Malaika Orphanage - Arusha

Megan & Eddie Barkham Malaika Orphange August-November 2007

Today we leave Tanzania.And a part of me is left too.Yesterday we said goodbye to our homestay;that is the official terminology;in reality we left our new family;to say it was heartbreaking is an understatement.The love we feel for them and the love they gave to us will remain in our hearts forever.Mama,Baba,Gardy,Sarah,Godsave,Mum GoGo,Naomi and Imanhi we miss you already!!!! My thoughts on our three months with them are too precious to share;suffice to say we will return as soon as we can. Malaika:the hardest job I’ve ever had but hopefully one of the most worthwhile.There are certainly areas I found difficult to accept and areas I would like to see changed.My respect for the staff grew the longer I was there and likewise theirs for me. They have my sympathy;muzungus coming in for short periods of time telling them how to do the jobs they will still be doing long after we have left.Their was certainly some resentment when I first arrived but I chose to deal with it by getting my head down and working my butt off.Slowly,slowly the girls trusted in me and I enjoyed their respect and love.Teach by example would be my advice to any new volunteers.There were a number of practical difficulties and funding is always an issue. Thanks to Nicky and David in Exmouth Malaika will soon receive a supply of plastic pants and nappy pins.To say these are the type of things we were always short of gives you some idea of the way things are in Tanzania.The 6 babies I was mainly responsible for were of course beautiful but their starts in life pretty horrendous.For that reason I am sorry to have to question our worth as volunteers and would like to see a commitment of a minimum of 6 mths for people who work with vulnerable children.I was torn apart leaving them but am glad to say that I had three weeks with three lovely new volunteers from Israel and know that they will carry on where I left off.But part of me will always remain at Malaika.The older children I had less contact with but in my role of taking them to hospitals and clinics I became close to them also.Volunteering at an orphanage is a huge physical and emotional challenge;one I struggled with almost daily.Comfort,Sia,Samwel,Betty,Neema and Baraka not forgetting Lisa and Paulo and the school children I carry you all in my heart. And now to my thoughts on Africa.I hate the poverty, the lack of respect for women and children,indiscriminate use of corporal punishment and the Dust!!!!!!!!! But we have been privilaged to meet some of the kindest and most loving and generous people who have thankfully blown the previous generilisations apart except for the Dust!!!! Their enthusiasm for life belies the hardships they exist under and we as pampered westerners would do with following their example.Having no water, no electricity and very basic toilet facilities soon became the norm and brought us closer to our hosts in Tanzania.Kwa heri to Arusha and all our new friends;we will be back!!! And finally to Mondo-thankyou for supporting us in this experiance.We acknowledged some differances in opinion and came away with I hope mutual respect.Kate you are amazing and we would like to say a special thankyou to you.It has been a privilage to know you. Asante sana.

Timbolo Primary School - Ngaramtoni

Joel Elkins September - December 2007

If you have the pleasure of teaching at Timbolo, you will undoubtedly develop a love/hate relationship with this road, which, depending on where in Ngaramtoni you live, takes between 40 and 50 minutes each direction, more if you stop to take a few pictures or engage with the locals, which you are likely to do at least a few times each trip, considering the splendor (both animate and inanimate) you will encounter.

For those who don’t have the pleasure, or are new to the experience, below is a roadmap of what you can expect to see. (This is just one of many possible routes to the school, but we have found it to be the fastest and most colorful. Times given are approximate and will vary.)

In order to be in time for morning assembly, you will need to leave the blue sign at the top of the Elias/David road at about 7:00 a.m. Turn left, heading north. In a few minutes (7:03), you will pass Emaoi Primary School on the left, which also serves as the local courthouse, a church on Sundays and, in the afternoon, an army training facility.




