This is Africa. : The final, long overdue update.

Alright alright. I’ve been home for a few weeks, and still have a lot to update on that I didn’t muster up the energy or strength to do in my last days in Arusha. I can’t pull up my previous post, so some of this might be redundant, my apologies for that.

The second week of January, we took Johnson to take his placement exam into Edmund Rice Secondary School, a very, very good private secondary school in Arusha. While he was taking the exam, a man that works there came out and was asking us about Johnson. We explained to him that he went to a government school but I’ve been working with him to get him ready for this exam, that he is going to be sponsored, and just general stuff about Johnson. When we finished, the man explained to us that government school kids don’t usually pass the entrance exam because the education is not up to par with that of private primary school education. And because Edmund Rice is such a good establishment, it is difficult for those government primary school kids to get in. A week later Isaac pulled me aside and told me that Johnson had indeed failed the exam, and he would not be going to Edmund Rice. Overwhelmed and too upset to explain, I left school and went home to sort out my thoughts and start figuring out a plan B. I knew there was a chance he wouldn’t get in, but I never imagined he would fail the exam because he is just so, so smart and hard working and motivated and together, we got through long division, fractions, and some basic algebra. I bought him workbooks and gave him homework every night and did everything I could to make him successful, and everything we did, he picked up on and understood pretty quickly. But there’s no changing that he failed the exam and we had to figure something else out. I spent the next two weeks touring what must have been every single private secondary school in Arusha. I spent 3 days of the week touring schools, 2 days at Hill Crest with the kids. We got three new Amazing volunteers at Hill Crest so I felt totally comfortable leaving the school in their hands. So I spent a bunch of time touring the schools and talking to directors, and they all said the same thing...government school kids don’t usually pass. Which made me think...okay so that’s great that there is that opportunity for the kids that can afford to go to a cheap school, but then what...there’s still no future for them either because they either can’t afford or get into the next level of school. I mean, I knew this, but it hadn’t applied to Johnson before, and now it’s an even harsher reality to accept. Isaac and I decided to re-enroll him in a better government school than he was in before (we can’t afford to get him into a private primary school and then private secondary school also) and get him tutors every day in english and math. He has a busy 9 months ahead, but he is excited for it and ready to work, and I hope this will be successful. If he doesn’t get into school again, I will enroll him in a vocational school about four hours away..which I would hate to do because if I’m going to be in Tanzania, I want him there with me. But we have to do what’s best for him and we are all prepared for what could happen in the future. I love Johnson.

The last week I was there, I realized for myself how at risk our student Richi is. I hadn’t been aware of it before, but after I left the volunteers that were there in November and December noticed how neglected and abused he is at home. They took care of him, made sure he was getting protein and nutrients every day and told me everything, and how he needed to get out of his home situation and be Anywhere else. I watched him at school for a few weeks and realized how important it is that he is removed. Isaac got his dad to sign him over to foster care, but I don’t really know what actually went on with all of that as it was happening when I was looking for schools for Johnson. But in my last week, I decided to look at some schools for Richi. A volunteer I was here with my first time is sponsoring one of her kids at Haradali, so I went there with a friend, Katrinah, on my last Wednesday and toured it and absolutely fell in love with it. It is so amazing, the director is young and cares for the kids so much. I felt so so comfortable with the school and as I was talking to him about Richi, he said they didn’t have a bed for him to take. Then he called in one of the matrons and told her to switch these kids around, put this one in that room and then there would be a bed for Richi. There are 109 kids boarding at Haradali and he knew off the top of his head who was in which room and where they could go and who was in the other rooms that students would move into. Amazing. I was so impressed and told him to be expecting Richi to come there in the next few weeks. The former volunteers and one current volunteer all wanted to sponsor him, so they are doing it and Richi is at Haradali with his brother and sister Lembris and Chire (to make it easier for him to adjust). As much as Isaac and I hate that kids are leaving Hill Crest, we both know it is for the absolute best. We are here to help these kids and if that means taking them out of Hill Crest, that’s what needs to happen. He seems to be our only student that is severely at risk in the ways of neglect and abuse, but I told Isaac that he needs to pay very close attention and investigate further into the families if any of the kids seem to have any similar characteristics as Richi. I can’t wait to get an update on how Richi, Chire and Lembris are doing, and I know the volunteers that are sponsoring him are happy that something is being done.

