Well, after a quiet week last week - this has been quite an eventful one!

Firstly Sammy was rushed to hospital....but thankfully he is fine! He went for his normal 'Toddler walk' in Preschool Class and when he got home he just fell unconcious and would not wake up. He was clenching his jaw a lot as though having a seizure...but had no convulsions. We put him in the car and drove to hospital and half way there he woke up and was fine!
We still have NO idea why he did this but will keep an eye on him.

Poor Meghan had to deal with Sammy as I was out - and as usual she was amazingly calm and collected about it all. Thank you so much Meg!

We went to visit Mwita and Joseph at Tumaini Orphanage yesterday. They are both looking so well and Mwita has 'grown into' his body and has slimmed down a lot. They are both happy and have lots of new friends. It was so good to see them although they have forgotten a lot of their English now.
I still dream that a family will adopt these two wonderful little boys.....

On the way home we went to visit Sarah in her home. She looked amazing! She was lively and happy and really healthy looking which was so wonderful to see. Her Grandmother gave us a 'tasty' meal of Ugali and liver (!?) and the whole family were very happy to see us.
On the way home we gave some of the local village children some cuddly toys and we made quite a few children very happy indeed!

Haji came to visit us at the Baby Home yesterday and he looked amazing! He seems to have grown already! He loved playing with his friends - but was overjoyed to go home at the end of the day with his Dad. It was so great to see him looking so well and happy and being so clearly attached to his Dad.

I think we are getting new born twins very soon. Sadly, their mother died in childbirth and their father is not able to care for them until they are older. They are called Benedict and Anna and are both about 1.6kg.....more on this soon.

Ernest is still not doing so well. He has fevers most days and bad ear infections but he still manages a smile most days and we are hoping his medication will kick in soon.

We are having a new septic tank built at the moment as our current tank is just not dealing with all of our waste. It involves a VERY large hole being dug and then filled with large stones. I do not really understand it - but it also involves lots of large trucks coming and going which seems to please all the children!

The container is apparently almost in Mombassa and should be arriving within 2 weeks. This is SO exciting and it means that all my family will be here when it arrives to help unpack it all!

My Mum, sisters, brother, neice and 3 nephews are all coming out here for a holiday on Sunday and I am SO excited to see them all. We are all going to Zanzibar for a (well deserved!) holiday and then they will come back to Mwanza to see the Baby Home.

Karen, my sister, will be setting up our Sensory room which promises to be amazing and will be SO great for our Special Needs children.

And Zoe, my other sister, and her 2 children are actually staying here for a whole year! We are so looking forwards to having them share our life here and be a part of Forever Angels.

My friend Jo from University is here right now for a holiday. I am not sure she knew exactly what she was in for when she decided to book a summer holiday at Forever Angels....she has had every bodily fluid imaginable on her so far - but it is great to see her again and so lovely that she now knows what my life out here entails.

And lastly - to end on a 'not so fun' note....we have chicken pox at the Baby Home! So far it is just Jennifer - but I think Aza is also getting it and I am sure by tomorrow many more will be covered in spots! Poor Meghan will have to deal with this while I am away on holiday and I can't say it was very much fun last time we had an outbreak.....
Sorry Meghan - drinks on me when I get back!

Well I do not have anything much to write really.....

Mija (our new tiny baby) is doing really well and is just SO beautiful!

Ernest is now 3 weeks into his TB medication and although he still has daily fevers he does seem a little better in himself and has even started to say a few words (very quietly!)

Joyce is becoming the life and soul of the Big Baby group - she is hysterical! She loves to dance and has got some GREAT moves. She has me in fits of laughter every day!

We have just introduced a new 'Behaviour Chart' to the Toddlers as they seemed to be getting a little naughty at times. To be honest - I think they are bored as it is usually the older children who are misbehaving.
They have a series of face posters on the wall with emotions from 'smiley' to 'sad' and each child has a name badge. Everyone wakes up on the 'smiley face' but if they are naughty their name 'moves down' the wall to a sadder face. At the end of the day, if they are still on the happy face - they get a sweet.....if they are on a sad face - they do not!
So far Issa, Michael, Abdalla and Pilli have missed out on the sweets - but I think it is working overall and their general behaviour seems to be improving!