Pass this gate (7:06):

Next you will come to a stream (7:07), where, in the afternoon, you might see women doing laundry or army recruits rolling around in the mud. Given the state of the water, it seems better suited for the latter:



If you come at the right time of day, you may also run into Michael and his friends on their way to school, and they will be simply overjoyed to have the pleasure of walking there holding hands with a mzungu.



After a small incline, you will be able to see a gorgeous panorama
(7:10), one which will continue to impress you every time you pass it:



Immediately thereafter there will be a road going off to the right in a steep ascent, which you should take:

On the right at the top of the ascent (7:11), you will see a house with the world’s laziest cow. More often than not, it is sitting in a pile of hay:



Follow this road as it curves and you will most certainly be warmly greeted by a number of children, probably led by this adorable one:




A little further down the curving path (7:15), you will see a number of bomas (Massai huts), accompanied by innumerable goats and children (the latter of which love to have their picture taken; the former are indifferent):








Immediately thereafter, you will come to the “Trevi Fountain,” one of the few public water sources in the area, so named because it is usually left running whether or not is being used, which it often is, either for bathing, laundry or filling up buckets.



At the fork in the road (7:16), turn right:

In about 20 meters, you will see a small store on the right and a V on the left:
At this time, you will also probably be greeted by the “Dust Devils,” who are usually so covered in the stuff that you almost can’t tell where the ground ends and they begin.



At the V (7:17), take the diagonal path through the cornfields, as it curves by (not through) the trees:

If the corn is short enough, here is where you will probably get your best views of Mt. Meru:

Also, if you are on time, about now you may run into Joycey, who will always greet you with a big smile, on her way in the opposite direction:






You will exit the cornfields (7:21) and hit a road, which to the right leads to Kimnyak Primary and Secondary Schools. However, take the road left and then immediately take the fork off the road which goes underneath the Crying Tree, so named because, if it has rained at all in the past week, will still be dripping:

You are now overlooking what is affectionately called “Goatherders’ Hill.” This will soon become the highlight of your twice-daily trip. Once you are spotted, you will be assaulted with Massai greetings by the young goatherders until you are well out of sight. (Make sure you learn the proper responses to each.):


You may also have to pass a similar gauntlet when confronted with the “Ta Kwenya” girls, who are substantially less cute and often more aggressive with their greetings and requests:

You will come to and cross a dry riverbed (7:23) and turn right onto the main path. Continue on this road for a few minutes. On the way, you may experience a talking bush (7:26), saying things such as “Good morning,” “Good afternoon” or “Welcome to home.” Don’t worry, you are not going crazy, that’s just the bush babies who live behind, practicing their English:


Immediately thereafter, you will come to an intersection with a blue store at one corner:

Make a left and continue up the long dusty road. You are now on the final (and most exhausting) leg of your journey. It is about a 14 minute walk up this last straightaway, where (if you’re lucky) you’ll meet some more of the regulars, including “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Shoulders” kid (who likes to show off his English, but needs a little help with the lyrics):


The “Good morning, sir, Good morning, madam” girl, who will greet you most politely with the best English pronunciation you will find in Tanzania, unless your camera is on video mode, then she’ll just stare at you:

The Boma kids, who are always more than happy to pose for the camera: About a quarter of the way up, you will see a fork in the road (7:29); stay on the main path (i.e. veer right)





From a distance, you may see a stone building (7:33) and think that you are almost there, but don’t get too excited – as you will see, it’s not the school, but what it is is anybody’s guess (a partially completed toilet?)



However, when you reach this gate (7:36), you are getting close:





You might even hear the drums from Sambasha in the distance. As you approach (7:40), if you are one time, the kids should be lining up for morning assembly.




The school is on your right. Good luck and have fun!

Book Donation - Usangi

Thanks to the fantastic fundraising efforts of an ex-Usangi volunteer and her daughter the MondoChallenge foundation have been able to donate over £200 of textbooks to Kighare Secondary School in Usangi. Mama Joyce, the headmistress, decided to focus on English books particularly for Form 1 and 2. As Kighare is a new school there were almost no books, making teaching and learning extremely difficult.

