Yesterday our four Australian volunteers,
Sam, Alex, Tara and Jess along with Mariya our MAP coordinator and Safina and Ema went to Joshua’s Maasai village to take Joshua home for Christmas.
We loved seeing the pictures they took of how excited the family was to see Joshua. As the car pulled up Joshua ran across the dirt path as fast as his little legs would go to his grandfather and grandmother while others from the village ran to see him as well. You can see this sweet homecoming on the video link below. It is worth a look.
They all grabbed him and hugged him while grandmother cried and cried. The four Aussies said it was one of the best things they got to do while at Neema. Thanks for the great pictures guys!
I always love seeing the bright colors of the Maasai clothes. In a brown and dusty land they are like brightly colored birds flitting through the trees. You can also see behind the women the way this family has decorated their home in the mud plaster outside.
Below it looks like Bibi has made a new purple outfit. They love reds, blues and purples. Beautiful!!
Joshua has been in preschool at Neema since August learning Swahili and English. He is living with Safina at her home. He has done really well at school and learning his colors. When he first came to us in August he could not speak Swahili or English, only Maasai. He spent the first couple of weeks wandering around confused and not being able to communicate with anyone. Now he runs to you, gives great hugs and talks all the time in a mixture of Swahili and Maasai with a little English thrown in. Below is Joshua in front of the family kitchen and wearing one of the new outfits from America.
His father who never got to go to school wanted his boy to have an education but there were no schools available for him in his area. Many Maasai children do not go to school. As you drive out to the villages you can see young boys, sometimes as young as five or six, watching their cattle. That is their life.
Joshua’s mom had died at his birth and Jacobo, his father, had brought him to Neema when he was just a few days old. He saved his life by doing that. Without clean water, medical care, electricity or formula, nine out of ten of these babies will die. Below are eight of our toddlers who are Maasai and their mothers died in childbirth. Back left: Maria, Saruni, Nengai, Sharon. Front left: Joeli, Osiligi, Jackson and Zawadi.
Joshua lived with us for 2 years before his dad remarried and he was able to return home.
We brought him to town in August a year later and moved him in with Safina, our volunteeer cook who speaks perfect English. Joshua comes to work with her and attends our preschool. He is a little behind our other children in class but he will catch up. We are so happy to be able to do this for this beautiful family.
Thank you for helping us.
Dorris and Michael