Kili Kids

One of the placements for volunteers here in Tanzania is a nursery school called Kili Kids. The nursery is very well run and has had a string of volunteers from CCS who love working there. All of the children there are real orphans, (meaning that both of their parents are dead, not just gone, or un-able or un-willing support them) from toddlers up to about 6 years old, or at least the ones I have met are that age. Holly is currently the only volunteer working there and she absolutely loves it, she tries her best to teach them numbers and letters and what ever it is you teach such small children. She's really wonderful with the kids. It's going to be really hard for her to leave next week when her program in Tanzania ends.

A couple days a week Holly organizes trips to the nursery in the afternoon for other volunteers to go and play with the kids, though I'm sure she would be just has happy to go back with or with out any one else. I've gone a couple times and I can see why she loves it so much. The building is clean and the staff is caring and has a good knowledge of caring for children. The children themselves area completely adorable, since Holly has to teach in the morning we mostly just play in the afternoons.

The kids call us uncle and auntie, at first we were all auntie but we have Finalay convinced them to call John and I uncle. We read to them which they love even though they don't understand almost any of the English, and almost any game is fun to them. They have their own games that they love to play as well, one of the favorites being for one to sit in the wheelbarrow while another grabs the handles and runs as fast as he can with it. Fortunately that isn't very fast. John and I are also very popular because we can pick them up and toss them in the air, some things are fun for children the world over. The kids also invented a game where by they stand on a three foot high banister, call out, "UNCLE JOHN!!!" and jump into your hopefully waiting arms.

One of the children, Parsley, is 22 months old, but because he has AIDS he hasn't grown much past the size of a 9 month old. He gets sick often and has only been healthy one day when I was there. Parsley is probably ever one's favorite kid, he is simply too adorable and we hold him for the entire visit usually. He can't walk yet, but on good days he comes close and we hold his hands while he takes steps. On his bad days though he's just too tired to hold him self up. It's so hard knowing there is nothing you can do to help such a wonderful little child. I think most of us would take him home if we could. Here's a picture of me holding Parsley, just knowing him breaks your heart a little.