Kighare now have class sets of Form 1 and Form 2 English textbooks as well as a wide selection of novels written in English. Mama Joyce was delighted with the new books and the students couldn't wait to start using the books. Mr Temu, the school's only English teacher got them started straight away, as you can see in the pictures. We look forward to excellent English results from Kighare in the near future. Thanks again from the school for the donations to make this possible.

Help Needed - Orphans in Usangi

The unofficial HIV infection rate in Tanzania is now 20-25%. This means that there are an increasing number of orphans relying on the assistance of extended family for their day to day needs. In Usangi, MondoChallenge work with Malezi, a local community organisation, to provide grants to HIV affected adults so they can start small businesses and support their families. Along with Mama Halima, the Community Worker in Usangi, we would now like to find funds to sponsor orphans to attend secondary school. A year's fees cost as little as 45 pounds. If you are able to help, please contact the UK office (info@mondochallenge.org) or us here in Tanzania (mondotz@gmail.com).

Our volunteer Hannah gives us some background on the orphans and their family situation:

Winn Tomasi Amani

Winn is 14 years old and is currently in Form 1 at Ndorwe Secondary School in Makademi Village, Usangi. Next year she will be in Form 2 which is a very important year as they are preparing for national exams at the end of the year. Winn has lost both parents and is being looked after by her sister, Margaret Tomas on her farm. Due to insufficient land in the Pare Mountains, farmers in Usangi do not make much money, in fact they sometimes don’t produce enough crops to feed their families as such the family will not be able to pay next year’s school fees for Winn.

George Jerume

George is living with his uncle Joseph Mziray as he lost both parents about 5 years ago to HIV. At the time there were no HIV treatments in use in the region therefore sufferers who could have lived longer healthier lives died prematurely, George’s parents included. Joseph is a farmer who is only able to produce enough crops to feed the family and not enough to make money for school fees etc.

Mwanamisi Salim Hamisi

Mwanamisi is 14 years old and is studying at Ndorwe secondary school. She is currently living with her grandmother who has the same name as her. She lost both parents to HIV. Her grandmother is now 75 years old and unable to make a living to support the family through school.

Aina S Shabani

Aina is 14 years old and has lost both of her parents to HIV. She now lives with her sister Rehema who runs a small farm to feed the family. Aina hopes to move into Form 2 next year at Ndorwe Secondary school.

Zaina H Iddi

Zaina is 14 years old and is studying at Ndorwe Secondary School. She will be in Form 2 next year. Zaina has lost both parents and is living with her Grandfather.

Hamisi Tabran Hamisi

Hamisi is currently studying in Form 1 at Ndorwe Secondary School and hopes to study Form 2 there next year. He is 14 years old.

Abdala Mohamed

Abdala will be in Form 2 at Ndorwe Secondary School next year. He is 14 years old. He is living with his grandmother having lost both of his parents to HIV.

Chakicha Juma Sekhoro

Chakicha is 14 years old and is studying Form 1 at Ndorwe. Chakicha lost his mother to HIV. His father, who is also infected, is now too unwell to look after Chakicha and therefore he now lives with his grandfather who is in his seventies and unable to raise enough money to pay for school fees.

Zainabu J Salehe

Zainabu is 14 years old and studying her Form 1 at Ndorwe. She has lost both of her parents to HIV and now lives with her brother.

Saumu Rajabu

Saumu is 14 years old and is studying Form 1 at Kighare Secondary School. Her father died about 8 years ago from HIV, her mother has been struggling with HIV ever since but is taking medication. She has suffered from Tuberculosis but is currently fit enough to have a job in a bar selling soft drinks and beer.

Halima Chediel Mchome

Halima is 15 years old and is studying Form 2 at Usangi Day school. She is about to sit her national exams and is hoping to get a study place for next year in Form 3. She has been orphaned and lives with her grandmother.