We think that Evie will soon get a new family and we are THRILLED about this as they are wonderful people....more about this very soon I hope.

I just LOVE tiny babies! Meet Mija.....a 3 week old, 2 kilo baby who came to join us at Forever Angels today.

She is just adorable!

Mija's Mum sadly died a few days after birth and her Father is not able to care for her. He clearly loves her though and plans to take her home in a years time.

For now - she will be well and truly loved at Forever Angels.

Her Father told me that she has had fever this week and today she was vomiting (but that could just be the change to formula milk) - but we will keep a close eye on her none the less.



Because of this new addition....and with Angel arriving yesterday - the Tiny Baby House became too full - so Margaret and Evie have now 'Graduated' to the main Baby Home!

Lauren, Aza and Tumaini have now joined the Little Toddlers group and Musa has moved up to be a Big Toddler!

Neema is doing great after her surgery - she was running round in the garden today perfectly happy and content.

Well - it has been a VERY busy day today - I do not think that Meghan or I have stopped even once!

First we had to say goodbye to Allie which was very sad. She has been volunteering with us for 6 months and has been amazing! She is so bubbly and full of fun and will be terribly missed by us all.....particularly Meghan and I who became good friends with her over the last 6 months.
Allie ran the Preschool for a number of months and was so wonderful with the children. And she has helped with every different task at the Baby Home - from collecting new children, to visiting flown children, to hospital visits and covering shifts....
Thank you Allie for all your amazing hard work - we really appreciate it and hope you come back real soon.....

Allie was not only an amazing Volunteer - she comes from an amazing family! Her sister Nicky is helping us to fundraise in the UK and is currently organising a big fundraising event for Forever Angels at the 'Globe' in London in November! We are very excited about this and REALLY greatful to Nicky for all her immense hard work.

Allie's Mum came out to Forever Angels to volunteer for a couple of weeks and it was SO lovely to have her here. And Allie's Brother - Anthony - has also just been in Mwanza for a week. He is a film maker and very kindly offered to make a film of the Baby Home to promote us. He was so lovely and managed to get some great footage of the children - I can't wait to see the finished film. Thank you SO much for coming all this way to help Forever Angels Anthony.
Thank you SO much to the Campbell family - especially - Allie, Anthony, Nicky and your Mum - for your immense support and kindness!

Afetr a tearful goodbye - we went to Bugando hospital to be with Neema. When Neema came to Forever Angels in November last year, she was suffering with a large and painful rectal prolapse. From the little we know of Neema's history - we think this is a result of abuse. Initially Doctors told us to just 'wait and see' if it healed itself - but it hasn't and is getting very uncomfortable for Neema - and so this morning she had surgery.

It was very quick - she was in theatre for less than 45 minutes but she woke up screaming in pain and very delirious. It was very hard to see her that way - but she soon got a dose of Pethadine and went to sleep.

She is on Surgical Ward with a whole array of sick children with a huge range of illnesses, deformaties and severe burns - it is just SO sad to see such innocent, young children in such agony and no one seemingly doing anything about it?

I must thank Jana, one of my Volunteers, SO MUCH! Jana has been with Neema in hospital since she was admitted on Sunday and has been amazing. It isn't a nice place - it is emotional, stressful, tiring, noisy and intimidating (being white usually means you have at least 10 other peatients crowding around your bed at any given time - just to look at you!)....so 'Thank you' Jana so much - you have been a star!

As we were leaving Neema at the hospital to rest, we nipped into Social Welfare and were told about a new baby! So - welcome to Angel Alex! Angel is a 6 week old little girl, born about May 28th. From what we know, her Mum abandoned her in a Graveyard and she was found by a school boy and taken to the Police Station. She has stayed in hospital for 6 weeks while the Police tried to trace her family.....but since none has been found she has joined us at Forever Angels today.



