Upendo Children Home
Shante Town,
P.O. Box 852, Moshi
Heads: Sr. Immaculata
Sr. Anneritha
Telephone: 027 2752686, 027 2751785
Alumni References: Mary Adkins: marrunsslow@aol.com
Kelly Lennon: kellylennon@gmail.com
Jon Brigham: jbrigham@fandm.edu
General Information about the Partner Organization
Upendo Children Home is a private Orphan Center by the initiative of the Precious Blood Sisters of Tanzania. They started in Tanga in 1952 and moved to Moshi in the early 1960’s. Their mission is to save the lives of babies and children who have no caregivers, most of which have lost their parents due to HIV/AIDS. At times, the mothers of the children have died, and the father or other relatives are unable to care for the children. Many times, after the child’s mother dies, the father comes to leave the child at the orphanage and they are never seen again.
Orphans range from a few weeks to 24 years of age. The idea is that the children will stay until age 5, but oftentimes, there is no place for older children to go, and they stay at the orphanage. There are very few orphanages in Tanzania.
There are two institutions at the center, run by the Sisters: a Nursery Nursing training School and Kindergarten Nursery School. Currently there are about 52 orphan children in both institutions, aged 2-13.
The center has an acute shortage of volunteers to assist in the day to day running of the center. They have no source of funding except from Sisters and from any other voluntary donors that are sympathetic to the plight of children at the center. There are other foreign volunteers who come to assist at the center in addition to CCS volunteers.
Duties
Activities include: Basic care of the children especially the toddlers. For older children teaching them basic literacy, writing and reading and providing them with physical exercises and games. For those in the training school, teaching them English language and techniques for nursery teaching.
Useful supplies/Desirable attributes
Supplies:
• Supplies for games that promote interaction
• Toys that can improve mobility and provide activities to the toddlers (e.g. playdough, lego, etc)
• Picture materials/books that promote basic literacy
• Musical activities, tapes, songs like nursery rhymes that are easily learned by children.
• Games that can be played with songs and simple movements for group activities.
• Sports equipment to be used by children especially those in the upper age
• Depending on your subject area, book resources would be deemed useful as reference material
• Readily designed group activities with facilitator instructions, ready for review and implementation
Attributes
• Love of children and ability to care for the young ones
• Experience in nursery activities and games
• Patience with children and flexibility
• Academic orientation and love of your subject
• Teaching experience and flair for teaching, for example, learning numbers and the alphabet
• Creativity in the design of learning activities with very little supplies and equipments
• Patience with children and slow learners
• Willingness to learn ways to communicate in Swahili and work within a language barrier situation.
Other Notes
It is important that the volunteers at Upendo familiarize themselves with basic child care, and that they engage with all of the children, instead of getting attached to only one child. You will need to be self-motivated and to ask the mamas and nurses for guidance if you are unsure about something.
The work that you will do is very rewarding, but also quite tiring. Please make sure that you are eating well before you come to work and that you are sleeping enough. The children will demand a lot of your attention.
You may see corporal punishment given to the children. This may be very difficult, but please do not intervene. Please communicate your feedback to our CCS staff, or expressing your concern in a polite and caring way to the sisters at Upendo.
You may also be expected to help the young nurses with their English language skills.
It is best for you to not wear any jewelry to your work because the children will put on your necklace or earrings. There is also potential for jewelry to be broken or pulled at during play.
It is also good for you to learn as much conversational Swahili as possible – specifically vocabulary words specific to children and child care.
The children need a lot of love and they become very attached very quickly, and some of them will not allow you to stop hugging them or to put them down if you are carrying them.
Bring a water bottle and make sure that you take enough drinking water from the home-base for you to drink while you are there.
Also bring hand sanitizer for your hands and be prepared to get dirty.
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B Missionary sisters of the precious blood
Upendo children’s home
P.O box 852
Moshi/Tanzania
Tel: 0272752686
Handy: 0787 696268
Email: upendo-precious-blood@elct.org
________________________________________
Rules to be followed in Upendo Children’s Home
See the in-charge of department of children before starting anything with the children
Please do not take anything from the children cupboards such as clothes for changing children but ask the mama in charge to show you
Ask which children are to be taken outside to the playground. At 8:00an all the children are supposed to go out for morning exercise before going to the playground. In the meantime the children sing and play in a circle at the car parking for about 15 minutes. After this the children are let free to play alone.
