There have been many festivities lately with the Amani kids, and I've been lucky to get to share in some of the fun.

Last Friday, we celebrated the 7th grade graduation, which is the end of primary school and a big deal in Tanzania. It's always very beautiful to see the kids looking so grown up and happy. It was a fun affair as usual, complete with acrobatics, jumprope, skits, songs, and delicious food. The best part, though, was the dance-off and rap-off at the end. I've never cried at a rap-off before, but when everyone chanted the name of an especially troubled Amani child to encourage him to take the microphone, and then when he started rapping about how Rovina (the nurse) had saved him from the streets, it was really very special.

Yohana receiving a graduation gift:

Standard 7 graduates and their family members:

Standard 7 graduates

On Saturday, Charles, one of the older Amani kids, celebrated his confirmation. And what did he want for his present? A new history book for school. Sometimes these children amaze me. Please also note the fact that Charles is wearing cuff links, which I'm assuming he borrowed from one of the Amani staff.

On Sunday, we went to see Ismaili, another one of the Amani kids, in his weekly gig with his band. Ismail studied dance and music in art school, and now he's doing an internship with this band in Moshi. They like him so much that he's hoping to stay on with them after the internship is over.

Ismaili the one playing the drums.

And here he is singing:

It's been a busy September so far here in Moshi.

Again I won't mention too much about work, other than to say it's pretty busy. I will also say that working with the porters has boosted my self esteem to an all-time high as I am turning down marriage proposals right and left these days. Aside from work, here are some other things that have been going on:

First I have to brag a little bit. If you know me or have been reading this blog for awhile, you know about Baraka who is a child from Amani who has come to be like my little brother over the years. He began secondary school in January, and he was sent to a private (and more expensive) school. In many of the government secondary schools here there aren't enough teachers and there are no books or teaching materials, so many of the students just sit in the classroom all day with no teacher and nothing to do. Seeing that this is a bit unproductive, Amani has started to send some kids (especially those who show promise in academics) to private school. Because Baraka made good grades in primary school, he was a good candidate for private secondary. He got his first grade report back in June, and he brought it to my house to show me on one of the first weekends I was back. He made an "A" average, placed 1st in his class out of 250, and received a scholarship for free tuition this term! I am so very proud, as are the Amani staff. When he went to get some school supplies from Amani a few weeks ago, he accidentally interrupted an education staff meeting and received a round of applause from all of the teachers. It's just so nice to see something going right in a place with so many challenges.

On another note, I've become the proud parent of one rooster and two chickens. I don't know anything about chicken care and should actually probably be using these few hours of electricity to do some internet research, but they seem to be doing ok so far. I do enjoy hanging out with them outside after work, although they don't seem to like me that much.

Yesterday I attended the high school graduation of Regina, one of the older Amani kids. She's been reminding Christina and me about it since April, so we figured we better go. Unfortunately the daladala got stuck on the way, so by the time we made it to her school we were caked in mud, but we were still glad we went. After the ceremony, we were able to visit with Regina and her brothers and sisters and do the tradition Tanzanian feeding of cake to each other.

I've also just been asked to join the board of a small children's home here in Moshi. It's called SWIWSCO and is home to 35 children. It was started by a local farmer, Collins, who at first just welcomed 3 street children into his home. Over time, the number of children has grown, as have the expenses. 35 children now live in a small house in Moshi, and they are struggling financially to provide food and school fees for the children. They are currently registered as an NGO in Tanzania only, but if you would like to support a child, please contact me, or check out their website at http://www.swiwsco.org/. Here are some pictures of the house and kiddos...





I think that's all for now. May our thoughts be with those who lost loved ones on 9/11 and in the Zanzibar ferry tragedy yesterday. Have a nice Sunday, everyone!