Mwezine Hasani Mkazi

Mwezine is 14 years old and will be studying Form 2 next year at Usangi Day school. Having lost her father to HIV she now lives with her mother, who is also infected, and is now very sick

Fatina Daudi Badi

14 yrs F2 next year – Usangi. Her mother, Mwanamisi Badi, has received a grant for 95,000 Tsh to run a small business, however her mother has since left Usangi because she is worried that her family will remove the capital for the company meaning that her new business would have failed. She has left Fatina in the care of her grandparents. Mwanamisi’s business is now doing well in Arusha, the capital has been raised to 120,000 Tsh, she has given her sister some of the profit so that she can start her own small business here in Usangi. Mwanamisi has also sent some of the profit back to Usangi to buy food and clothes for Fatina.

Halima Rajabu Sekiete

Halima finished standard 7 this year, the last year in Primary school. She was a promising student in primary school and is now hoping to go to secondary school. She lives near to Kighare school with her mother, she will probably go to Kighare next year, if she gets the fees. Her father died from Tuberculosis when she was only 6 years old, she is now 13 years old.

Mohamed Ali

Mohamed is 14 years old he is currently in Kighare secondary school in Form 2, and about to take his exams. He hopes to progress to Form 3, depending on his exam results and securing the fees for the forthcoming year.

Asha Saidi Ali

Asha is 14 years old. She lost her father due to what was at the time an undiagnosed Illness. After the death of her father her mother moved the family to Usangi from Tanga, on the coast so that she could be closer to her wider family. Since the death of her father, her mother has been diagnosed with HIV, thus explaining the unknown illness that her father suffered from. Her mother applied for a grant to start a business but was not allocated the money because she is partially paralysed and was therefore considered unable to maintain a business and therefore make the most of the grant.

Mwanaidi Shabani Hasam

Mwanaidi is in Form 2 at Usangi Day school and is about to sit for her national exams. Should these go well she will be offered a place in Form 3. She lost her father to HIV about 10 years ago, since then her mother has raised the young family on her own. Her mother maintains the family by running a small farm which supports food for the family but cannot stretch to school fees. It is a small miracle that her mother escaped HIV infection!

Mwanaidi Iddy

Mwanaidi has recently moved to Kighare secondary school. She is currently in Form 1 and will pass into Form 2 next year. Her father died 2 years ago from HIV. Mwanaidi lives with her mother, who has been unwell recently but has not been tested for HIV.

Neema Benjamin

Neema is in Form 2 at Shigatini secondary school. She is currently studying for her Form 2 national exams. She has lost her father and has been supported at school by her mother and aunt. Now her cousins have passed their exams and are about to start University. University fees are more expensive than school fees and her aunt can therefore no longer support both her own children at University and her niece at secondary school so Neema’s mother is trying to come up with the school fees on her own. She works at the local pottery in Usangi for her money but is struggling to come up with the school fees. Since Neema is a bright girl they have been sending her to Shigatini, which is a private school, therefore the fees are more expensive. Where possible families chose to send children to private schools because Government Schools here often have a lack of teachers, due to the lower salaries they offer.

Mariamu Rhamadhani

Mariamu is 13 years old and has just completed Standard 7, at Kivundu Primary School. She is hoping to start Usangi Day Secondary School next year. Her father has died from HIV and her mother has not yet been tested. Her mother, Zahara, was awarded a grant by Malezi HIV grants programme who distributed their first round of grants to 10 recipients in May 2007. Zahara is supporting her 5 children through selling firewood. The eldest daughter now has a young baby who also lives with them. The three brothers are younger and are all still studying at primary school. The seven of them live together in a small house, with only one room. They have divided the room with some small fences so that the 2 beds have separate areas. Since there is a lack of land in the Pare Mountains cows are not allowed to graze. Instead they are kept inside and the owners collect grass for them everyday. Mariamu’s family share their house with 2 cows.

