Hi there,

Just a quick one today as I have spent the afternoon in hospital so still have lots to do.

Nyanda has now been admitted to Neonatal Unit (but I took my own mosquito net this time) I l took him to hospital today as he still has diaoreah, had a temperature of 39.3 and looked dehydrated. Although he is still drinking well - he is also losing a lot of fluid from being unwell.

The Doctor thought that he was breathing too quickly and set him on a course of antibiotics. I am not happy about him being admitted - but also not happy with persistent diaoreah - and he's had a clear stool and malaria test so I am now at a loss?

Anyhow - I hope he will be out and better soon like Sammy.

Sammy is now doing really well and is looking more like a baby (and less like an alien - Chloe's opinion!) every day.

My Mum just sent out some premature baby clothes (thanks Mum!) - so they both look adorable.

One thought - if anyone does want to buy something for the Baby Home - we'd like some of that antibacterial handwash you can get (where you just squirt it on and don't have to actually use water?) The nurse at the hospital had some and Chloe and I both looked at eachother and thought 'that would be useful'!

Haji is eating well and gaining weight with a sporadic fever!

Apart from that (and Danny having a bizarre skin rash) - all is well!

Hi there,

Well - it's been another busy few days. I took Haji to the HIV clinic today and they finally listened to me and took a swab from his ears - so hopefully we will get a diagnosis on that. He is still having fever of 40 - but he is happy and eating well and does not seem to notice! He is gaining weight every day on his Nutritional Supplement drinks so hopefully, if we can fight the ear infection - we may have a healthy Haji for a while.

Nyanda is also doing well - though he still has diarrhea and is not gaining as much weight as I would like. It is still very early days with him though. Yunisi has really taken a shine to him and thinks he is a little doll! He is now in a pram so she can't reach him - just in case!

Sammy is still in hospital - but I want him out. He is supposed to be getting two hourly feeds - but when I went this morning - he had not been fed for 15 hours! I got very angry - but then realized it was fruitless. On the Neonatal Unit - there are 39 babies.....and 2 nurses. Eight of the babies have had surgery in the last 24 hours, 7 have no mother visiting to feed them.....It is an impossible job to feed, monitor, give medications and weigh all these babies.....So they just don't!

I got cross with a nurse about the fact that there are no mosquito nets in the Unit (and that is how Sammy caught malaria in the first place.) I offered to buy 50 nets to cover all the cots....But the Doctor overheard me and said that if I want to do something to help - I could fund 2 extra nurses at every shift....Or find some nurses to come to work there.

So - if anyone fancies paying for a nurses salary on Neonatal Unit at the hospital (about £40 a month) or, if there are any neonatal nurses out there wanting a change....The situation really is desperate and help is needed.
They can and DO save lives on this Unit - but babies are also coming to Forever Angels severely malnourished and sick unnecessarily. For already weak, fragile babies - it is an extra strain on their bodies which they just do not need.

I think I am slowly coming to the realisation that there are too many problems in Mwanza (Tanzania....Africa?....) involving children and we can not help them all?

We are however going to get the chance to help another new baby next week though. She is in the cot next to Sammy's on the Neonatal Unit - and weighs just 1.2kg! She was born with no anus so had corrective surgery at birth (6 weeks ago). Her Father has abandoned her due to her problems and her mother has mental health problems - so no one is feeding her properly and hence she is so small. The Doctor asked me if Forever Angels will take her - so providing Social Welfare agree - it looks like we'll be getting an even tinier baby!

Today we sadly said 'Goodbye' to Rama as his Father and Granmother went to Social Welfare to ask to take him home. Since his mother died and he came to live with us, we have not heard from Rama's father at all - but apparently he has been locating relatives and help so that he can take care of his son.

Rama was a little overwhelmed by this - but I am sure he will do fine. He will be greatly missed ay the Baby Home - he was the smiliest, most loving and fun child and Forever Angles is sad to lose him - but we are happy to know that he is with his family who love him.

Good luck Rama......we miss you already......

We also need to welcome baby Nyanda. Whilst at Social Welfare reuniting Rama with his family - a 2kg, 12 day old baby called Nyanda was placed in my arms! His mother has died and he was being cared for by some very loving and caring neighbours - but they can not afford to care for him now.
They hope to return for Nyanda when he is older so that he can grow up in his village.
Nyanda drank a lots of milk today and was obviously very hungry - but he seemed alert and well, apart from some diaoreah.

