The Monkey and the Angels

Update...

2008-11-13T09:51:00.001-08:00

My dear friends,
I have been home from my adventure for two and a half months now. Almost as long as I was in Arusha. I cannot believe how very quickly time passes and all that happens in such a seemingly short time.
My grandmother, who was ill for some time, passed away in October and I spent a good part of my fall visiting with her in East Aurora, NY before she left us. I have also been diving back into my work here in New York City. A couple of commercials, a couple of cool auditions here and there, as is of course the case with everyone these days, the economy is making us all hunker down and work a little harder. Not so bad though, as much of my work is done from my home. Today, as I sit at my desk the sky is grey and rainy and the full moon that was so beautiful last night is hiding herself behind the cloudy veil. I am cozy inside though and procrastinating from going outside and braving the cold weather.
I am continuing work with Malaika, although in a somewhat limited capacity. I am helping out with maintaining their blog, so feel free to give it a look. It is listed under 'Nugi's Blogs'. I miss my kids kabisa and think of them every day, as well as the friends that I made in Arusha and Kenya. My love, love, love to you and don't stay strangers forever. I miss you all so much. To the munchkins: Mimi napenda wewe sana sana. Busu busu, watoto!
I am thinking about a trip in the next year to visit with the kids again, and I will let you all know when that will be, and promise to post more pictures (more recent, too!) of the watoto.
Upendo na heri zote,
-Songbird

Fierce Creatures Invade Malaika

2008-07-20T04:26:00.000-07:00

Mama yangu!! Some fierce creatures have invaded Malaika! Tigers and birds and insects and even dinosaurs were cavorting and gamboling all over the bembea and in the house. Terrifying! A friend of mine, Bettina Rucklehaus, brought some lovely and lively 'zoo pals' paper plates over from the states and at her suggestion, I took scissors and string and used them as masks. For an hour it was pretty chaotic as I furiously cut eyeholes out and attatched strings and the kids started to catch on to what I was up to. After which they started choosing their favorites. Regina was a pink bunny, Godbless an eagle, Festo a tiger (natch), Neema a red ox, Lisa a baby dinosaur, Fadhili was a puppy, Baraka a penguin (so funny!), Samuelly a monkey, Helen a giraffe, and the beat goes on... I was excited to find a little dudu (insect) mask and even happier that none of the kids claimed it. So, MummyVon; I was living up to my childhood nickname: Ladybug!

Bembea and Imagination Games

2008-07-18T01:39:00.000-07:00

A little update for everyone on life with the bembea now that its novelty has cooled off somewhat. I have seen some really extraordinary things come out of their new designated play area. It has proven itself to be a safe haven for practicing sharing and turns. It has also created so many new games. Just simply having a sandbox to play in has inspired sand castles and and writing in the sand and a great place for 'Red Light, Green Light' or 'Duck, Duck, Goose'. But the coolest thing I have seen, and I had not seen it up until now, is imagination games. Regina, Helen and Neema kubwa have commandeered the castle slide and have designated it their kitchen. They run back and forth filling plates with sand and stones; asking me if I would like 'more chipati or matunda'? The boys, inspired by the safari I think, have started pretending they are lions and monkeys-running around growling and prowling or hanging upside down on the gym and hooting at the top of their lungs. I am so pleased at the developments in their play and will be watching carefully to see what new things they come up with in their bembea.

Where in the World has Nugi Gone??

2008-07-18T01:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay... So I have been pretty lackadaisical about posting this month. The honest truth is that I am so into living the moments here, that reporting on them has taken a backseat. However, that being no excuse (and since my Mum has been mentioning it so often...) I am throwing up some posts that have been cooking in my head for a while. So a few updates in my world before I get to the watoto: I have decided to come home early and skive out of my vacation and travel month. The reasons are personal, but very important and although I am very disappointed to miss out on travelling the continent on my own, I know that I am making the right choice. And hey, coming back for travel is just another excuse to see the watoto again! I know that I will not be able to stay away too long... Having axed out my travel month, I also decided to take advantage of an invitation to go on a weekender safari with friends in Kenya. It was such good fun and I am feel sufficiently chuffed that I had a little bit of safari thrown into my time here. Having said that, I am back to work and trying to squeeze as much as possible into my last 10 days here. 10 more days in Arusha. Can't believe it. I am heading to Nairobi on July 29th and cooling my heels for a few days before flying home on the 3rd of August. I have a few special things in the works in these last few days. I will post as I go... But now back to the watoto of Malaika!