Our New Angel - Angel!

Angel is a beautiful little thing - tiny (about 3kg) but perfect! It is nice to have a tiny baby around the place again as all our 'Tiny babies' are growing so fast! Margaret is now standing up, Anthony and Davey are sitting, Evie is crawling and Lilly is getting a very cute little personality and growing so fast!



Anthony sitting up and Margaret standing!


Just as we arrived home with Angel, we were met with Mariam's Mum and Dad who had arrived to take Mariam home! Mariam's parents clearly adore her and she was so happy to go home with her Mum and Dad! They both have HIV and are developmentally delayed - but they do have some family support and I think that between the two of them - they will do a good job of caring for Mariam.
Mariam has been with us for 17 months and is such a little character in the Baby Home! We will all miss her dearly - and wish her and her family much happiness in the future.



Mariam going home....

I forgot to mention the other day - when Haji went home - we nipped in to visit Seba and Omari on the way home. They returned home to their family about 6 weeks ago and it was SO great to see them clearly attached to their family and looking healthy, happy and loved.



Omari and Seba

Well - yesterday was one of the most emotional days I have had at the Baby Home - unbelievably sad and yet wonderfully happy at the same time! A success story if ever there was one....

Almost three years ago - Chloe and I went to Social Welfare to collect a very sick and malnourished 9 month old baby boy named Haji. Haji's Mum had died a few months before and his very sick father was struggling to care for him.
Haji's Father was doing his best - but the poor man was very weak and ill himself and so Haji had not been fed properly for months.....he was exteremely malnourished and very fragile.

Haji arriving at Forever Angels

Haji was the first 'sick' child that we ever cared for at Forever Angels. His ribs protruded from his tiny body and he weighed less than a newborn baby. Haji was sick all the time. He spent his days with constant fevers of 40.....draped in wet blankets to try to cool him down and constantly being given medication.

A very common sight - Haji with wet blankets trying to cool his fever

He was admitted to hospital a number of times as a seriously ill little boy and spent a number of days in Intensive Care. One Doctor told us that he was not going to survive and to take him home to die....and we did almost give up on this little boy. He was SO sick all the time that I actually prayed that his little life would end and his suffering would ease.

However - Haji did not give up. He is a miracle. Haji slowly but surely gained strength and after a few weeks we were able to start him on ARV medication for HIV.

These drugs are utterly amazing! Within months Haji was a different child. He no longer had fevers and soon learned to crawl and walk around the Baby Home. He was adored by everyone at Forever Angels and because we had all cared for him during his sickness....he did get a little bit of 'special treatment' from time to time! While all the other children were out playing - Haji would often be sat in my office colouring a picture or having a biscuit and cuddle!

Haji's father visited Haji every week at Forever Angels and clearly loved his son. But I soon noticed Baba Haji's health deterioating badly. Eventually we persuaded him to go to hospital for treatment and after a few months he also began to get stronger.

We gave Baba Haji a job at Forever Angels as a Gardener as he had no other work and needed to support himself. Being at Forever Angels for work meant that he got to see Haji every day and he always took time out of his day to push Haji on the swing or kick a ball round with him.

Over the course of almost 3 years - we have seen Haji grow from an exceptionally sick, frail and dying baby - into a lovable, mischevious, happy and healthy little boy!

As both he and his Dad grew stronger - we began to make plans for Haji to return home. For the past 6 months, Haji has been going home with his Dad on his days off and he has LOVED it. He always came back with exciting stories of what he and his Dad had been doing!

And yesterday - July 9th 2009 - Haji went home to live with his Dad full time! He was so excited and was bouncing around the Baby Home all morning waiting for his Dad to arrive.

Haji is a HUGE part of Forever Angels - he always has been - and he always will be. I will miss him terribly, but I am so so so happy that these two very special people are now reunited and together once more.