This evening he had a low grade temperature though - so he is being carefully observed throughout tonight and we will do a malaria test in the morning. He does have a number of mosquito bites on his head - but we will all hope that he tests negative.

Haji also has a temperature - of over 40 when I just went to check! None the less - he doesn't seem to notice and is sat in his chair dancing to a music video - wafting me out of the way as I tried to take his temperature as I was in the way of the TV!
I think it is his ears again - so I think we may have to visit the specialist.

Sammy is still in Neonatal Intensive Care and he is doing well. He is drinking and his malaria treatment and antibiotics seem to be working. I thought he was the smallest baby - ever - until I looked around NICU today - I am amazed that such tiny babies are kept alive here - with very limited equipment, no money and over worked staff! Some of the babies weighed just over 1 kilo - and yet they are thriving, breathing alone and being cup fed by their Mothers as they squat on the floor! Amazing!

Pascal is recovering from flu and is now over the worst and almost back to his smiley. happy self. It is very sad to see a small baby so blocked up and sniffly and not be able to do much to help? He has enjoyed massages with lavender oil to help with his breathing though!

Charlie is doing so well. He never stops eating and eats between his meals and snacks too - so hopefully, when I weigh them all tomorrow - we'll see a big difference in him. Already his skin has cleared and his eyes are bright and sparkly.

Yohana, Yunisi, Sarah and Danny are all fine - causing trouble all day long the way children are meant to!

Anyhow - it's been another busy day and I am going to go to bed to comtemplate it all!

Just a very quick e-mail to update you all on Sammy. Yesterday he vomited which I wasn't happy about and today he had a fever of 38. I performed a Malaria test at the Baby Home and it was positive - so I took him straight to hospital. The poor little mite should not yet be born - never mind have a tropical disease?

I think he must have picked it up before he came to us, as he spends his life at the Baby Home under a mosquito net....and at the hospital where he spent the first week of his life - they do not have any!

He is now in Neonatal Intensive Care and we hope he will be fine as soon as his treatment starts to work. Because he is so tiny, they have also put him on a whole heap of other antibiotics as a precaution.

My main worry is that they do not allow families to stay on the unit - so we have to leave him in their hands. I only hope they feed him properly and he does not lose the weight he has been so nicely gaining?

It never rains but it pours!....

Today we had a birthday party for Haji and Charlie. They both had a lovely day playing with balloons and eating cake and receiving gifts.
Charlie was 2 and was in awe of everything! He loved his toy tractor and ate his own, and about 4 extra peices of cake!

Haji was in a wonderfully happy mood all day and although he fell asleep for the 'Blowing of Candles' - he did wake later and ate an enourmous peice of birthday cake....and this evening he weighed the heaviest he has been since arriving at Forever Angels!

Although the day was too tiring for Sammy - he has also reached a weight milestone astoday he made it to 2kg!

Happiness and Smiles all round......

Hi there.

Well it has been another good (but busy) week at Forever Angels Baby Home. Firstly because I have been sick, as have Tia and Molly (2 of my children) and a lot of the Baby Home toddlers! It is cold / wet season here and although it is still hot and often dry, there are a lot of bugs around like a British winter. Thankfully we have all just about recovered!

Haji has been back with us for almost a week and he is very happy and healthy. He is eating 'big people' food (even though he has yet to grow any teeth!) and is still being spoiled rotten and is constantly in someone's arms! He seems well for now, although I think he is still suffering with his ears. Nonetheless - he is playing, sitting up and even tried to crawl the other night!
He is drinking his Nutritional Formula well and has gained weight every day since he has been home - only a little each day - but it all adds up.

Sammy is also putting on weight and is now almost 2 KG. I was a little concerned about him this week as his fontanelle feels very large and wide and comes down quite far on his forehead. But he is gaining weight, alert and healthy - so I guess it could just be a 'premature baby' thing and I will take him to see a pediatrician when he is a little stronger.

I have got quite a few volunteers lined up to come out over the next few months which we are really happy about. The children love the extra attention they get when we have more hands to help out. I am still very keen to get a long term volunteer out here though - for 18 months to 2 years starting from September - so if anyone knows of anybody who they think may be interested - please do ask them to get in touch.

