Orphanage and CBCC’s Visits

Before our trip we collected some items that we could donate to the Orphanages and CBCC’s (Community Based Childcare Centers) that we would be visiting. There is a huge variety of centres that receive Vita Meal. We were very excited to spend the day with more kids. (see Matt’s face--that’s excitement.) These kids are not all orphans. They are children whose parents/extended family/village can’t care for then and so they have landed in a CBCC. After age 5, many children are sent back to their home villages. If their parents or relatives are not willing/able to take them back, then they become orphans.

All our goodies boxed up and ready to go. Toothbrushes, cups, bowls, toys, crayons, etc.

Mtendere - School and Orphange - kids live onsite with a house mother.

Children waiting to see who the principal would call on next. He would call on a child and that
child would have to stand and do as he/she was asked. For example, recite a scripture,
ask the group a riddle, or figure out a math problem. This was all done in English.

Girls reciting scripture from the New Testament

All the songs performed are Christian-themed.

The Preschool Dancers
I have video of this that I will have to share. Their rhythm is in their bones.

The Middle School Band

Cute kid. I accidentally got him into trouble because I kept smiling at him and making him laugh.

These girls were so proud to show me their house and bedroom.
They took me all around Mtendere, and then asked me to sing for them.
I laughed. But they didn’t. So I sang.

Stirring dinner. Awesome workout.

The next CBCC shall remain nameless, because I don’t know the name, but it starts with a “K". We got to join the kids in their classroom and they demonstrated their knowledge.

Class time: they recited days of the week, months in the year, ABC’s and 123’s.
And names of vegetables.

The name of the CBCC is written on the wall

A couple extra kids coming to see what the commotion was all about.
They ran over to this CBCC school from a straw hut across the street (dirt path).
Love the kid peeking out the doorway.

Recess

The Playground. Swings, chickens, the usual. Notice the small “Y” in the dirt on the left.
Add a log and it’s a see-saw (below)

Vita Meal bag on brick oven

Matt's juggling has become a tradition. This time he tosses dirt clods.

Receiving the gifts. They sang a thank you song and clapped and danced.

Gary Garrett

Another tradition has been using our ball pump to inflate everyone’s dead balls.

What a smile

And the award for most excited goes to...

Next CBCC: Sister Mira’s. This place was so swept and tidy. It is a refuge for babies and toddlers. They water down the Vita Meal and put it in bottles to feed the littlest children. Sister Mira is originally from Maine. She has lived in Malawi for 14 years.

Sister Mira briefs us on this centre, how much more Vita Meal they need,
how grateful she is for it
and what it will smell like in the baby room. Breathe through your mouth.

Thanks Matt for capturing me amid my deep thoughts. 

The baby room. Sister Mira didn’t exaggerate about the smell.
The helper ladies (who looked about 13 years old) were a little annoyed as
we came in during nap time. Can you even imagine?
Getting 20 babies to sleep at the same time, only
to have visitors come in and wake them all?

At one point, someone left the door open and within seconds, about
40 huge flies were landing all over the kids. And us.

Matt performs his hat trick and thoroughly confuses this child.

Sweet highchair system

This little girl is 2 1/2 years old. She is the size of a 6 month old.
She just arrived at Sister Mira’s. Her mom has 2 month old twins
and can no longer care for this little one, much less feed her.

Lisa Anderson. My best buddy on the whole trip. We did everything together.

This picture is so amazing to me, because Lisa is a germ-a-phobe. No exaggeration. She brought ten times more hand sanitizer, wipes, pills and potions than the rest of our group, combined. She even brought individually wrapped straws so she would not have to touch her lips to anything. Back home in Perth, she is a professional organizer. She looked out for my safety more than I did! I adore her.

Back to my point. That’s what these kids do to you. They hypnotize you into forgetting yourself and thinking only of them. It is magic.

Women at the Well... with Matt

Nothing wasted. Even the used Vita meal bags are repurposed.

After time with the babies we got to play with the big kids. They LOVED to be held.
They would lock eyes with you, then walk over and stand at your feet waiting.
I picked up two little boys and put one on each hip.
I could’ve gone jogging or jumped into a pool and they wouldn’t have
fallen off--their grip was unbreakable.

Matt & I with Sister Mira. She let us use her indoor, flushing toilets. What a treat.

I couldn’t help but wonder: how long after I leave Malawi will this experience fade? Will the emotions fade first, and the memories later? Will I begin to take food, clean water, toilets, safety, (the list could go on and on) for granted as soon as I am again surrounded by it? Sister Mira gets no praise, no holidays, no pay check. She must have an amazing amount of faith in Jesus Christ and a deep sense of duty to spend the rest of her life helping to relieve the suffering of others.

I have woken up to the reality of hunger. I have become familiar with suffering in a raw sense. This has both broadened and deepened my capacity for empathy. I hope I will be a better person; a better mother to my children and the proverbial “village" that I am a part of.

Our final stop. This next CBCC was massive. There were hundreds of children. It was much more chaotic than Sister Mira’s place. The children were mostly older, and their demands changed from “hold me” to “take my picture and show it to me.” As I look at these kids, I can tell that their eyes are focused on seeing their tiny reflection in the lens of my camera. Here, we got to pass out plates of Vita Meal, and witness the total chaos turn to order as they lined up to receive their food. Not one child dropped their plate of porridge. Not one bit of food went to waste.

Matt stuffed the new soccer ball under his shirt as he pumped their flat ball.
The kids couldn’t be fooled. They went straight for the new ball, and a
barefoot-in-the-dirt game began.

Desperately vying for face time with the camera. I was constantly being mobbed.

These guys took me by the hand to find their little brother so I could take his photo.

Matt pulled out the iPad and started an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. 

Cooking for an army

Time to eat!

Doesn’t this baby look healthy? He was chubby and interacted so well.
The big brother didn’t crack a smile

Even these little ones carried their own plates of Vita Meal and didn’t spill a drop.

I think there is a crush going on here. These two took me far from the mob of kids so they could
have their photo session uninterrupted.

Can you see how they are staring at their own reflection?
I can just make out my own reflection in their eyes.
Surely someone could write a poem about this.

Time to hand over the box of supplies, and be thanked with beautiful songs.
The kids ran along-side our van as we drove away.

Footprints in the dirt

What a full day. It was a long drive back to our hotel. I couldn’t wait to shower!! Sadly, the hotel was experiencing electrical problems and there was no hot water. Oh, and no water pressure. I stood under a cold, slight drizzle that turned to mud as it collected all the dust off my body.