The Giving Game

2008-07-02T01:33:00.000-07:00

In the last few days here at Malaika, a sort of game has taken shape. I was planning on taking out the kids individually on little adventures. Nothing fancy, just a little ice cream and visiting a pet store to see fish and birds. But on my first trip out with Regina, we stopped at a store with toys in it, and I suddenly got this idea. I told Regina she could pick out something, but that she had to give whatever she chose to the kids at home and take nothing for herself. In my limited kiswahili, I felt that this was a tough concept to get across, but sure enough when we got home Regina took the little toy cars she had chosen and handed them out to children and staff alike until there was nothing left. Fueled by this success and the children's enthusiasm for the new game, I continued with the other children. Godbless chose to buy ice cream for everyone and Festo chose sand castle toys. Neema kubwa brought a watering can kit and Helen brought pipi (candy). Paulo was the only one who was unsuccessful at his giving, mind you the toy he chose was kind of an individual thing. He has been obsessed with airplanes ever since his trip to the airport (I think he has aspirations to be a pilot) and he chose a lovely wooden toy airplane and ran off and hid it the moment we got to Malaika. (Can't win 'em all...) Fadhili on the other hand, brought back a plastic jar of chocolate taffies and handed them out very concientiously one by one to all the children and staff. As I moved into the younger children, it became less about giving and more about sharing. Sia chose a bouncing ball and practiced sharing her new delight with everyone in the house. Lisa chose little tablets that turn into animal-shaped sponges when immersed in hot water and diligently passed them around as well as sharing the fun of the transformation with everyone. With the babies, I am now just taking a drive and letting them choose what fruit to bring home (I think we have all had our fill of sugar and candy). It has been a great lesson for everyone, especially me to see how kids play and share and to give them a chance to give back to their little family. Well done watoto!!

Lovely Beccy

2008-06-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Beccy is another Malaika volunteer whom I have been posting about for the month that she has been here. But Beccy just left for Suffolk, UK yesterday and I felt the time was long overdue to tell you all a little about her. Beccy proved herself time and time again to be unfailingly patient with the kids. She has been coming back and forth to Malaika after an intial 6-month stay through Mondo Challenge (a volunteer organization) for the last two years. She was with Malaika from almost the very beginning, and saw some of these kids as they arrived, sickly and malnourished; some of them too weak to stand. It really must be incredible for her to see how very far they have come! Beccy has been here working on a brochure (among other things...) for American distribution about Malaika. After one small hiccough with a memory stick at the very end; everything came out all right and I am very much looking forward to seeing the fruits of her labours! Beccy, I hope you had a safe trip back the UK and karibu NYC anytime!

BEMBEA!!

2008-06-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

Wow. The finished playground is a glorious sight. Before our opening party, a friend asked me what my favorite thing about the jungle gym was, and I answered, "the children on it?". And it IS a beautiful thing to see. The day of the party, Barton, Valerie, Beccy and I ran furiously around Arusha getting errands done, picking up the cake, buying sodas, getting little zawadis (gifts) for the elder children, munching on a yummy texan breakfast (thanks Corbett!) and just generally being excited. By the time we arrived out at Malaika, the children were apoplectic. Sprinting about, laughing mischieviously, peeking in the cake box and asking us again and again if today was the day. Beccy had an inspired idea and broke out a face painting set she had brought for the kids from the UK and started painting flowers, fish and fierce faces on all the watoto while outside, Mama Jutta and Boniface dipped the kids' hands in paint and smooshed their paint-covered handprints on the new Malaika Playground sign.
We set up the cake, and to our great surprise another guest brought a delicious carrot cake to add to the party. We blew up balloons to tie on the playground and organised a streamer starting line for the kids to run through to innaugurate their new play place.
Finally the big moment arrived, and the kids all lined up (even the babies!-so cute) and Bart yelled out in his big baritone: "One! Two! THREE!!!!" and the kids ran at full tilt into their new BEMBEA! (Jungle Gym). At first, it was utter chaos; the kids didn't know what to do first. Merry-go-round? Climb and slide? Swings? Teeter-totters? And what the heck to do with those RINGS?? But it didn't take them long to figure it out... Valerie swung gracefully on the swings with little Baraka draped over her lap, Barton manned the slide and aided the youngest kids in their first frightening slides down, I headed to the rings and tried to talk Regina into hanging upside down on them, and Beccy commandeered the teeter-totters with a laughing Neema in front of her.
After an hour or so of serious playing the kids munched happily on cake and sipped cordial before getting right back to it. Hours later, the four of us cleaned up and dragged our tired feet to a nearby pub to toast Valerie and Bart's amazing accomplishment. We could never have done this without the enormous help of Boniphace, Jutta, Mama Anna, Martin, Francis (the fundi) and all the guys who helped us shovel sand. But none of this would have happened without Barton and Valerie. Guys, I cannot thank you enough for this, (but that doesn't stop me)... thank you, thank you, thank you.