Asha Ali

Father passed away from HIV, the mother is now infected and suffering. Her mother Mwajabu was a grant recipient from the Malezi programmed but is now too sick to run the business so Mwajabu’s mother is running rh business selling onions. Asha is the eldest of three, the younger ones are in primary school, one in Standard 4 and the youngest who is 7 years old does not currently attend school as he is also HIV positive and currently too sick to attend.

Kimnyak Primary School - Ngaramtoni

Alex Nilsson September - December 2007

6th week of teaching

Monday, I started a new chapter with my kids, so I had them write down a dictionary of 36 words (as their books are totally in english, I have no clue how they are supposted to figure out what it all means - and remember without having it on paper) then I collected their exercise books and did corrections for the rest of the school day (approx from 11-2, when they look up the school...) By that time I had almost gone through 5a which was 56 books in total. (correcting dictionary and previous tasks) I also had to go back to the class and give back books where the students had not finished writing down the words, they just panic when you collect the books for office. So they did them later on and came with them to the office.Alex correcting system: first exercise/task on the chapter (usually a dictionary) gives a orange star with a highlighter pen. Next task, yellow, then blue and last one green, if you did a good job you get a small sticker, if you did very well it's a shiny star =)

In the afternoon Vicky, Joel, Lindsay and I went to the Orphanage to do some more painting, mainly details on the mural that Kim and Vicky lined out before she (Kim) left.Tuesday was the same story in school as yesterday.Last week I had the misbehaving kids in 5b to do "jumps" touch your toes and then jump - hands up in the air, which worked remarkably well, I was down from 7 to 1 jumping kid in 1 day =)Although on one of the days last week there was a boy hiting a girl quite hard and they could not explain to me in english what was going on so I had them sit in a corner of the classroom until end of period when I took them with me to the office (staff room). I asked on of the teachers to ask the students what had happend and then translate to me. They exchanged some words in Swahili then she said I want to punish them (and I started questioning why I even took them into the staff room), I stayed calm and asked again what happend. She had them sit on the floor with their hands in the air, so I had to ask another teacher to please ask them again and to translate for me. The girl was so near to tears: I assume because she got hit by the guy and then ended up in the teachers staff room and seemed to be punished for it. So finally we got the words out that he had hit her but without any reason so he had to appologize, touching her shoes and her cheek, much better then the physical punishment!In the afternoon Lindsay had went gone to Arusha, Joel was having a rest and I went jogging so we cancelled the tuesday beer.In the evening Nassir decided to add blue extensions to my hair and then we painted our nails =)

Kighare Secondary School - Usangi

Hannah Patterson August - December 2007

My week at school has just flown by! Now that we're in the middle of geometry my marking takes even longer than usual as I have to measure lines and angles in 70 books each day! I'm doing about 5 hours a day and have RSI in my hand and elbow from it all! The lessons have been going well. I was walking home the other day in the same direction and time as one of the students in my class. He got his maths book out to show me how he's doing. I said that he's doing well as he has mostly ticks and not many crosses. Then he turned to a page where he had crosses and said he doesn't understand. So I invited him in for about an hour of private tuition. He was thrilled with the attention and that he left understanding and with the pencil that I gave him, care of my Mum sent me over with a big box full! Ali, the grandson of my landlord, has been visiting me almost every evening. Normally he just sits on the sofa but recently he's been more talkative. He helped me prepare flashcards on geometry terminology, I didn't really need help but I figured I was preparing them and he could do with the extra practice so that he can remember the terms. Then the other day he appeared with his maths book, he showed me a page where he had some difficulty and I'd written something about how he needs to use a compass so we sat down and practiced using a compass, he was very pleased when I ticked the work and wrote "good" in his book. I told Kate this when I saw her last night, she was well impressed that I now have them voluntarily coming to me for help - they are interested and feel I'm approachable, despite her being told by Ally that I'm "strict"! The girls who I've had trouble with continue to make progress and participate in class so that's really good.


