Happy Family Children's Village - huge progress!

We have made huge progress with the construction of the Happy Family Children's Village (HFCV), which is being established in memory of Amir Visram, and we are so excited to share the details and pictures with you!

For those of you who may be hearing about this for the first time, two years ago The Small Things took on the challenge of starting a children's village.  Since Nkoaranga Orphanage already exists, why was (and is) this important and necessary?  

Buying the land (and admiring the stunning view!)

Well, despite the existence and operation of Nkoaranga Orphanage, it is only able to care for children up until the age of five, and for a long time, children who aged out of the orphanage had to return to their villages regardless of whether there was anyone there to take care of them or not.  Often this meant a very bleak outlook for the child.  In recent years, the sponsorship organisation, The Foundation for Tomorrow, was able to provide a great sponsorship program for some children; however, it was not possible for them to take all children from Nkoaranga as they also provide for children from other communities, and additionally, it sometimes meant the children going to boarding school when they were not emotionally ready to do so.

Building the foundations

The HFCV was our solution to this!  The village will house children aged five and upwards, initially in two family-style houses where they will be cared for by Mamas, and attend Dinka School as day-pupils.  Staff and volunteers will be able to live on site, as well.  In the future, there will also be a community centre, where families from the surrounding community can bring their children for day care, allowing parents to go to work; and a community garden where local families can grow their own produce.  Much further down the track (in years to come) we hope to have 20 houses, capable of housing around 100 children.

Ribbon cutting ceremony

This project would not have been possible without the generous support of Shazi Visram, the CEO of Happy Family Brands, and daughter of Amir Visram (whose memory the HFCV honors); and the Seedlings Foundation.  We want to extend a huge thank you to these people, as well as to all of you, who have supported the project since the time that it was only a dream in the distance.  We are so glad to still have you with us as the HFCV becomes a reality!

We are delighted at the success of the Pilot House (literally a pilot program operated prior to establishment of the HFCV) - it has now been successfully running for over a year, and we are confident that the routine we have established there will continue to bring happiness and stability to the children once they move into the HFCV.

Construction is well underway

The foundations, walls and roofs have shot up - a credit to the fantastic architect and builders who have thus far worked on the project!  We are thrilled with how the houses are looking!

Some of you may have been involved in the 'Fill a Box, Make a Home' campaign, which we recently ran.  This project got lots of people involved in filling a large shipping container with many essential items, which are not easily purchased in Nkoaranga or nearby, to send from the USA to Tanzania, to fill the houses ready for the children to move into.  Parcels of toys, books and household essentials are still arriving at the warehouse in the USA (although it is now too late to send anything to put into the container), and soon the container will be ready to leave!

Roofs on, houses watertight and ready to be filled

Our next step is to ask local craftsmen to make beautiful wooden furniture (like those below) for the houses, and we would love for you to get involved in this!

Specifically, our annual Spread the Love online auction, is almost upon us - we are so excited, please check out our Spread the Love auction website - and all of the money raised this year will go towards the HFCV, funding furniture and other household essentials.  Although most of the items in the auction will be open for bids (naturally, since it's an auction!), if you would like to purchase a specific piece of furniture for one of the houses, you can do this through the Fund-a-Need section of our auction.  Here, instead of bidding for an item for yourself, it is possible to directly purchase and donate a chair (where a Mama or volunteer may sit to feed a baby), bookcase (where well-loved books will be stored) or other piece of furniture for the HFCV.  You will know that your Fund-a-Need item has gone to a good home!

Auction 'Fund-a-Need' items to fill the houses

So, there you go!  What amazing progress we have made with the support of all of you wonderful people!  

Please check out our Spread the Love online auction which opens on 15 April to continue to support the progress of the HFCV.  As well as the option of directly purchasing a Fund-a-Need piece of furniture, you can bid for many fantastic items, including beautiful handmade Tanzanian goods, hotel stays, jewellery, paintings and much more.

Thank you a million!

