the wall with wires sticking out - hooray!

We still have a few more hurdles before the finish line, but we are getting closer every day. We also have received news that our gorgeous boy Andrea may be getting sponsored for school next year... keep your fingers crossed! In the meantime, please consider donating to Light Up the Night or towards Pendo, Andrea, Abdulli and David's school costs, or taking one of them on for long-term sponsorship (a quarter sponsorship is just $19 per month and can change their lives).

Mama Cantate describing the fire that sparked Project Light Up the Night

Can you imagine cooking for 30 kids
on this??

We've also got some great projects coming up this summer, including a pilot business micro-grants and training program for families either already caring for orphaned children or single parents in danger of having to surrender a child to the orphanage system. We also will be hiring a new mama and replanting the garden for the coming year. We ALSO just had a few large unforeseen expenses - replacing the completely dead orphanage dryer that is often the only thing that keeps our kids' beautiful butts clothed (especially in the rainy season!) as well as repairing the stove, which had disintegrated almost completely - to the point that the mamas often cooked on a fire outside instead. We're also replenishing our stock of chewable vitamins, liquid vitamins, and formula to keep the kids adequately nourished. On top of all of that, we've got some great volunteers coming over the summer, including medical students and a Swahili major who will be working with us to create cross-cultural children's books that we hope to distribute to other local orphanages as well.

And as a reminder of why we do this all, take a look at the beautiful face of my happy, healthy little girl Zi, who just a year and a half ago was riddled with worms and couldn't even crawl because she was so weak. Better medical care, better food, access to formula and vitamins, better support for the mamas so they have more attention for the children, better volunteer support, better infrastructure - happier, healthier kids. Just 18 days till I have the privilege of being with them again! 

Nkoaranga Angels: Western Union, Millie and Mikarla

Mikarla with Frankie

Millie with Ebeni and Vicky

Ok, so I know a big company isn't usually an angel... but in this case, Western Union's "World of Betters" competition  allowed us to throw our name in the hat with an idea about what we would do with $1,000 to make the world a better place. And then many of you wonderful people voted for us on their site - and we won! We picked up $1,000 towards funding a year's salary for a new mama, who we're hoping to hire this summer. A good chunk of the rest of the money is coming from our wonderful friends Millie and Mikarla, two Australian volunteers who partnered with us to re-do the playground. We couldn't be more grateful for their help with both projects!

Cantate dancing with the toddlers

For those who haven't been there personally, please trust us when we say that hiring new staff is possibly the MOST valuable thing we can do for the orphanage. The mamas work incredibly hard, but as it stands, there are often only two on duty at any given time - meaning that one is cooking, cleaning, and washing all the clothes, while another is watching the kids. Given that there are currently four babies under a year and another six under two years, think about how much time and attention the older kids get under the current system! This isn't the fault of the mamas, and they work hard to counteract it through group play, singing, dancing, and more - but it's just not always possible to engage that many children directly with only two adults. And, of course, if a child is sick and needs to be brought down the hill to the hospital or the water or cooker or washing machines are down, one mama will have to spend their entire shift working on that problem rather than being with the kids.

Mama Linda with sleepy Ester

That said, things are getting better. Mama Linda has already made a big splash with the kids, and almost certainly saved little Peace's life during the month she spent with him giving one-to-one care. We're hoping to find someone just as wonderful as her to fill the second spot we'll have open this summer! Luckily for us, although difficult for the community, there are almost always very talented people left without jobs, even once they've attained credentials such as the child-care certificate required to work at the orphanage. We're looking forward to finding just the right fit for our kids.

Mama Andrew with Shujah

We have also been lucky to have a number of wonderful volunteers come forward through the site, in addition to those who are out there through great volunteer organizations. However, volunteers are always a bit of a mixed bag, because unless they live on the property (as we do when we go), they often choose to be there during a very limited time-frame, usually 9am-4pm, which are in fact the easiest hours of the day! That can supplement, but never replace, the importance of having enough mamas hired to take care of the kids in every hour of the day and night.

Now, just for fun, a few videos: Mama Cantate feeding the kids with mangoes (which are 'tam,' tasty), trying not to let them get their hands all sticky - a losing battle - and Mama Farajah singing and dancing the "Train to Moshi" song before bed with the kids (and no, I have no clue why Zawadi looks so serious!)

Thanks to everyone who voted for us, to Western Union, and to Millie and Mikarla! 

Mother's (and Mama's) Day

My mom with Simoni last year

My mother is having a tough mother's day - I am in graduate school in London, and my brother (and only sibling) is on a semester abroad in Australia - she is literally a quarter and half of the way around the world from us, respectively. I miss her, and I'm sorry not to be there - but at the end of the day, she's instilled in my brother and me both the confidence to travel, to explore, to let our life path find us, and I am so grateful to her for that gift. Mine found me in a beautiful little girl named Zawadi, and I can't wait until the day we have our first mother's day together.

Me and my girl Zi

Unfortunately, for most of our incredible kids, there are no adoptive mothers waiting in the wings. So instead it's up to all of us, the community of care that is The Small Things, to think on this day especially of what their mothers would have wanted them to have. Education. Opportunity. Safety. Health. Love. 

We are doing our best, and with your help we have achieved amazing things in the past year. We've started three kids in high quality Tanzanian boarding schools with the help of their sponsors, everyone who donated to their up-front costs, and The Foundation For Tomorrow - and in January, we hope to have found full sponsorship for the next four. With your help, we will give them education to take advantage of all the opportunities life has to offer - and with Tanzania's rapid growth (over 6% per year) and more companies investing heavily in the continent, their future is looking bright. 

Mama Pendo with a group of former Nkoaranga orphanage
kids, now all thriving at school with TFFT

As for safety, we are more than 80% of the way to our goal for Light Up the Night, which has already rewired the orphanage, will be installing solar lighting in the orphanage this summer, and, if we can raise that last 20%, will fund solar lighting for the hospital maternity ward as well. We have raised sufficient funds to fulfill our commitments to the orphanage to keep them fully stocked with formula for all children up to six months as well as chewable and liquid vitamins - which the kids LOVE and ask for daily as their candy! We've also had success with our one-to-one 24/7 preemie care program, which has helped our (previously) little Peace to grow into a beautiful, chubby prince, and is currently funding care for little Ebenezer to catch up to his healthy new buddy Neema. 

Frankie with Dainess and Pray

Mama Neema

Mama Pendo with Farajah

Last but absolutely not least, these children need love to thrive. There are two parts to our responsibility here - encouraging and modelling ongoing commitment and engagement from volunteers, and supporting the incredible mamas who stay with these kids day in and day out for their first five years. We do that through ongoing salary support and funding new hires - one in January, the wonderful Mama Linda, and we are hoping for a second this summer. These kids may have had the bad luck to lose their mothers - but they have the mamas, and they have us, and we have their mothers' memories to guide and inspire us. 

Thank you from each of the Nkoaranga kids -
and their twenty-plus siblings!

Please consider donating to support any or all of these projects through the How to Help page - we can't do it without you! To those who have helped us come so far already, thank you - and you should feel some pride today, because in a way, everyone who has helped these projects has become part of our mothering effort. Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

(PS: Shameless plug - if you aren't already signed up to our mailing list, check out our spring newsletter here and/or sign up in the sidebar!)