on 5 january 2011, Brooke wrote:

ASANTE SANA

Happy New year, from the Boona Baana Kids (both big and small) as well as us grown-ups.

First of all a HUGE shout-out of thanks to everyone who answered our need for more funding (you know who you are!). A lot of you really pulled through for the kids and dug deep into your pockets to help. ASANTE SANA (that’s Kiswahili for “THANK YOU VERY MUCH”)!

The move from the old house to the new house was relatively painless thanks entirely to the strenuous and uncomplaining efforts of our German volunteers, Jule and Thekla as well as Matthew Morgan-Jones (who was absolutely instrumental in the planning and strategy as well as having been very generous with paying for several repairs out of his own pocket!) and Patrick Ache (who provided us with the strong arms and good cheer required in such a move. I must admit (and I think others agree with me) that the new house is MUCH better and much more spacious than the old one.

After moving into the new home, social welfare came by for a visit and they were very impressed

We have had one of our little birds return to the nest. Many of you may remember Issakwisa who has always had such a tough time with recurring ear infections and hearing loss. About a year ago the adoptive mom and dad of Malinga very generously offered to host Issakwisa in their home in Canada and to sponsor some much needed surgeries and hearing aids. Issakwisa ended up spending an entire year in Canada where he charmed the entire country (and I am only half exagerrating!). For those of you who know Issakwisa you know what I am talking about---his smile, his good nature and that amazing Usher/Michael Jackson like ability to dance coupled with his startling football (soccer) skills always means that he is Mr Popular and apparently the people of Canada feel the same way. But as Nelly Furtado once so sagely sang “all good things must come to an end” and Issakwisa (who now prefers to be called Isaack) is back in Tanzania. We are so delighted to have him back but the poor guy is still suffering some reverse culture shock and it has been challenging to find a school which will fit his needs and strengths.

For those of you who follow Amina’s progress let me just say that we are VERY PROUD of her. She passed her national exams to go to secondary school which is a true accomplishment in Tanzania. A year or two ago I would not have thought this possible because Amina struggled in school and showed very little initiative to do better. But then something happened about a year ago (I don’t know what) but she suddenly realized it was time to buckle down and think about her future. She became more determined, more committed and, as a result, more confident. This latest achievement is bound to make her even more confident in her ability to succeed in life. As a result of her achievement she was offered a place at the Mbweni Government Secondary School but she has decided (and we fully agree with her decision) that she would be better off in a private school where classes are smaller, the teachers are better and corporal punishment is not widely practiced. So she will start Form One this month at the Sinza Tower Secondary School. Her goal is still to finish O Levels and enter a teacher’s college to study to become a nursery or primary school teacher. 

We have also seen a complete turn around in Mandara in the past year. Not only has he grown into a handsome young man (who is, by all accounts, adored by his female classmates) but, like Amina, he has also become a very good student intent on doing as well as he can in school. Mandara has expressed an interest in one day seeking a profession in the medical field. His best subjects are math and science so I think he is headed down the right path.

Linus as usual continues to excel and even though I would just love to see him head off for law school he has his heart set on going into the film industry and with the usual Linus-like determination and confidence he is learning absolutely everything he can about film production. Linus continues to be an active member of the Tanzanian Junior Youth council and a few months ago he and one other youth were chosen to represent Tanzania at the Rwandan Children’s Forum in Kigali. Luckily we already had a passport for Linus because we had a only a few days’ notice. It was Linus’ first trip outside of Tanzania and I am sure, not his last. Linus’ generous school sponsor of many years had hoped to host him in Australia for the holidays but we were unable to get the visa for him. It was a reminder to me that not everyone in the world has the freedom to travel that some of us have.

Isaak is interning at a hair salon every weekend and is specializing in making dreadlocks (a very popular hairstyle here!). He claims to enjoy his internship and his mentors say that he is doing well. Perhaps Isaak has found his vocation!

Samwel and Eliza are both in primary school and have a few more years left to go. I am hoping that they will follow the older kids’ lead by getting serious about their studies and future (sooner rather than later).

Warmest regards to all!

Brooke (& Marco and all the Boona Baana gang)

Welcome on the Boona Baana website

The Boona-Baana Center for Children’s Rights is a small, grass-roots organization located in Dar es Salaam Tanzania. Our aim is to create a series of local, sustainable projects which will assist vulnerable children. One of our biggest projects is "The Green Door Home", an orphanage based in Dar es Salaam Tanzania.

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