I met Mama Halima this week to talk about the orphans who are in need of help to pay for school fees. We wrote a letter to an ex-volunteer in Alaska who has offered to look into raising funds for the primary school kids. We also talked about how to progress with the secondary school kids. She told me about the people who she visits and helps including one orphaned girl who lived with her a few years ago. She then married a man who was new to Usangi and therefore no one locally knew anything about him. A few years after they were married he became very ill and died. It turned out that he was HIV positive and had lost a previous wife to HIV. He left her 7 months pregnant and HIV positive. She was told not to breastfeed the child, she did not take heed of this advice as she was in denial of her disease and had burned her card from the hospital that all HIV positive patients are given. Mama Halima has recently been visiting her in hospital as she was unable to look after herself. The baby is now 1 year old and is staying with her sister. Unfortunately stories like this are commonplace in Usangi. I told Mama Halima that I think one of the teachers is having affairs with the students. She said that she wants to come to school to talk to the students about HIV, I think she will probably preach abstinence and have little effect but she means well and it might get the girls thinking.

Now I feel like I'm on the countdown to coming home. I have 2 weeks of teaching left, a week of exams, a week of exam marking and end of year report writing and finally a few weeks to chill out and explore a bit of Tanzania before flying home in time for Christmas! And the best thing is that I'm looking forward to every bit of it! I love the teaching so that will be good. Then the exam will hopefully prove the students have understood some of what I've been saying! Then I get to write their reports which will make a nice change for them as all Tanzanian reports for all students, from all teachers apparently say "Could try harder" as this would apply to all students and helps the teachers cos they don't know their students anyway! I've been keeping track of their marks since I started so hope to be able to be a little more constructive than they're used to!

Malaika Orphanage - Arusha

Sue Lyons January - August 2007

Dreams DO come true…………………
For probably 25-30 years I have dreamed of doing volunteer work in Africa. I always thought it would be in a hospital, but after 22 years of not nursing, my skills were very rusty. Next love……children, so in Jan 2006 Michael, my husband, decided it was time for me to “follow my dream”. I found MondoChallenge with some help, decided the Malaika Childrens Home was for me and applied to Mondo to become a volunteer. I was accepted and my time to commence was end January 07. Timing was all important as Michael and I own a property (farm) in rural and remote Queensland, Australia. Michael suggested I go for 6 months to enable me to settle into my project and acquire the most out of my “African experience”. The main shearing had to be completed and the calves had to be branded as these are labour intensive jobs. We did complete the shearing but not the branding as, if my memory is correct, we had some rain prior to my departure which delayed this job! Bags packed, crossed a flooded creek and I was on my way – a 10 hour drive to the airport. Tearful saying goodbye to the animals, and my home AND my much supportive husband and the children (who are grown up). I was SO scared. Michael never thought I’d board the plane as had never been very adventurous by myself. I did and was on my way. A night in Nairobi, more scary, then the bus trip to Arusha that took I think “5 minutes” – there was so much to see. Think it was 5 hours. Met by the Country manager Tom, and off to Center House. More tears!!!! I was so homesick. My volunteering had begun. After a couple days resting getting over the trip it was time to meet my homestay family……. more nerves. All went well and off to Malaika the next day. How I fitted in, like I had been there forever. The children were beautiful and I felt very much at home, very welcomed by Mary, the other volunteer, the staff and directors. All I ever dreamed had come true. Cannot describe my feelings for the children as still to this day I miss them so much and would love to be back at Malaika….. BUT I do have a husband and business to help run.