All my staff took part in the first of a 3 week First Aid Training Course today. My best friend Lisa (who is a nurse and midwife) started the course today and it went down really well. My staff all asked excellent questions and seemed really pleased with it. At the end of the course they will all receive certificates saying that they attended and passed the course which, I hope, will help them with any future employment (not that I want any of they to leave - they are all excellent!)

Tomorrow we are going to have a Birthday Party for Haji and Charlie. Haji missed having a birthday party as he was in hospital and we gave Charlie a January birthday and only just realised that he has missed it already and will have to wait a whole year to know what a Birthday is - so we are having a belated one for both of them tomorrow.

Oh - and sorry for not yet posting photos of Christmas......it is partly due to camera troubles, lack of time, illness and forgetting.....but they will be on the website really soon!

Have a good weekend.....

Well, today was a happy day as Haji came home!

He is looking so well - happy and smiling and eating lots.

We have started him on a 'build up' nutritional drink as he is still under 6kg in weight - but we can't buy it in Mwanza and only have one packet so need to try to arrange to have some sent out from England for him.

Sammy was 1.63kg when he arrived 1 week ago and he now weighs 1.85kg so we are very happy with that.

No more news really - but thank you all for your good wishes and prayers for Haji.

Hi all,

It seems that more people than I predicted read this diary and get disappointed when I do not post an entry for a few days.....sorry - life is busy!

Haji:

Haji is still in hospital but he is doing much better. Yesterday he was being very fussy about which food he wanted me to give him and insisted in looking in every pot that I had taken to the hospital until he found what he wanted! He is still on IV fluids and antibiotics, but the course finishes tomorrow so Chloe and I are hoping that we will be able to bring him home then. When he first went into hospital - he had 9 medicines with him - and now he only has his vitamins and his ARV's - so things are on the up.

Chloe and I have had days where we think he is too sick to pull through and feel cruel in a way keeping his going on. But his fight and spirit keeps proving us wrong. This little boy wants to live and we have to give him that chance.
Once this latest infection is fought - his ARV's should start to work meaning that he will put on weight and hopefully become stonger.....lets all keep hoping and praying that this is the case.

Sammy:
Our smallest bundle is doing really well. He has gained weight steadily which is great. My staff are still very scared to handle him - so Chloe and I get to do a lot of the bathing and feeding.....but they are slowly getting more confident with him.
He is very alert and likes to be cuddled. He now has a couple of neonatal baby grows which (almost!) fit him but my Mum has sent over some more (Thank you Mum!)

Charlie:
Our newest arrival has settled in really well. When he first arrived he had malaria so spent a lot of time sleeping - but he is now much better and eating well. He desperately needs to gain weight - and adores biscuits - so I am sure he will soon gain.
He has an adorable little smile and is a really cheeky little thing! He is adored by everyone already!

The Toddlers:
I don't really mean to 'group' this little lot together - but Sarah, Yunisi, Rama and Daniel are all of such a similar age and spend all their time together - ot is hard not to! This week they have all had spiking fevers - but no other symptoms? It is quite strange and we have been giving Calpol when necessary - but they are all well apart from sporadic fever?

Pascal:
Pascal is growing really big and strong now. He likes to stand with support and is almost able to sit alone. He is a really smiley baby and very cuddly!

Yohana:
Yohana is a very loving little boy who has progressed so much since he has been with us. He now eats much better and is not quite so fussy! He is really growing up and doesn't have tantrums nearly as much as he used to. He loves the fact that he has his own toys (from his Birthday and Christmas) and is always playing with them and checking with us that they are still really his! His favourite thing in life is sweets and TV.......!

So - thats all of them!

Staff are all very well and happy and make the Baby Home run amazingly well.

Chloe's Mum and Dad (Jan and Jim) are here for a month and are helping out at the Baby Home. Already Jim has fixed many plumbing and carpentry issues which we are very greatful for.

We are still not able to drink the tap water (even after boiling and filtering) as it is too dirty. I am not sure how long this is going to last - but bottled water is costing a small fortune!

Thats all for today.....

Well it has been another busy day with lots of ups and downs......