Holiday Sponsorship Drive

'Give to Receive'

Since it is now just over a month until Christmas, we are excited to begin our holiday sponsorship drive!  As many of you may remember, last year we ran 'Project Education' which raised money and found sponsors for 4 amazing children - David (below), Pendo, Abdulli and Andrea - to begin school!  The project was a huge success and they are all doing really well, so THANK YOU!

This year, our first priority is to continue the work of Project Education for our next 6 children (just below!) but, unlike in previous years, we're not done once the kids entering school have sponsors!

Our first priority...

...is to get the remainder of these 6 awesome kids sponsored to start school in January.  We are delighted to say that Loveness, Pray and Anna are already sponsored, but Queen, Isaak and Auntie still need your help.  If they can get sponsors, they will be starting at a fantastic local school called Amani (Peace) Academy, which has ranked highest in the region on national tests for the last several years, and in fact ranked within the top 25 schools in all of Tanzania.  Unlike in previous years, they will be attending as day-students and living in a family-style house which we have set up, rather than boarding.  We would love for you to read more about this aspect of the project as we are very excited to be able to provide them with a more family-style environment.

...following this, we want to try to find sponsors for all of the orphanage children to help fund their care in the orphanage.

What are the holidays truly about, if not about opening up the warmth of a family to a child without one? As each child gets a sponsor, we will add their ornament to the tree we can be seen on our holiday fundraising page, so you can see the progress we are making. Let's fill it up!  Here's a little sneak preview!

We also have an extra incentive for our wonderful supporters to donate over the holidays. From now to January 1st, any new sponsors will receive a special thank you! ALL new sponsors will receive a beautiful handmade African ornament as a token of our appreciation (check them out to the right of the tree), and full sponsors will also get one of our 2014 Calendars (also now available for purchase).  Of course, we realize that many people are unable to commit to a sponsorship but would still like to contribute and for this we are extremely grateful! For one time donations between now and January 1st, we would also like to offer several different gifts to express our thanks - find out more on the holiday fundraising page. Finally, calendars or donations in someone's name make a great gift, and recipients will get a beautiful card as well! Sponsor or donate now!


Donate

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Buy a Calendar (add $5 for shipping outside the US or UK)
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Whatever support you can give, whether it be spreading the word, buying a meaningful gift for someone special, or becoming a sponsor, it will make a difference and we are so grateful. 

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. 

Meeting Daniel

A few weeks ago, myself and a fellow volunteer, Emelie, took a very long, hot and dusty bus ride (13 hours each way!) along the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, through the beautiful Serengeti, passing numerous Maasai villages until we eventually reached the town of Musoma in the very north of Tanzania. We were in search of a boy named Daniel Meshack.

The Serengeti on the bus ride back to Arusha

Lake Victoria in Musoma

Daniel is a 16 year old orphan who suffers from a disability with his legs and struggles greatly when walking. He knows very little about his condition and due to a lack of money, his parents were forced to stop any further treatment after one operation that he had as a child.

He is being sponsored largely by a woman named Susan Green to attend Tabora boy's boarding school, as well as by The Small Things who are assisting in covering the rest of Daniel's school fees. Thanks to some amazing donors and Susan, who read Daniel's story and immediately knew she wanted to make a difference to his life, Daniel has been given a wonderful opportunity for education, and his passion for studying was clear to see during our visit.

This was our chance to meet him for the first time, to see how he is enjoying his new school (which he began in January 2013) and to find out his plans for the future.

He is currently living in a community called Nyakato with a 66 year old lady called Ms. Pelagia. She is a remarkable woman who has taken in many other orphans and children who are in difficult positions, which has led to 16 people living in the household at present. She is referred to as 'Bibi' (grandmother) but is not the biological grandmother of Daniel. Ms. Pelagia saw Daniel on the streets and did not hesitate to take him in and provide shelter and care. It was lovely to see the clear bond that Daniel and Ms. Pelagia share, as well as the help and support she tries her best to give, despite her own difficult living situation.

Daniel using Ms. Pelagia to support his weight as he stood for the photo to be taken

From the outside, the house appeared large with two smaller out-buildings. However, as we walked in we saw the crumbling walls and the bare rooms. It was clear to see that the overall construction was unfinished and not in a very good state. Ms. Pelagia and her husband had to take out a loan in order to build the house but, due to a lack of money, they were unable to complete the building and are now unable to repay the loan.