My homestay were unbelievable people whom I became very, very fond of. They themselves were unselfish, very welcoming, and caring and made sure I experienced every aspect of African life. I cannot thank them enough. Their extended family welcomed me as well. I was very concerned living with people from a different culture for so long, but my fears were unfounded. I realise it would have been very difficult for both parties if our personalities had clashed. I admire them both greatly for what they do for the orphans and disadvantaged children/people of Arusha.
Life after Africa has been rather difficult in settling into everyday life that has all the conveniences of the western world. I never thought I would feel like this! But I realise I was given a rare opportunity that many of my fellow Australians never have. I am back into helping with the cattle work, riding my 4x4 motorbike mustering and helping in the shearing shed. These all seem a far cry from Africa where a part of me has remained. I still shed many tears for the children and my family who I miss so much.
I thank MondoChallenge for giving me the opportunity to volunteer and also thank them for my homestay family, for, without them I am sure my stay in Africa would not have been as rewarding and productive.
I hope to return one day, God willing. Keep up the good work.
Karibu Australia.
Sue Lyons. Augathella, Australia.

Kirongwe Primary School - Usangi

Mama Esther the headmistress has recently had murals painted at the school. MondoChallenge Tanzania received a donation of 25,000Tsh which we gave to Mama Esther. However, she got a bit carried away and ended up spending 170,000Tsh! Pictures of the murals are below.

Jane's Orphanage - Ngaramtoni

Volunteer: Kim Roberts June - October 2007

The orphanage where I am working is not an orphanage as I would have thought one to be before I came here. There are 250 kids approximately, but they don’t all have no parents. In Tanzania there are three classes of orphan. Double parent orphans have lost both parents. There are not so many of these at my orphanage. (Although too many at the same time!) Single parent orphans have lost one parent, and the remaining parent is either too poor or to incapable of caring for them. Then there is the social orphan, who has both their parents but is not cared for by them at all due to lack of funds, and, in most cases, lack of interest. The parents often have substance abuse issues. The majority of the orphans fall under this category. They also don’t sleep at the centre, but arrive every morning and go home to whatever family they have at the end of the day.

The orphanage is quite religious. They have bible study, and songs and praise, in the time table, and they pray about 5 times a day. I wish I remember more from my church camp days, and my Christian upbringing. All the camp fire and chapel songs I had memorised as a camper and counsellor over the years seemed to have slipped out of my memory. I tried to recall them but they only come in fragments. I am sure they would come back quickly if I had the words. The teacher wanted me to tell a bible story today, and I had to confess that I don’t really know any, besides Noah’s Ark (which he said they already knew). I told him that I wasn’t really Christian (which isn’t strictly true as I have been baptised) but easier than explaining I don’t really know what I believe. He responded by asking me if I was Muslim. Having no religion is just not done. I mean, I could brush up on my bible stories and chapel songs and I could teach it, but it somehow seems a bit wrong (a bit sac-religious) to do since I am not sure about it myself. I would be an impostor. Or I could just consider it telling them what they want to hear-or what the orphanage owners want them to hear. Does it matter what I believe as long as the kids are happy?

I recently visited the home of some of the double orphans. There are five of them that are looked after by their aging grandmother. The whole time I was there I was on the verge of tears. The level of poverty is hard to comprehend. The Bomas that they live in are made of mud and cow dung (and they smell like it). They are circular buildings with a section for sleeping, (there are sometimes beds -two singles for 6 people in this case- but usually no mattresses or proper blankets), a kitchen, and a place for cattle (yes the cows and goats get a spot in the house!) It was dark and cold, and it was also hard to breath as there was no ventilation for the animal odour or the smoke from the kitchen fire to escape. It kind of makes me feel sickeningly guilty for ever complaining about my accommodation, about anything really. I will make a conscious effort from now on to keep in mind just how lucky I am. It’s all relative and, man, I got it good compared to lots!