We'll start with the positive news as good news is best....

Today we got a new baby called Sammy! He is 6 days old and weighs just 1.63kg! He is unbelievably tiny and none of our clothes (even the premature baby clothes) fit him - so he is naked and wrapped in blankets for now.
My staff were scared and had no idea what to do with him as he is so small.....and I have never seen a baby so tiny outside of an incubator - but he is doing great!

He has learnt how to bottle feed (they cup fed him at the hospital) and is drinking 3 times the amount he was offered in hospital so hopefully he will gain weight soon, which he also hasn't done whilst in hospital.

He is very alert and often awake.....but I have to agree with Chloe - he looks a lot like a little old wrinkled man!....but a cute one!

He was named 'Victor' by Doctors which we have kept as a middle name, but my son, Barnabas, named him 'Sammy' after one of his cousins in England.

I am thrilled to have another tiny baby at Forever Angels and since he is abandoned we hope to find an adoptive family for him as soon as he reaches 6 months.

And now the bad news.....

Haji has got pneumonia again! The Doctors do not seem too concerned and we have caught it very early and he started treatment this morning. He is actually enjoying his stay in the VIP ward at the hospital and loves the fact that he gets 24 hour one-to-one attention! I have been to see him twice today and both times he was eating and happy.
I contacted his father and asked him to come to visit Haji as I want him to understand that although he is stable again now, Haji will not have a long life and he needs to be prepared for this. I left him this evening at the hospital with Haji talking to the doctor about this.

And more bad news.....We were hoping to go to the hospital this morning to collect 2 babies. Sammy, who we brought home, and a 12 month old girl called Christina. Chloe and I visited her at the weekend and took clothes and food to both babies as they had none. Christina was also an abandoned child - but was also very neglected and severely malnourished.
When we saw her on Friday - she looked sick and although she lay in a cot in the nurses office - she flinched when we touched her and acted as though she had never been held.

When we went back this morning, the nurses told us that she had passed away early this morning. I hate the thought that she died alone and without knowing love.

Resulting from this, and from a conversation with Haji's Doctor, I have been asked to open and manage a Malnutrition Clinic at the hospital! Apparently up to 50% of all admitted malnourished children here die....mostly unnecessarily. Because the Doctor is so impressed with how we are caring for Haji - he wanted me to help him to open a Clinic to weigh and advise parents on how to feed their children. There would be about 300 children initially! I have not yet answered as I am already run off my feet with Forever Angels and my own children - but it is something that is definitely needed in Mwanza if we are to help more needy children.

My Mum is retiring early this year.....and is a nurse....perhaps I will have to persuade her to do it!?

So - again, life at Forever Angels is full of joy, and sadness.....but the happiness and health of our 9 children makes the work we all do so worthwhile.

Thank you for all your support.

Well....It's been a busy day!

Haji is back in hospital. Chloe and I have been getting more worried about him over the last few days and today his breathing was so labored that we took him to Intensive Care to meet with his pediatrician.

He answered all of our questions and his main concern was Haji's enlarged liver which could be a sign of hepatitis. He has admitted him to the hospital so they can give him IV fluids and he will start him on antibiotics tomorrow.....although after explaining our worries and concerns to the Doctor....Haji sat up in the hospital and demanded food - so maybe this is just another down period in his battle and he will pull through again?

We are all battling stomach bugs at the Baby Home which could be related to the water situation in Mwanza. The whole city has been advised to buy bottled water and not drink any tap water - even if it has been boiled and filtered. The excessive rains in Mwanza have meant that lots of raw sewage has been washed into the lake where our water is taken from. I am not sure how long this will be a problem for - but the water which comes out of the tap is a nasty brown colour.
For now - we are buying bottled water - but I do wonder about the rest of Mwanza who will not be able to afford this luxury?
I fear a typhoid outbreak?

We also took Sarah, Rama and Daniel to the local hospital to get them tested for HIV. Thankfully they were all negative. Daniel also has a skin infection on his face and Rama has a fever - but we now have medication for both so hope they will quickly clear up.

That's all for today I think....

Today we said 'Goodbye' to our newest Forever Angels child - Christina. She came to us on December 27th as she had been abandoned with neighbours who did not know where her mother had gone. She arrived with an ear infection and obviously felt unwell - but she has since been on antibiotics and she settled into the Baby Home nicely.

