This is so Africa. I show up today at the orphanage, expecting to meet with Sister Pena (who I referred to as Sister Pias by mistake in a previous post) to talk about business ideas, and was told, that she just was not going to be around. Perhaps tomorrow. Having worked in Africa for many years, I half expected this, and decided that cultivating a hakuna matata attitude is probably a good thing - for me. So, I made my way to the....you guessed it.....the baby wing, and reported for duty.
Waiting for me were all 7 amazing little beings, some of whom had amazingly stinky diapers. Today, I was handed a baby and told that I was to do the diaper change. Mind you, I have not done diapers for almost 18 years. Here they use two towels that you tie around the kid, and then a pair of plastic pants that also has some weird worn-outVelcro securing device, followed by two more pairs of under pants (all with failing elastic and often holes). Needless to say, leakage is a big problem.
You'll be pleased to know I diapered numerous kids today, but was not yet up to the task of poopy ones. Tomorrow?
Monica, the darling little 11 month old, was feeling a bit out of sorts. All the older kids and staff referred to me as her Mama. Felt kinda nice to be someone's Mama today. Baby Matthew (who is now 3) decided today to reveal his inner devil child. Whenever I got close to him he would smile really big and then....spit in my face...and then smile again. It was never a big old glob of spit, but rather a nice little spray. Clearly, it got a rise out of me - and so he repeated it whenever possible.
The situation in the baby wing is pretty sad. Yes, I was a bit sad today. It's tough when you're traveling alone and you don't have anyone to sit around and talk to after a long day. I just saw a day's full of kids that really needed 1:1 attention and weren't getting it. Not because the orphanage doesn't care, but because it's just not the way things are set up. Mama Vini, the day staff person, is truly over-worked. She's the epitome of motherhood, though. Clearly, she loves the kids - you can tell by the way she scolds them - never too harsh, and always with a sign of affection afterward.
I know that next week, I get to leave, but these kids don't. And this is just one spot on the planet like this - there are many more. OK, so today I am in a funk.
Had a lucky break, though. While I was outside with one of the babies, I spied a nun coming in that looked like she might be Brazilian - she was moving fast and clearly intended to dash into a room to avoid talking to anyone. Needless to say, I quickly realized this was Sister Pena, aka Pias, and jumped at the chance to talk to her - and even managed to pin her down to a meeting tomorrow to review business ideas. I texted Rowland promptly- and remain optimistic that tomorrow we'll get down to business. It's amazing that we're about to give them $10, 000 and no one really seems to care that much - or at least today that's the impression I was given.
So, ends another day of working in the non-profit arena. As I walked back to the Sheywe Guest House in the pouring rain, I had one of those moments where you start to ask the big questions of life.
To be continued.
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