Watoto Safari!!

2008-06-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

The playground is finished, and we are doing everything possible to keep the watoto off of it until the party tomorrow. Beccy, Barton, Val and I decided the smartest move would be to kidnap the bigger children and take them on a field trip. Through the generosity of a friend to Malaika named Asif we were gifted a shuttle bus and were able to climb with the angels up through the rainforests of Mt Meru searching for game and a good picnic spot. It was an amazing and beautiful day. The clouds were low, but they flirted lightly with the hillsides and made for a rather lush and private safari. Around the first turn we came upon a rich open plain full of zebra, water buffalo, giraffe, and warthogs. The children were exstatic; shouting and laughing and calling to the animals, "Njoo hapa!" (Come here!). Next we saw kibo monkeys leaping through the trees, followed by colobus monkeys cavorting through the canopy with their magnificent black and white fur flying. Neema sat on my lap and gazed up at the monkeys over her head, and I could feel her heart beating so hard, I swear it would jump out of her chest. We climbed to the crater lakes and saw waterbuck, dik dik, oryx, mongooses (mongeese?) and more of those elegant giraffe. We actually picnic-ed in sight of a small herd of giraffe on a hillside. It was a wonderful and successful day and the ride home was a bus full of very tired and very happy kids. Adults too!

The Fundis are a-Fundi-ing

2008-06-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

Under the watchful and authoratative gazes of Barton and Valerie something wonderful is blossoming at Malaika. Barton and Val's non-profit, C.O.I.N (Children's Orphanage International Network) has brought to our children the most beautiful and expansive playground! All week long, we have been driving by the fundi's (craftsmen's) shop and seeing various towers, see-saws, and swingset a-frames cropping up in brightly coloured paints and our hearts have been pumping with excitement as we imagine the watoto swinging, sliding and spinning to their little hearts' content. And now, just this afternoon, we watched as the candie-coloured delights finally arrived in our backyard. Barton, Beccy, Valerie, Mama Anna, Martin and I all frantically shoveled and raked the area to make way for the new jungle gym, and when it finally arrived....wow. The babies just stood and gaped, eyes open wide enough to make a bush-baby jealous. The elder children pressed up against the window and discussed in detail what they thought every piece was for, and what each activity would feel like. They pelted Barton and Val with the question, when can we play on it?? When??? The big day will be Sunday, when the cement is dried and the paint is kavu tena... We are celebrating with cake, sodas, and a whooooooole lotta playing....

Angels take Flight

2008-06-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

The angels got their first taste of flight when Beccy, Baba Martin and I took them to the local Arusha airport to see airplanes up close for the first time. It was a rousing success due to a very generous security guard who took us out onto the tarmack! The kids even got to climb inside an airplane and see how things worked. Festo was really not sure about the plane AT ALL, and kept trying to climb off, but other of the watoto like Regina and Paulo were insisting that we needed to get some one to pilot the plane so we could get off the ground! They stood, mezmerized watching planes take off and kept remarking how big the planes were to be taking off! After this particular take-off, Regina clapped her hands to her head and yelled AIYAI-YAAII!!!!! Before running around making airplane noises with her arms out like wings. On our way home, we stopped at a jungle gym and the watoto took turns swinging on a swingset and yelling to the skies; "Mimi ninaruka kama airpleni!!" (I am flying like an airplane...)

Barton and Valerie at Malaika!!