The main house building

The two outbuildings situated on the right of the main building

The living room

On the other hand, Daniel himself is doing brilliantly! He loves school and is thriving there. Every test paper we saw was graded between 80% and 100%! We were unable to see an official school report as he is still in his first term and will receive the report at the end of term. His favorite subjects are biology, chemistry and physics but his ambition is to become an accountant. We could see his face light up when he spoke about school. It was wonderful to see such a contrast after having to go over the difficult part of speaking about his heartbreaking past.

A variety of Daniel's test papers

One test paper where Daniel scored 100%

Another great test paper! Daniel scored 93 out of 100

Additionally, during the vacation periods from the boarding school, the students usually have to take extra tutoring in order to catch up with any work missed when a teacher at the school has been absent. The tutor has been kind enough to give Daniel a discount because of his condition, but it is still another payment for them that is not easy to find.

Daniel is burdened by his condition but he certainly does not let that stop him.

Instead of one pair of shoes that a Tanzanian would usually make do with for a couple of years, Daniel has to go through at least two pairs a year as they wear away so quickly from the way he has to walk.

Travelling to school at the beginning and end of term isn't straightforward. He cannot walk for long without having to take regular breaks, so he has to take a taxi from home to the bus stand in Musoma, then a bus from Musoma to Mwanza where he then has to stay for the night. His journey continues the next day with another bus ride and a taxi. Transport alone is costly but necessary. It is time consuming yet worth it for the joy and respite that education offers Daniel.

Through this inspiring visit, The Small Things would like to assist Daniel to get a hospital consultation for a thorough checkup of his legs. We would like to see if there is anything that can be done to improve or cure his condition. We also plan on discussing options for helping Ms. Pelagia and the other children that live in the household, perhaps by funding their primary school education. Daniel also has a younger brother of 9 years and a sister of 12 years. One lives in Dodoma and the other lives in Morogoro. Unfortunately, Daniel is unsure of who they are living with as the siblings were all split up when their parents passed away. We would love to try and track them down and to explore the possibilities of reuniting them.

Another child who lives with Daniel. She was intrigued by the camera!

Another child living with Daniel. She shyly came over as she wanted her photo taken too

Daniel has had an extremely hard childhood. He lost both parents in the space of a year, lost a friend named Zackaria who died in an accident when he was helping Daniel find a school, he has lived on the streets finding food remains to live on for six months and, throughout it all, he has had to battle a painful problem with his legs. Despite all of this, his thirst for education and enthusiasm for learning is completely awe inspiring. Daniel is an extremely intelligent boy who has the ability and motivation to succeed. He has another three years of studying at Tabora Boy's School and he then wishes to study at University. If you would like to contribute to his future, please click here to donate for Daniel.

Emelie and I hope to visit Daniel again in a couple of years. This was not just a 'business trip,' it was a very emotional and inspiring visit that touched us both. Meeting Daniel put a lot into perspective for us and those 13 hour bus rides didn't seem worth complaining about after all.

Emelie, Daniel, Ms. Pelagia and Bethan

A letter from Daniel

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!

We all love bubbles...

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

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

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

….and an hour and a half later….

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

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

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

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

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

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

I think Ester was just posing really :)

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

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

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

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

Time flies!

I can't believe that tomorrow Abdulli will have been at school for a month, and David, Andrea and Pendo will have been at school for a month and a week!  We've been getting regular updates on how they have been getting along, and can't wait to tell you all about it very soon.  For the moment though, rest assured that these little guys have settled in well and are doing just fine!

Andrea fine-tuning his drawing skills before
heading off to school

Meanwhile, back at Nkoaranga orphanage, Vicky is itching to join her big 'brothers' and 'sisters' and get started on her schooling!! You've got a little while to wait yet, Vicky!

Vicky hard at work with her picture book

Just thought this little blog would be a nice place to let you all know how thankful we are for your continued support with Project Education, and your belief that these kids deserve the chance to shine!

THANK YOU!