Today we received a call from Social Welfare to say that her Mother had returned for her.

We took Christina to Social Welfare this morning along with the clothes and toys she has accumulated since being with us. She walked up to her Mum and seemed really pleased to see her - but her Mum virtually ignored her! It appears that her Mum is mentally ill and not able to care for Christina, but the Grandfather was also present and he seemed willing and able to look after her.

I guess it is going to be hard giving some children back to homes where they are not seemingly well cared for or wanted. We hoped for a smiley and joyous reunion - but it was neither. None the less - the family have at least now been brought to the attention of Social Welfare and may receive some limited help in the future....or at least we can hope for this?

For now, we can just hope that Christina is well cared for back in her home and that her Grandfather sticks to his word.

She came and left before we had even managed to include her on the website - but photos of her will be put on the Children's Page very soon.

I am now going to hospital with Haji. I may be wrong (and Haji has proved me wrong on many occasion!) but I truly believe that he is now giving up his fight and will soon die....and as sad as I am - he is in pain and is not living a happy life anymore. He is loved by so many people at Forever Angels (as well as his father who visits each week) and we are all fighting for him on his good days....but those days are now getting few and far between and I do not think he will be with us for much longer.

I think the doctors will want to admit him to Intensive Care but if there is nothing they can do for him - we would like to have him at the Baby Home where he is comfortable and loved for his last few days.

Life seems so unfair?.....

Well it has been a while since I have had access to a computer.....

Happy New Year to you all.

Holidays:

Ben and I have been away for a week on an island off the coast of Dar es Salaam. We had a lovely relaxing break with our children and are now back refreshed at Forever Angels. In our absence Chloe managed the Baby Home and did a wonderful job of keeping everything under control.
We got a new child whilst we were away - but due to internet problems (and much to my annoyance!) we have not yet managed to update the website!
Our newest arrival at Forever Angels is an 18 month old girl called Christina. She was left by her family with some neighbours for a few minutes - but no one returned for her so she was taken to the police station. She arrived with high fever and an ear infection so was not particularly happy, but she has since had a course of antibiotics and is now healthy and settled at Forever Angels. Mind you - she has not warmed to me at all - and every time I walk in the room - she hides!!

Haji:

Haji is a constant source of worry for us all. Whilst I was away - Chloe called me to say that he was the happiest and healthiest she had ever seen him! He was smiling and laughing, eating really well (left over Christmas dinner Mango crumble proved to be a real favourite!) and playing. But just a couple of days later, he had a raging fever which we are still battling to control.
He has an ear infection which he's had for a long time and which various courses of antibiotics have not managed to clear and which seems to have worsened over the last few days. We took him back to hospital yesterday and have yet more medicine for him.

When Haji is well, he is happy and naughty (in a cute way!) and lovely to be around. Generally though - he is tired and suffering with fever and seems to be in pain. It is hard to know what is best for him but he us getting a lot of love and we take each day as it comes.

Haircuts:

Hmmmm! Chloe and I have been meaning to cut some of the boys hair for a few weeks now - but we never seem to have power during the day. Recently there has been power all day - so today was haircut day. Cutting Afro hair is not something I know much about - so I asked my staff to do it. They seemed very happy to have been asked, and we decided which setting to cut their hair on (Number 2) and whose hair to cut (Rama and Yohana) - and I left them to it.

I returned a few minutes later to see Sarah totally bald and Yohana and Rama the same! At this point the hair cutting stopped! It isn't the end of the world....the boy's hair will grow back within a week or so and Sarah had a lot of bald patches anyhow - so maybe this will help! Lets hope so....and in future - I will have to learn the Swahili for 'not bald, just short'!!

That's all the main news....apart from a few high temperatures and snotty noses (it is still rainy season here so a bit like a mild winter) all the other children and staff are fine.

Asha (now Beth) is doing so well with her new family - she is a smiley little girl who adores her Mum and Dad and they all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year together.

Cosmos is busy putting grass on the roof of the banda he built with my Dad whilst he was out here - I would say 'on holiday' - but he didn't actually have much of a holiday at all and spent every day working! It was lovely to have my Mum and Dad out here - thank you both so much!