2008-06-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

Time has flown so fast. I am halfway through my volunteering time at Malaika and Barton and Valerie are here already! They have jumped in with both feet and have impressed me so much with their adventurous nature and their tenacity. After much deliberation Barton, Val and their Non-Profit, COIN decided to donate $3000 to the construction of a playground for Malaika. On his arrival, Barton even managed to talk the fundis (craftsmen) into taking the price down so we could add a teeter-totter into the design! We are so grateful to them for this beautiful gift, and I am so looking forward to posting pictures of the kids on their brand new jungle gym... In the meantime, the kids are running them into the ground! (like they do...) Little Neema captured Valerie's heart as soon as she ran into her arms. Now everytime Val comes in, Neema goes straight for her. Barton quickly became a favorite with his strong arms; perfect for throwing watoto in the air and catching them amid furious giggles. Bart and Val taught the elder kids how to do handstands, and they can be seen in the evening spreading towels and catapulting themselves upside down at every opportunity. Even some of the babies have been trying their own teddy-bear stand versions... Its great fun having them here!

The Angels at the Playground

2008-06-06T00:17:00.000-07:00

Pole sana!!
I have been away for a week and have been shamefully lax in updating my blog... But I have a few blog entries in the works and will be throwing them up this weekend. In the meantime, let me tell you what I have been up to! The day before I left for Kenya, Beccy, Sister Carmelina and I took the little kids to a nearby playground for some swinging, sliding and sand-boxing.
After a somewhat timid beginning, the kids had a blast. The kiddie swings were a big favorite, as was making sand castles with Sister Carmelina (a teacher at St. Monica's-the watoto's school). It was a fun afternoon, and the kids celebrated with fruit juice at one of the picnic tables before we left and a they all had a well-earned nap on the car ride home...

Nguva Ndogo (The Little Mermaid)

2008-05-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

There's something fishy at Malaika and it ain't just the duga (dried african sardines). After spending only a few days at Malaika, I started noticing just how many Disney characters graced the new house in hand painted murals on the walls, tables and kiddie chairs. In particular, 'Ariel' from the Little Mermaid (in kiswahili: Nguva Ndogo) caught my attention. And then I came across this shirt on little Betty. That sealed the deal for me with this blog entry... Back in New York City I have two very dear friends in the brand-new Broadway production of The Little Mermaid; Meredith Inglesby and Bret Shuford. So Mere, Shu, this entry is for you guys. Much, much love from me to you both.

Upendo na heri zote,
(Love and light)
-Lisa

Saa Fua Nguo (Laundry time)

2008-05-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

One of my tasks at Malaika is laundry. Now here at Malaika, there are no washing machines, no dryers, no convenient way to get this done-so it must be done by hand. On top of that, it is entirely dependant on sunshine being available to dry out the clothes. So on any given day a good three hours are devoted to sitting over a tub of soapy water or visiting the clothes line, or folding laundry inside the house. I have visited all three stations on various days, and althought at first I might have been dragging my feet to the pile of clothes everyday, I have to say the job has it's own charm. For example, sitting around the washing tubs is my best opportunity to listen to and practice my kiswahili. The washing is always a fun place; all the staff mamas chatting loudly and teasing one another about boyfriends, husbands and children. I have been ribbed sufficiently; it is apparently 'shocking' that I am 30 years old and unmarried. They recover quickly and tell me not to worry with the assurance that they feel certain I will be married within the year. To which I respond, "Well, thank goodness for that!!" ;)

Dr. Anne and Joela

2008-05-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine, Anne from Aiken, SC is visiting Arusha this week as part of a missionary clinic and she and one of her compatriots, Joela, came to Malaika to meet the children today! It was so much fun for me on so many different levels, not the least of which being these were the first new comers to Malaika that I had seen with the watotos since my arrival. It was so fun watching the kids mix it up with some new and wonderful people. Joela and Anne are just the kind of big-hearted and patiently playfull people that you would want to see with these kids, and I think they had as much fun as the kids did. There certainly was a lot of laughter happening in that little house. So thank you to you both for gracing us!!

Maize!!