The poor Grandmother was all skin and bones and I have no idea how she manages. I think she gets perhaps one meal a day. She has other sons in the compound, but the Masai culture is not one that cares for or respects women that much (in fact, the cattle probably get more respect), so they are not inclined to help their mother, or look after their dead brother’s children. One of the reasons we were visiting was to get more information about a land dispute. The remaining uncles are trying to claim ownership to the land that was owned by the deceased parents. If they are successful than the orphans will have absolutely nothing. This is their ‘family’ doing this to them! Another reason we were visiting was because we needed to access their needs so that the orphanage could help them. There are plans to purchase a few new mattresses and blankets as well as a few sacks of maize.

I visited another double orphan’s house as well. This one belongs to a family of 5 children (4 siblings and 1 baby). The oldest sister looks after them. She is 18. She has a one year old child of her own. No, there is no father around. (Perhaps rape, perhaps a little income to feed her siblings?) Anyways, their house, if you can call it that, is completely falling apart. The walls are crumbling so much that only the top third remains. They have moved to live in the kitchen, a separate structure, and all share one bed with no mattress. The house is about 45 minutes walking to the centre. The boy who comes to the centre everyday is 4 years old. Walking by himself for 45 minutes twice a day. He is such a lovely boy. I think some other volunteers and some missionaries have donated money to build them a new house.

Last Sunday I went to the internet and for walk through the market. I bought some Kangas and went to this shop which is owned by one of the women that has started a business with the assistance of a Mondo Challenge project. She is HIV positive as are all the grant recipients. She takes material and sews it into outfits. I am having a skirt and top made. The material cost about £2, and she is charging £3 to sew the outfit. A custom made outfit for £5. Not bad, eh?

I am constantly amazed by the people here. Many of them have lives that are harder than anything I have experienced, maybe harder than I can even comprehend. But they have this strength in them. This drive to keep going. Not only that but also be happy doing it. The shop keeper was so friendly, beautiful, and animated. A really nice and seemingly happy person, who happens to be HIV positive. I guess being employed and keeping herself healthy is the one thing that can delay her getting sick. I find it very inspiring and I don’t know if I could be so strong. The children are also very inspiring. They may be orphans, and they may not get a lot of love (which for me is so hard to believe as they are sooooo loveable), or a lot of baths!, but they are so positive, so happy and friendly. I can’t walk by a child in Ngaramtoni without getting a grin and a ‘good morning’ (no matter what time of day it is). Unfortunately, another common phrase they know is ‘give me my money’ which I don’t find nearly so enduring. (I don’t have their money! God, I don’t even have mine!)

I have been doing some computer work for the orphanage as well as the teaching. I have been putting all the orphans on a database with name, age, grade, sex, orphan status, caregiver, hobbies, medical, and remarks, as well as a hyperlink to a picture. I will be able to leave it on a re writable disc so it can be updated and transferred to their computer, when they acquire one. (God willing)* It’s been great to get to know some of the kids names, and nice to have an occasional day free from being manhandled by the children. (As lovely as they are, the concept of personal space is foreign to them and I sometimes need it). It’s also a pretty big job-especially collecting the pictures- as there are 250 orphans to include.

*I put that God willing comment in there for a reason. I have issues with this attitude. And as lovely as Mama Jane is, it is the attitude she carries. It has worked for her, to some extent, as she has many generous missionaries who often donate things to the centre, but to just sit and pray and hope God will deliver is a bit, I don’t know…lazy. Get up and do something about it! For example-look for a computer, get a price, raise the funds. The luck won’t last forever. I guess that is where we differ. What she sees as God’s will, I see as good luck. When she gets a donation, at a time when she needs it, she says ‘God is so good.’ What about the people who donated it? And she thanked God for bringing me here. I worked damn hard to get here, thank you very much, God had nothing to do with it. I also feel it is a bit scary to be so dependant on foreign donations. I have suggested that at some point in the future, it might be nice to be self sufficient. But I guess that would be quite hard work to pull off.

(After writing this my sister has found two laptops to donate to the centre so Mama should thank her, however I am sure it will be God she praises!)