It is advisable to follow our daily timetable in order to be effective in your service.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays is our washing days for the children clothes
Tuesdays and Thursdays are our ironing days
There is enough work in the kitchen such as cutting vegetables, sorting out rice, beans, wheat, etc.
We really need help in these duties
Feeding hours are 10:00 to 11:30
If one of you notices something that is not correct or done properly by care givers, please do not hesitate to inform us.
All our children need love therefore when dealing with them try to offer your love to all especially those with special needs.
Avoid clinging to one child all the times
No giving food stuffs to the children because these will disturb their feeding time. All food stuffs should be given in the sewing room or to the office
Photos are allowed with permission
Please spread yourself in the department and do not group yourselves.
Let us cooperate together in loving and helping our children
Thank you and god bless you
Be prepared for children and staff who need encouragement, love, support, understanding and education. You will experience tears and pee mixed with hugs and smiles. My work has all been with children in conjunction with the child care staff and non CCS European volunteers. I have not had the opportunity to work in other departments i.e. food preparation. For more information read the e-mail from Ann Huseman dated 10.25.06 and CCS information dated 10.20.06. At CCS home base there is a log book with lots of information and Rules to be followed at Upendo Children’s Home.
The staff and volunteers at Upendo are working to establish more of an educational program for the children. There are 30 – 40 children aged 2 – 5. Volunteers work with children in free play and in smaller groups of 6 – 8 children. Educational games, toys, song, book (thick or plastic covered pages are best), coloring books, and paper are needed. Sturdy toys made of wood or plastic are best. There are already enough soft, stuffed toys and enough crayons and colored pencils. There are also opportunities for brief 1:1 teaching moments when playing with or comforting a child. The children like and respond will to singing when they are upset so songs that comfort are also helpful.
Ahsante sana from the children at Upendo!
KEY WORDS TO USE AT UPENDO
ACHA STOP (COMMAND)
KULA EAT (COMMAND)
CHAKULA FOOD
HAPA HERE
HAPANA NO
MGENI VISITOR (this is what they call you)
CHOO TOILET
KAA SIT (COMMAND)
NZURI GOOD
NJOO COME (COMMAND)
SIMAMA STAND (COMMAND)
UKO THERE
KUTEMBEA TO WALK (to go for a walk)
WAPI WHERE
NAOMBA CAN I PLEASE HAVE IT
PICHA CAMERA
PIGA PICHA TAKE A PICTURE
KIMBIA RUN
UNA MIAKA MINGAPI HOW OLD ARE YOU
KUWA MAKINI BE CAREFUL
KWAHERI KESHO GOODBYE SEE YOU TOMORROW
PENDANENI LOVE EACH OTHER
SIELEWI I DON’T UNDERSTAND
SIJUI I DON’T KNOW
KAZI NZURI GOOD JOB
SUBIRI KIDOGO JUST A MINUTE
SUBIRI WAIT
Today is the end of 2 weeks for me at Upendo. Today was the best day so far. I have grown to enjoy my placement more and more each day. The initial shock of an African orphanage is overwhelming for someone from a non third world country. If I could offer any advice to upcoming volunteers it would be to not pass judgement, to get to know the caregivers and other staff of Upendo as well as the kids, and remeber that the kids need ALOT of love and attention.
The children that are there during the morning placement time are all toddlers or younger. There are a few older handicapped children but the volunteers interact with the toddlers. The routine is getting the kids dressed and ready for a morning walk and sing along, then time is spent in the outdoor play area and sand box, entertaining the kids. Around 10:00 we wash hands and have milk. Then another walk and playground time until we have lunch. After lunch the kids have potty time and then naps. It is only about 3.5-4 hours per day but alot happens. I am physically and emotionally drained by the end of the time.
I would like to emphasize the importance of getting to know the caregivers and staff. Many of them are also orphans and have had hard lives. They now live and work at Upendo but also require compassion and understanding. The treatment of the children by the staff can be a little harsh at times, but the caregivers have had no formal training and dont really understand the complexities of raising toddlers. Anyway a kind word or small gift to the caregivers, stickers, pens, pencils goes a long way and I think helps in the treatment of the children. The kids like cookies, candy and activity outside the normal routine (that toddlers can handle)
I wish I could dedicate more time to this place, perhaps in the future with my other kids.
Patrick
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