MOVING ON...the HURUMA ORPHANAGE, Mto Wa Mbu.....

Things in Africa catapult – way more quickly there than they do here.
Things are simpler there, maybe it’s with lack of bureaucracy, you just move on, and get things done.

It’s Wednesday at 4: - 5 days to go before I leave for Canada. The Home Comfort Orphanage project was over. Thank you to everyone who offered sponsorship support - it would have been great. And to those people whose donations provided wonderful things for those kids....full day safaris both years in a row, tables, benches, shelving, samosas for 38 people every Sunday, bananas, avocados, clothing, sheets, towels, swimming...I was so glad to help.

Back to...
Wednesday at 4: The ICA office was filled with volunteers, students, youth, generators, tv., videos.. waiting for Charles to jump into his truck and off we went to another HIV AIDS awareness workshop - this time in a small village buried deeply into lush green hills, about 200 people sitting on the grass, benches, rocks in the middle of a forest grove – all ages, babies being nursed, school kids, older men and women.

Me. I am despondent. I want to get out, take off, to Arusha, to Nairobi, anywhere...two months of working in that place, it's finished, and what about those kids?

But here is Charles, my ICA Project Coordinator, who insists, you are coming with us. He is the kind of person who looks at a situation. Is it working, is it not?? If it’s not, then move on...forget the old place - they don’t want you or anyone else interfering in their business. Take every thing you know and transfer it over to a place that needs you, who wants you. “tomorrow, I am going to take you to see another orphanage, tomorrow at 8am. We’re going!” I am like, are you nuts? Charles it is Wednesday, I am leaving Monday. There is no time. And I don’t want to go to another orphanage. He insists.

The next day he picks me up, with Elizabeth our ICA nurse, and Peter, a student volunteering with ICA over his spring break from school in Uganda. My gawd what are we doing?? I am thinking.

Off we go, not too far, just off the main road, we turn left onto a road wedged between the stalls of artist’s just on the edge of town. A small sign painted on an arrow marks this second orphanage, newly opened just three months ago - THE HURUMA PRE SCHOOL ORPHANAGE. It is still in the Mto Wa Mbu area, in a district called Majengo, flat with lots of land, small impoverished houses, a farming community. This place has 53 kids, aged 2-6 - ten who live in (sleeping five kids on two single beds – widthwise, one for the girls, one for the boys), the rest living with grandmothers or relatives in nearby homes.

All have lost parents to HIV AIDS. The orphanage operates out of one main room with a cement floor in the middle of the Director’s house, no desks, chairs, the children are sitting on the floor. There is a blackboard propped up at one end, one window with little light. Dark, cold, derelict. Jutting around the perimetre of this room are 4 little rooms each one rented out by families. There is a mud floored passageway filled with little shoes, next to pools of water from last night’s rain, running out into the back yard area - a big open space with a stick shed operating as a kitchen, chickens and ducks plodding about.

This place was thrown together from the heart, out of need - not from the pocketbook - by people in the neighbourhood, a loosely knit group of farmers, village district leaders, small business people, each one donating what they can..dropping off food, assistance, services. There is one disfunctional toilet at the back of the yard behind a screen. That is it. This place has absolutely NOTHING - no books, furniture, paper, crayons, pens. The Board, consisting of the director, a few local village govt types, neighbours, donate money for the salaries of two teachers – that’s it.

We sat down on benches at the side of the classroom, 40-50 little children on the cement floor. The teacher is up at the front of the room, laughing, smiling, directing the children. He introduces us. They said their hellos, in English, in Swahili, in unison, they sang, spoke, they stand up, sit down, one little Mirium gets up in front of the group and leads a song about orphans. Lively, happy, vibrant. These kids, genuinely engaged and enthusiastic.

Charles has been working with the director, a local farmer, on the HIV AIDS issues in this area for three years; he knows him well, and trusts him completely.

I sat, watched, wondered, and thought. I got up and did songs with the kids. These weren’t my old kids, but new kids, dirty, poor, with only one outfit on their backs; but they were happy and alive, and surviving as best they could what life had served them - surely they deserved as much of a chance. I pondered.
I talked with the director, the two teachers, with the two local govt people who are on their board. I walked around outside. I interviewed a couple of kids, watching the activities going on in the big yard behind them, the children laughing, playing together, gossiping, having fun...like kids should.

It was Thursday; I am leaving Monday. No time. But something turned around inside. All of a sudden, we are laughing, singing, playing. I open a big suitcase filled with art supplies, we pull them out, one by one, art supplies that were to go to the other orphanage. . Okay, my gawd, so much to do, but let’s get started!! But first of all, before we start. The money. They have nothing. I am the first foreign donor to really see this the place. They are not on the main road attracting safari tourists. How to get started on the right foot right off the bat. I wasn’t going into this without Charles, busy as he is, without ICA TANZ. support. The Director asks Charles to put together a strong Board, to be their Financial Director in charge of all financial donations and dealings. He says he wants nothing to do with the money. He knows the other Board members but he does’t know how an infusion of money into this orphanage might change them – he wants to focus on the kids, not the money, wants only to manage the place, get it going for the kids. I can't believe my ears! Wow!

