The Little Cousins

The Little Cousins

Quite often something just too precious happens at Neema and I have to share it with you. Almost four years ago a sleepy little newborn named Bahati came to Neema.
His mom had just died out in the Maasai village and with the high cost of formula and lack of clean water and electricity the father needed help keeping the baby. The baby had lots of soft black curls and I think he slept for two weeks before he decided to open his dark eyes to see his world. 

He was really a cute baby and a young Tanzanian woman who came at night to help us feed the babies their bottles and put them to bed fell in love with the baby named Bahati. 


At the same time a baby girl was left in a kind lady’s house who had offered a place to stay for a mother and baby who needed some help. The lady went out shopping one day and came home to find the mother gone, her valuables stolen from the house and the baby girl left in return. I always thought, now some people just do not know what is truly valuable!


The baby was cuddly, sweet and never cried- except at night when we thought for sure an alien baby who looked like her was dropped off in her place!  Debora had colic and had her days and nights mixed up at first so she cried every night until she was about three months old.  We loved her anyway and the colic did not last forever.  She became a happy, healthy little girl and she also caught the attention of a young woman who came to help with the babies at night after she got off work.

The two young women helpers were sisters and they came almost every evening after work and helped us put the babies to bed, but one sister always made sure she spent extra time with Debora and the other sister diapered, fed and rocked Bahati to sleep. One of the sisters began the procedures to adopt Debora and it was finally granted so one happy day Debora got to go home with her new mom. Matt and Kelly did the honors.
 

Meanwhile the other sister continued to come and care for Bahati and asked for permission to adopt him but since he has a father the adoption did not work out.
It is always best if we can get the babies back home by age two but time passed and Bahati began to grow older.  The procedure bogged down and the longer it took, the harder we knew it would be for Bahati to go back out to the Masaai village.

 
 

Even though the Maasai people are happy and love their children very much, it is a tough place to grow up and many children die before age 5 from lack of clean water and medical attention.
Many Maasai children never get to go to school.

That is Bahati on one of his visits out to his village with some of the village children.

This year Bahati started to school at Neema and was a very bright student, helpful for the teacher and could sing the Tanzanian National Anthem along with the other children.  Jenny, a volunteer, is helping Tumi the registered teacher at Neema in the picture.  They are doing colors and counting and Bahati is laughing and laying on the floor in the middle.   

 
The great news now is that Bahati’s Dad has agreed for the sister to foster Bahati. She will send him to a good school and he will learn so much  with her. He’ll still get to see his dad and his village and we think with a good education he will be able to help his village and his family.  
So with the two sisters raising Neema babies that makes them cousins!!  Now how cute is that!  Presenting Debora and Bahati, the little cousins.  
So once again, that is Neema House Arusha doing what it does best, making happy families! 
May God bless you with lots of family, friends and some cousins too!
Dorris and Michael, Founders of Neema House Arusha