2008-05-16T00:20:00.001-07:00

It was the first maize harvest from our cornfield today! Escorted by Mama Anna, Flora and Baba Martin, I made my way across the Malaika shamba to the developing veggie garden and high-as-an-elephants-eye maize stalks. I took photos of the ceremonial cutting of the first ears of maize and everyone took turns posing with the crop before we all carried it back in.
It was a small first harvest; just enough for everyone at Malaika to enjoy an ear, but what a frenzy it caused!! It took me right back to being a kid enjoying the first ear of corn off our farm in the summertime in East Auroroa, NY. The watoto just went nuts, covered in messy kernels, munching and smiling through every sweet morsel...

More Angels at Malaika

2008-05-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

I am can't believe so many of you are reading this blog! I have been getting feedback from all over the world! I really thought I was just talking to the wind, its wonderful to know how very many people love these kids. So thanks and keep reading!
First of all, an update on Baraka: He is fully recovered and zooming around at top speed again. The photo above is Baraka preparing to take on the 2008 X-games motorcross in his pikipiki (motorbike). Second: Bwana Panya's visit was a rare occurence and he prooved to be a solitary scoundrel as after a careful search, no evidence of any other panyas was found. Also...I know there was concern about rat poison, and believe me; there is NONE at Malaika. Bwana Panya was dispatched naturally, (although perhaps a little sooner than he would have liked), by broom and shoe.
Great news!! We have more angels at Malaika! A professional nutritionist named Marie is donating her wisdom and expertize to help us maximize the nutritional value of the children's meals. She also knows special dietary supplements; "boosters", to help out the kids with HIV. This week, I am keeping a careful log of what food the children consume, how it is cooked, and how much each of the children eat individually in the hopes that Marie will be able to discern how to train the staff in new techniques. I am looking forward to hearing Marie's suggestions. And grateful that Malaika has so many angels...

Blanketi!!

2008-05-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

I hope my "Quilter Anon" friends will understand, but I apologize in being so long posting this particular edition. I have been waiting, armed with camera around naptime, to capture just the right images of the watoto and the beautiful new handmade quilts. Some backstory for those of you who may not have read the original post: a friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous, began making quilts when she heard about my upcoming trip to Malaika. I believe she told her quilting friends about it as well; they all got into the act, and four months later...15 beautiful quilts arrived at my apartment in New York. I hope the pictures do them justice, because believe me, these quilts are all STUNNING. And you can feel the care and love in every patch and stitch. The kids, by the way, LOVE them. The first day they all slept under them, there was much discussion among the elder set as to which belonged to whom. Lisa loves the jungle animals, Neema kubwa settled gracefully under the green patchwork, Regina commandeered a patchwork with her usual command; "this one! THIS one!!!" and Helen feels most herself under a bright red. The boys may be less particular as to the colour, but perhaps more so about the size because the all like to tent themselves underneath them For some of these pictures (and they had just settled down, otherwise I would never wake them just for a photo) I actually had to peel the covers back to see who was under there!
I hope you enjoy the photos! And I have to send a very special and heartfelt thank you to all the quilters and especially to Agent Henney Penney for getting it all started. Thank you! Happy Mother's Day and much love to you!

African Time

2008-05-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

So, here in Africa there is such a thing as 'African time'. I got my first real taste of it while trying to rent a vehicle for the duration of my stay. Now, let me explain a few fundamentals of African time. First of all, there is actually a discrepancy between the western and African hours of the day. To explain, if a Tanzanian says, "I am starting work today at 3 o'clock in the morning", they actually mean what is 9am for us. Literally. 3am=9am. So if a Tanzanian tells you a time here, you must first discern whether they mean kiswahili time or western time; and then if it is kiswahili time, you must add 6 hours to get to a time you can follow. Confusing? There is more...
Everything here is soooooo slow. I arrived last Friday and took the weekend to orient myself and shake off my jet lag, but come Monday morning I was ready to get down to work at Malaika and start doing what I came here for. However, I would not end up getting to Malaika until Thursday because of post rainy season bad roads and what is known as 'African time'. Expect that if you have arranged to meet somewhere at a certain time, inevitably it will be hours later. Everything just takes more time, so everyone is always late and no one really worries about it. Its just the way it is. I learned this the hard way when through twists and turns and minor dramas, it would take three days for my rental car to enter the picture. Three days to rent a car. Amazing that in the US, it would take me three minutes online to arrange a car. It took me two of those days of waiting and feeling restless to realize that if I was going to enjoy myself at all, I would have to get with the program and sloooooowwww way down. In the end, I did get my car and thats all that matters. Karibu Tanzania!