After touring Haradali, Katrinah and I went to a rehabilitation and vocational training center. At Hill Crest, we have one girl, Rosie, who is 5 years old with spina bifida and club foot. Not even any special needs school has taken her, so Isaac accepted her at Hill Crest so her mom could go work. When we first got her in October, she was just dragging herself around on the floor. Playtime was hard for her because she was too heavy for us to carry around all day, but since she just pulled herself around on the floor, we didn’t want her out in the dirt. A lot of days we just colored with her, because we could also see in her face that it was hard for her to be “playing” with the other kids when she couldn’t do anything. Since we took her, her mom was able to get a job and the first thing she did was buy Rosie a wheel chair. Rosie is so much happier and better now, as she can participate and the kids can wheel her around during play time and it is so much fun. I wished there was something more we could do, but had no idea this Rehab center existed otherwise we would have done this a lot sooner. Anyways, Katrinah and I went along to the Rehab center and got a tour of the facilities. Our first stop was the physiotherapy room. We got a brief of the tools and techniques and the doctor that does the therapy. She told us it’s free for kids!! Right away, Katrinah and I made an appointment for the following Wednesday to bring in Rosie. Katrinah decided to take on the project because she was very interested in what they would do for her. (Katrinah is the volunteer that came in to Hill Crest for Christmas with me, and she loved Rosie since then, so so nice of Katrinah to step in and do this, as I was leaving in four days).

Katrinah and another Hill Crest volunteer, Sharla, have taken Rosie to therapy every week and have gotten very good news every time. A German specialist came in and saw Rosie and gave them hope that she will one day be able to walk. Amazing. There is a group of surgeons coming in soon (I think) and they are trying to get Rosie in for surgery. She now has casts on her legs for her feet and Sharla does the exercises with Rosie at school every day. I am so happy with how this is going, it’s just amazing. And Katrinah and Sharla are so excited about doing it also. I’m so happy and confident in the people that are taking care of the kids in my absence. It makes being home much easier.

While my dad was in town, we were able to do a lot of business, which was his primary reason for coming. He wanted to see the land, make sure my estimates were right, that everything was going to be okay. We paid off the land and he really liked the plot we bought. Talking to Isaac, we realized that my one mistake in the plan was not accounting for a wall around the property. But considering that was really the only thing I didn’t calculate for, he was pretty happy. As was I. It was a very successful trip with him there.

When it came time for me to leave, went and got Johnson from the field and told him I had to leave. We had another impossible goodbye, probably worse than last time because he has since started to call me mom and runs and jumps on me every time he sees me. It took about twenty minutes for me of crying together and me telling him “I’m coming back, I told you last time I would be back and here I am. Trust me, I will be back, I love you” to pull myself away from him, and I hated leaving him sitting in the classroom, sobbing, holding onto the beanie babie I gave him for Christmas. I said goodbye to the other kids which they, again, didn’t really understand, and I wished Njayo was at school that day, but also glad she wasn’t. Isaac and I said our goodbyes just like we did last time...by not saying goodbye. We shook hands and he said “thank you sister” and I said “talk to you soon Isaac” and we both turned around and walked away.

I got home on the 29th, anxious to hear from Isaac regarding Elizabeth having the baby. The 31st I woke up to a message from Isaac informing me that Elizabeth had a baby boy but he passed three hours later. Such a shame, and I wished I could be there for them- still do. That was hard for me to accept because they are the least deserving people for that to happen to, but if anyone knows it, Isaac knows that God has a plan for everything and that will be what gets them through. I still haven’t been able to get a hold of him, so they are obviously still getting over it, but I haven’t gotten any messages like last time from him or the other volunteers so I try to think they are coping alright.

That’s the last of the final Hill Crest news, thanks so much to everyone for the support through this second trip. I miss my babies every day, but being home this time is much easier than last. I still can’t wait to see my kiddies again...and of course, my Johnson.