Toddlers!

I have visited one other orphanage in my lifetime, on a Habitat trip to Romania with my church in Brussels. That orphanage seemed like there was much less hope than there is at Amani. The children came out and hung on us and played with us, starving for attention and wanting desperately for us to take them with us. A tour of the building left us with a sense of awe as we tried to imagine the living conditions when Romania was at its worst—up to 70 children would be put in one room, cribs stacked three high. That visit was heartbreaking and eye-opening—making me extremely grateful for what I had. Amani is like a breath of fresh air compared to that place. Situated on a large piece of land, it has a sprawling front yard complete with a swing set and a backyard that is like a courtyard between another set of buildings. The babies’ rooms occupy the bottom floor of the main house and the volunteers’ guest house is upstairs. Behind the courtyard is a little building that houses the toddlers. There is one more long narrow building that houses the administrators’ offices and the clinic behind the toddlers’ rooms.
My shift with the toddlers starts around 2:30, give or take a few minutes since they are waking up from naptime. Even though these children are young, they have the schedule down pat and are taught to do a lot for themselves. On my first day it was fun seeing them do everything so independently, every once in awhile asking for help. When I walked in they were changing out of their diapers and into underwear after sleeping. Naked except for their underwear, they then go and sit at two little picnic tables for the snack. I got to pass out the watermelon and papaya they ate for snack and after passing out each piece the children would respond, “Thank you Auntie Tracy.” There are about thirty Ugandan hired staff who care for the children and they are called the “mamas.” The volunteers are called “aunties.” It was amusing as they tried to learn my name on the first day—they would ask and then ask again a minute later.
After dribbling bits of fruit and getting all sticky from the juices, it was time for them to put on their clothes and shoes and go out to play. I got to see the new cars, red wagons, and shiny tricycles in action. I got conned into spending way too much time taking kids to the bathroom when they had to sous-sous (pee) or ca-ca (I don’t think I need to explain this one). Another volunteer told me later to just send them to the potty themselves instead of waiting for them so much. It started raining around 5:30 on my first day so we had to go inside for an hour until dinner. It was a chaotic and noisy hour as we tried to keep the kids entertained. At 6:30 dinner was served, consisting of rice and some kind of bean and possibly meat stew. It looked and smelled really good! They can eat a surprising amount of food and even though they have spoons, most of them eat with their hands. And instead of literally licking the plate clean, they mop up any remaining gravy with their hands and then lick their hands. The kids who finish the fastest try to steal nibble off their neighbors’ plates.
Bathtime follows dinner which the mamas take charge of and as they kids come out we help them put on their pjs. After a story we hug they kids goodnight. They are so cute! Their little smiles just melt my heart and I’m glad to know that they are so well cared for. They seem happy. It’s easy to forget that they are orphans and don’t have parents of their own.
My shift yesterday was cut short as I started to feel sick. I was so proud and relieved that I hadn’t been sick at all but I was starting to feel the symptoms of the flu—body ache, upset stomach, etc. I left to go inside and went right to bed—it was probably only 6:00. Luckily I never got sick but I still feel very tired, weak, and achy today. I took the day off from my shift and I have been laying around reading and sleeping a lot. I’m hoping I’ll be all better by tomorrow!