Despite all the happiness, the future for this family is not entirely certain. Both Haji and his Dad have HIV and no one knows what their life expectancies are. What we do know is that Haji and his Dad love each other dearly and belong together....so whether they manage this for 1 year or 30 years is irrelevant for the time being. Haji's Dad still works for us so we will see him daily - and we hope Haji will return to the Baby Home Pre-school once he is settled....so we will always be a part of their lives.

I am sure the time will come when either Haji or his Dad become too sick for this arrangement to continue - but when this time does come - and it could be many years away - Forever Angels will support them in every way we can.

Haji will always be remembered as one of the most special children I have ever known and I will love him always. But watching his beaming smile as he walked off hand in hand with his Dad yesterday reinforced - again - what we are here to do.....Forever Angels goal is to find a loving family for all of its children. And yesterday - Haji got his!

Well - this week is going to be a wonderful week.....

Haji is going home to live with his Dad! I will write more about this tomorrow - but for Haji and his Father AND for Forever Angels - this is a HUGE event. Haji is an amazingly special little boy and none of us ever believed that this day would come. He was exceptionally excited as he was going to bed this evening and he is SO happy to be going home to his Dad!

Marlaina and Dustin Harper today received their permission letter to adopt baby Baraka - so they should be taking him home to Moshi on Friday! I am SO thrilled for this wonderful family and Baraka (now known as Amani) is a very lucky little boy. CONGRATULATIONS guys - I am absolutely thrilled for you....

We have a lot of sick children right now as a vomiting and diaoreah virus is passing through the Big Babies. It is not much fun for anyone! Most effected are Hollo, Victoria, Mayega and Alfie - though they all seem a little better this afternoon which is a relief.

This is just a quick entry as we have had no power for 2 days and I am not tempting fate by trying to write more.....it will wait until tomorrow.

Oh - on a light note - Mwanza now has its first ever set of Traffic Lights! It is extremely funny watching the crowds of people standing around watching them change colour...and the policemen who are 'helping' to direct the traffic who keep 'forgetting' what the colours mean and waving the cars on when the light is on red and making us all stop on green! Brilliant! I love this country!!

If anyone is interested in Volunteering at Forever Angels - we still have some spaces from September 2009 through to February 2010.....and then again from March 2010.

Please email amy@foreverangels.org if you are interested.

Yesterday was a great day for Gracie - as her new Foster Mummy came to collect her.
Gracie was overjoyed and ran happily into her Mum's arms with a huge grin on her face.

Gracie has been at Forever Angels for exactly 2 years so everyone here adores her and she will be truly missed - but it is such wonderful news that she now has a family of her own.



We also have the Foster Parents of Baraka visiting him at the Baby Home and we hope that within a few days they will get their approval letter to take him home. They are a wonderful couple and they are totally in love with Baraka already.... then again - he is adorable so it would be very hard not to be!

Nothing makes me more happy than seeing these children reunited with their families, or being adopted into new families..... and we have had a LOT of this happening recently.

Ernest is now on TB medication. We are still not totally sure he has TB but most other things have been ruled out and this seems most likely. It is a 6 month course of medictaion but we really hope that we start to see progress in this little man before then.

Two new Volunteers arrived today - Sarah and Jana from Canada. They are very enthusiastic and I am sure they will do great things at the Baby Home. I am very excited myself as Jana is a speech therapist and is going to be working with my daughter Leila (who is deaf) every day. I think that she, and us as a family, will really gain a lot from having them with us.

We are also saying 'Goodbye' to two volunteers on Friday who have been with us for 3 months. Sally and Faye have been wonderful volunteers and have worked really hard at Forever Angels. Sally has left a lasting physical impression with her painting in the corridor... but they will both be missed by the staff, children and other volunteers - thank you both so much for everything.

Meghan is now back from her month vacation and it is WONDERFUL to have her back. June was actually a very smooth month (I was dreading it!) - but the children were all healthy and the staff were really hardworking. It is great to have my best buddy back in Mwanza again though... Welcome Home Meghan.

The children all seem to have coughs and colds right now so obviously a bug is doing its rounds again... but apart from the increase in snot... not many of the children are actually 'ill' with it so that is good.