Our two little abandoned babies who came to Neema Village a few weeks ago are doing well. Newborn Mason was 3.2 kilos when Social Welfare brought him in. He is all baby chubby, cuddly now.
Abandoned baby Austin only weighed 2.2 kilos. But look at him with Karly Hoggard below from the UK.
Both are beautiful babies now, with soft black curls and they love to snuggle right up under your chin. That is Mason snuggling below with volunteer Nicky Thomas from Australia.
God is preparing just the right adoptive parents for these two little abandoned babies, but we get the joy and privilege of loving them until their new parents arrive.
Below sweet baby Senare’s mom died at his birth. The young Maasai father was trying to feed him with a thin sort of porridge but the baby was not thriving. At two months the baby only weighed 1.9 kilos. He was starving but look at this beautiful little baby made in God’s image now!
Our dream for Neema Village has always been to get these babies into their forever homes by age 2 where they will never be abandoned again. God is Good and we were able to put nine babies, including Sharon, Given, Abasi and Kelvin in families last month, as well as the double trouble triplet boys below.
The triplet boys were able to go home to their mother, pictured below. Their little triplet sister, Esther is much smaller than the boys and had some CP from birth so she will not be going home yet.
By God’s Abundant Grace through our MAP program we were able to set the triplets mother up in a used clothing and small vegetable stand business. She has the sickness and was working on the street. We are thankful that she is taking her medicine now and is trying to be a good mother and take care of her children. Praise God we have been able to help with that. It is a great joy when we not only rescue babies but the mom as well!
The twins David and Dennis, pictured above with their mother and Karly, went home this month. Those two little guys have been such a cute part of Neema that it was hard to see them go.
Their 18 year old mother had planned to abandon the little newborns when she became homeless after the babies birth. The mom and babies were brought to Neema and lived with us for almost a year. She has bonded well with the boys and will never think of abandoning them now. She was able through our MAP program to start a vegetable stand business to support the little family. She has also taken the sewing classes at Neema and was given a treadle sewing machine by one of our volunteers. She made the curtains for the Handicap Baby Center. So proud of her!
She also finished the 16 week “Women’s Rights Seminar” held at Neema Village and was given a certificate at graduation. These strong hearted women just amaze me!
Our sweet baby girl Sarah, above, also went home this month. Her mother had died of the sickness shortly after Sarah’s birth and the baby was brought to Neema Village. Sarah went home to her Grandmother in December. We thank God for grandmothers here!
This is what we want for the babies, but I do have to say it is sometimes hard to see them go!
This month another mom, pictured below, finds hope through the Neema Village MAP program. Halimah was abandoned by her husband while she was pregnant.
You could feel the despair from her face when she was interviewed for the MAP program.
She had lost all hope but by God’s Grace and generous donors to the MAP, program, she has been able to set up a small restaurant business making and selling chips mayai (eggs and chips) a popular dish in Africa. God continues to amaze us as we watch these women who have such sadness in their faces and then see them when Hope comes alive. It is worth all we go through to live here in Africa.
Come see us and we will take you out to lunch at Halimah’s!
Above are the moms bringing their handicap babies into the new Neema Village Day Care for Handicap Babies. It is off to a good start this month with nine babies enrolled in the program. These women who have been abandoned by their husbands because they gave birth to a handicap child, now have a place where their babies can be cared for while they learn to support their family through their small MAP businesses.
The water well drilling equipment was in such broken condition from over loading with heavy drill stems for the drive from Dar to Arusha that we are still struggling to get parts, truck registration and get it back in shape to drill our first water well. We will keep you informed of that progress.
All in God’s timing.
Michael and I have been married 56 years as of January 4. We have worked together in Christian ministry from the beginning of our life together when we came to Africa with a 3-month-old baby in 1965. We have been in love with this land and its people ever since. I cannot imagine a more exciting life in our old age than following after God while He cares for widows and orphans.
Selfishly please just say a prayer for our rental business which needs some major attention when we get home in February. Since we don’t take a salary for what we do here that crazy business is what allows us to live and work in this beautiful land. We need it to be successful! Thank God!
