Berega, part 2

A little more about my week in Berega!

We slept in dormitory-style rooms with 4 bunk beds and mosquito nets to a room.  Although we only had one working outlet among our 5 rooms, it was a little bit cooler than Dar and so we didn't miss fans too much.

Meals were served in a communal dining hall and were very tasty!  Although I was expecting beans and rice every day, there was a really nice variety.

The majority of our time was spent with the young kids, aged 4 months through 2 years old.  Most of the kids are orphans whose mothers died in childbirth, and quite a few have older sisters aged 10-14 years old.  These girls are called the "bintis" (daughters in Swahili) and, if they stayed in their village, they would be forced to embrace a hard life as single parent/primary care taker for their small sibling.  Here in the orphanage, they still care for their sibling and participate in chores, but living in community with 3 meals a day is quite a bit easier for them (although they still have to quit school).  Once the children reach 2 years of age, they return to their extended families or are adopted.

We divided into 3 groups for the week.  One group taught English to the 7 year old quadruplets of the orphanage director.  These kids are already fluent in English, German and Swahili and have a bundle of energy.  Another group cared for the babies under age 1, and the third group interacted with the toddlers.  The baby group taught the younger bintis to read and write in Swahili and the toddler group helped the older bintis with crafts each day.

A lot of time was spent playing in the covered "banda" with the kids.

Time for lunch!!

Time for milk!!  I was amazed at how well these small kids did with "regular cups." My own kids were given sippy cups for quite a long time past this age.  The kids also put the cups back on the tray after they were finished..a skill my 12 year old still has to master...

Kids aged 1-2 can have some "stranger anxiety," and I'm sure it didn't help too much that I was a strange-looking white woman.  It took them quite a lot of time to warm up to me, but by the last day almost all of them were running up to me, playing games with me and calling me "mama."  It was hard not to stuff one in my suitcase (especially since Josh has been lobbying for a Tanzanian brother).

Among the many lessons learned this week is that I have a lot to learn about contentment.  By any standard, this is a hard life for the bintis.  They work long hours, with few comforts that we take for granted in the West, they have had to quit school, and there are hundreds of flies everywhere (including buzzing in the babies' eyes and noses).  I think of how I reacted to these deprivations myself and how happy I was to return to running water and my spacious home.  Yet, what do the bintis spend most of their time doing?  Singing praise songs.

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11b-13).