The Angels in their New Home

2008-05-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

I am happily and comfortably landed in Arusha! I have already visited Malaika twice, and everyone is WALKING! I couldn't believe it! Even wee baby Baraka was up on his feet and zooming around. The older kids have been taking English classes, so kubwa Nyema, Regina and Godbless are especially proficient and apt to practice on their new mzungu. Which is funny, because I would like to practice my kiswahili on them! On my first visit, I played mainly with the younger set, as the older kids were down for their afternoon kips. I was able to peek in on them to say hello and Regina remembered who I was. It made my year. The little boys were so rowdy and after I peeked in on their naps, they decided not to go back down again and kept hanging out of their bedroom window to comment on our playing with the babies. In this particular shot, I had told Fadhili that he and Festo should go back to sleep, (lala salama, watoto!) to which he responded by furrowing his brow and pointing at me and telling me that I was the one who should go to bed. Festo just smiled his big, wide smile at the whole exchange... On my second visit, everyone was up and outside, and we ran foot races with the children in the backyard. I was given a handicap: carrying Helen on my back for the races. There were a couple of bumps and scrapes, but from what Pauline told me, the children have been out of school for a month for their holidays. Of course, it being the rainy season that has meant a lot of time inside. And fourteen children indoors... wow. We couldn't stay too long, but I am looking forward to my first full day at Malaika on Wednesday. In the meantime, I am getting organized and settled with my rental car and cell phone today. And visiting the market on Tuesday. I am very happy to be here, and time seems to be flying already...

Kindness of Strangers

2008-05-03T01:41:00.000-07:00

It was a 20-hour travel day, but one that was full of sweet fortunes from start to finish. When I was finishing my last minute travel details, I chatted with Time Warner Cable to downgrade my plan while I was away. The TW operator, 'Mark' #7411, inquired as to why I was changing my service for four months, I told him that I was leaving that very day to volunteer. He said, "You know what? I am going to take $15 per month for the next year off of your cable bill." And I said, "why??" And he said "Are you helping children in Africa?" And I said, "Yes." And he said, "Well, there you go." Mark, I promise I will use the money towards the kids in some way. I will keep you posted on how.
On top of that, my VISA stipulated that I was travelling as a volunteer and upon seeing that, both airline attendants in JFK as well as in Amsterdam changed my middle seats to an aisle and a window respectively. And managed to put me next to empty seats so I could rest. In fact, on my flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro, I had three seats in a row to myself and happily napped the whole trip. Thank you, KLM!!!
All in all, it was a great day. Very emotional leaving NYC, but once I was airborne and heading to adventure I felt calm and easy.... the valium may have helped ;) I even had a kip in a sleeper chair at the Amsterdam airport-the picture is my POV before I sacked out.
Thanks to Mark! Thanks to Tamu! Thanks to KLM! Love to everyone!
Upendo na heri zote...

Kiswahili Entry (under construction)

2008-05-01T04:54:00.000-07:00

Hamjambo warafiki watchaa!
Mimi ninakwenda Tanzania leo na ninafuraha sana! Mimi ninataka kuona watoto na warafiki in Tanzania tena-na ninafuraha sana kuchakula embe mafuta siku zote tena. Wanafunzi yangu, Veronica Rovegno, alisema alafu kiswahili kwangu kili kizuri na mimi ninajua zaidi sana ninafikiri. I hope she is right! Sawa, mimi nakupenda wewe na unaona hapa habari zaidi.
Upendo na heri zote!
-Nugi

Hello my crazy friends!
I am going to Tanzania today and I am very excited! I want to see the children and my Tanzanian friends again, I am also excited to eat African avocados all day again. My teacher, Veronica Rovegno, said that my kiswahili is good and that I know more than I think. I hope she is right! In the meantime, much love to you all and keep looking here for more news.
Love and light!
-Lisa

