A C Daycare and Orphanage

One of the real highlights of my trip to Tanzania was a visit to the A C Daycare and Orphanage Center. This is a very small operation near Lake Manyara managed by a local woman, Angela Chabai, who cares for  10 children. I probably would have never thought to visit here if it were not for my sister who went there several years ago. She started a tax exempt charity to support this little orphanage. The money from the charity goes toward food, clothing, medical expenses and the cost of sending the children to school.

On the day I visited 6 of the children were in school. I met four of the younger shildren and one of Angela's helpers, another Angela. It was amazing how cheerful the children were. They are grateful for anything they are given.

 The children sleep in simple bunk beds. They have very little clothes and belongings. Water is collected from the roof when it rains since there is no running water. But despite the hardships these children "shine" (in the words of Angela) because of the love of people who live thousands of miles away.

Here is the schoolroom where the very young children learn their letters and numbers.

It took Angela several minutes to find one small piece of chalk to show me something on the chalkboard. Being a teacher and thinking of all the resources in our classrooms, I was humbled by  the simplicity of their lives.
I am so proud of my sister. She loves Tanzania. She loves the animals but also feels a responsibity to help the people who live there. And she did something to help. With her help these children eat and are taken care of and go to school. If you want to learn more about her charity the website is www.ubuntuorphans.com.