We draw out the ten live in kids and take a group picture. Then the ten who will be seven next year, and off to Primary school in January. They will need uniforms, shoes, books...we make notes. We go outside and take a picture of each kid. I am stooped down shooting; each kid is pulled into my vision, one after the other. They have no idea what’s happening, we are trying to get them smiling, move others out of the background., on and on we go. Peter is standing up recording as fast as he can write: full name and a description of what they are wearing: blue t shirt, with penguins; Flintstone sweat shirt, cowboy jacket. One after the other, 53 kids! We sing more songs; the kids have warmed up, swarming, laughing, singing. The energy is incredible! We start to interview the teacher, the Director about the children, one by one. The history, where did they come from? Who looks after them, what do they do? What happened to their parents? When? We stop for the day and walk back into Mto Wa Mbu...I can’t tell you how happy I am!
The next day I jump out of bed, race over to the carpenter and order a big table and 8 benches – to be ready next Friday.

I race into Arusha for a meeting with Sinai and their international auditor. Stories of corruption everywhere; you have to be careful, how to set things up from the get go, for accountability. We are all learning.

I jump onto the bus, back to Mto Wa Mbu..Peter from Uganda is waiting for me in the office in a little room with the Huruma director, teacher and three village leaders. We sit there in a circle, batting a nasty swarm of mosquitoes way into the night, until a description and story for each of the 53 children is written. It is brutal! But great when we’re finished.

ICA nurse Elizabeth collects the blood from 30 children in four hours the next morning to test for HIV AIDS...result: only one positive case out of the whole group.

This is great news, considering their backgrounds.

The National Health officers can’t register this orphanage officially – the Director’s house is derelict; but there is no money.
We decide to relocate, We find a much larger house - brand new and almost built - on the same road with lots of space, enough for 30 children to move in permanently...with a huge playing field right next door belonging to the Catholic Church. They agree to let us use it. We will not buy until we are confident all is up and running smoothly.

RE Sponsorship. Decided not to find individual donors right now. None are in primary school - 10 will begin next January.
By then we will know how the operation is doing. By December we’ll finance uniforms, books, school fees for those kids, but not until then.
I’m drawing up budgets for food, staff (teachers, director (yes! He asked for a small salary, music to my ears, cook, manager, medical, maintenance.

It is incredible how these things are coming together.....this time, it feels right....

COMING HOME...........30 hours in the air, on the road, in the airport...tough, but filled with vim, vigor, raring to go! What a difference in only a few days....
I am excited to get back! It is not like last year. Back then, mid February, 26 below and sinking..Johnny and the babies had invaded lovingly my house, theirs was under renovations, so we all lived together for three months..i couldn't write, i couldn't think, and i didn't know what to write or think, where i was going, what i was supposed to be doing with all these things i had seen and felt in Africa. I cancelled my Art Retreat for that summer. I floundered. But sooner, or later, someone asked me about my experience...and from then on, I couldn't stop talking...Great people set me up, in Creemore, Rowlie Fleming...the churches...community centres..Probus groups..Rotary...it was incredible....finally...being able to tell my story, people actually listening...interested. and raising money, for what: goats for the HIV AIDS group in Handeni..bikes for the Home Care workers in Harare Zimbabwe...the Masai girls education, the Orphanage...all of a sudden it was coming together..

A YEAR LATER...it is different...when i left, i knew i was going back...this time, I have a good sense of what projects to work on, this time, I know more of where I am going, of where I can focus my efforts; it is empowering and exciting...and I can’t wait to see my family and friends.

A WEEK LATER: back in Toronto.
-A contact from the States called, he’d been through Mto Wa Mbu a month ago, visited the orphanage, read my blog, wants to help. He’s proposing financing with his international organization. TBA....
-RE the new building: Charles got an estimate of $10,000. US, to renovate fully: electricity, water, 5 completed rooms, windows, doors, outdoor kitchen, toilets, showers ...
-Owner offers 4 years rent for $10,000 cost to finish.
-Swedish donors promise start-up refurbishing financing, with support.
-Charles agrees to put together a strong Huruma Board; coming to Toronto in August.
-The Creativity Art Retreat is filling up beautifully, we have some spaces left...please check schedule if interested: www.lynnconnellart.com
-Gary has built another bedroom for the River House..going up this weekend...very exciting....

SPEAKING PRESENTATIONS: INTO AFRICA
...a journey of joy, despair and resilience through the Orphanages of Tanzania, Masai tribal peoples, HIV AIDS pandemic...
I’ve got 4 speaking engagements coming up....
Two in Dunedin at the art retreat during my workshop: Saturday nights, 7pm. May 10 and May 31st.
Dufferin Arts Council: Monday May 5th...1:30pm Rosemont Centre, across the street from the Globe.
Brampton/Flowertown Probus: Sept 03. 10am. Jim Archdecin Centre, 292 Conestoga Drive, Brampton.
IF YOU know any other group I could speak to....

And There is a feeling of spring in the air....
Bliss...............