Comfort: Nappy Nemesis

2008-04-09T06:00:00.001-07:00

Another little fun story... This is Comfort, also known by the women who work at Malaika as 'The Soprano'. Comfort got his singer's nickname from the amazingly high pitched and ear-piercing protests he produces whilst he is being changed. By intention or divine luck, Comfort was my first-ever cloth-nappy change. And, because he wasn't feeling all that well while I was there, I ended up changing Comfort more than any of the other kids put together. Poor Comfort. he was not amused by my lengthy, fumbling and clumsy attempts at dressing him. He would scream long, loud arias as he rolled and squirmed under my hands on the changing table. Making the whole 'safety pin' thing a rather harrowing ordeal for both of us... On top of this, when I was there poor Comfort couldn't keep his meals down, and decorated my shirt with his lunch two days in a row. So on our last day, exhausted from our lastest change and in an attempt to keep something in his tummy, we settled on the couch. And for one sweet hour, the little soprano quieted his song and his inner wiggle-worm long enough to fall asleep in my arms.
Is it really any wonder why I am going back? Can't wait to see him again...

Barton and Valerie

2008-03-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have been remiss this last month! But I am back in writing form and counting down to May 1st, which is just around the corner... I have been soooo excited to write this entry because I am overjoyed to report that I will have some wonderful visitors while I am overseas. Barton and Valerie are an extraordinary couple from Texas. I have included their bios below, and suffice it to say, they have an incredible capacity for giving and equally important, they have the passion to travel to the places where their help is needed. Bart and Val are planning on coming over in June (after some fundraising in Texas) and spending two weeks with the children of Malaika. Here is some background on these two beautiful people:

Valerie was born and raised in Texas and has devoted much of her life helping children by teaching Anger Management Techniques to parents, teachers, and foster care providers. Val's first trip to Africa was in 2007 when she accompanied her husband Barton back to his Peace Corps village in Mauritania, West Africa and participated in a charitable fund raiser to buy school desks for the local elementary school in the village. Her time in the village instilled in her a profound desire to continue to be involved in African projects that support children's health, education, and fostering more hope for their future. Valerie is very excited to be working with Barbara and the Team at COIN to bring hope and health to orphaned children across Africa.

Barton's passion for working with communities in Africa started when he visited Morocco twice back in 2000 while a student in France. For Barton, the continent of Africa was full of different cultures, languages, music, histories, etc,.. and it inspired him to join the Peace Corps in 2001. He lived for two years in a small village in Mauritania, West Africa teaching English, Physical Education, Acting at the Elementary and Junior high school. His enthusiasm for the village of Diadjibine (Ja ji bi nay) stayed with him when he returned home. He wrote a play about his time there and the people he loved and missed so deeply. In 2007, he brought his wife and mother back to the village to meet the community. Before they left, they raised over 2,500 dollars to help buy school desks for the Elementary school in the village. Barton and his wife, Valerie are continuing to look for ways to help more children through out Africa. He looks forward to learning more and more about the unique communities of Africa and being able to continue to help educate Americans about the many beauties and tragedies that Africa experiences.

Regina

2008-02-17T09:26:00.000-08:00

I have a question. A moral dilemma, and I would love to have some feedback. This radiant girl is Regina, a six year old orphan at Malaika. While I was there I spent most of my day with the babies while the older children (like Regina) went to school. When the older kids would come back, some were hesitant of us newcomers. But not Regina. Regina would run flat out at you and catapult herself into your arms, sliding her hug all the way down your legs. She has a wicked sense of humour-running all through the backyard yelling 'Mzungu kitchaa!' (crazy whitey) at me and then laughing herself silly when I would look up at her with a smile and a wink. She commandeered my lap when we pulled out picture books and would rattle stories of her own in rapid-fire kiswahili (that I now hope to be able to keep up with after my lessons). In short, she is a firecracker. But the day I left, I was confronted with a glimpse of the coping mechanisms that orphaned children, like Regina, have cultivated in order to survive being left over and over again. When I spoke to her and told her (in my limited kiswahili skills) that I loved her and that I was leaving, her eyes never left her Etch-a-Sketch and she blinked as though she couldn't hear me. I tried again a few times before I realized that this was no game. To her at that moment, I did not exist. It was how she dealt with goodbyes, how she had learned to protect herself from any pain. And it really scared me to wonder how this shutting down would affect the way she moved through the world as she got older.
So here, readers, is my question. Do I truly help by volunteering? Is it not true that these children who have been abandoned by their parents, and left over and over again by the countless people who pass through their lives, stand in a position to only be hurt by a person who enters their life for a three month stint-only to abandon them yet again? Is it enough to change some diapers and kiss some hurt knees?