KCMC Med Students Come to Tuleeni!

Neema International is working hard to form a partnership with the KCMC hospital and their medical students so that the Tuleeni orphans will have constant access to free healthcare and educational seminars!! On December 1st, the 36 KCMC medical students who are in the UN medical student chapter chose Tuleeni orphanage as this year's World AID's day project-- we had these 36 amazing doctors come to the orphanage to teach the kids about protecting yourself from HIV and two certified doctors taught my older kids about reproductive health!! ALL OUR CHILDREN GOT HIV TESTS FOR FREE AND ALL THE TESTS WERE NEGETIVE!!!! Sooooo thankful my kids are healthy! 

Some days I really feel like a mom... Spent a large part of the afternoon holding by kids in my lap, and comforting them while they get their blood drawn... AND Then having the doctor call me over as the kids' mother to show me the tests results and seeing every test was HIV negative.... My eyes teared up. I was so relieved. So so so thrilled to have these kids in my life and to be able to supply them with opportunities like this

So fortunate to have access to this wonderful group of doctors! 

Happy holidays!

Happy thanksgiving from Neema intl and the Tuleeni Orphans! 

The Tuleeni kids colored all these awesome thanksgiving pictures. And this one moved me so much-- "I am thankful for celebrate with us and teach us some kind of things and we see that is good to us, thanks Neema" I love you silvanus!!

Hellen, 13, singing the prayers and lighting the Hanukkah candles with me at the orphanage. 

Happy Hanukkah from all of us, to you! 

Anddddd Merry Xmas! From the Tuleeni orphans, Neema intl, and my family, who came all the way from Texas to join us here in Tanzania for Christmas and New Years! 

Tuleeni library!

The start of the new Tuleeni orphanage and community center library is on it's way thanks to hands and hearts international!!! They donated over 200 books including all the classics I read as a child. Cannot wait to read these with my kids! Charlotte's web, ramona the pest, ronald dahl, curious george, pippi longstocking, frog&toad, Junie b jones, baby sitters club,  and so many more!!! Thanks so much for the donation h&h international! 

Water fight fun :)

Spitting water in each others faces! My friends saw these pictures and laughed and told me I was clearly going I get the "mother of the year" award for spitting at the kids! 

Baraka's face is amazing here! 

Water dripping down Samson's face from me spitting on him! 

Samson eating dirt... Don't know why... But I was in complete shock 

Once I realized what he was doing.... Couldn't stop laughing

More mother of the year award pictures. I love days at the park with these amazing kiddos!! 

The light of my life!

Love these babies more than anything in the world 

We have eggs!!!

the first eggs laid in the chicken coop! So exciting! 

We also got some baby chicks that are "layers" as they call them here.

So excited to watch them grow up!!!

Catch up!!

Just some fun pictures from the week!!!

Jonas and me at the park

My good friend Alice sitting with mwita and Jonathan making a mud house

All of us trying to get baby lucky to smile! 

Homemade bubble makers!! 

Erik, with derricki and lucky flexing and comparing muscles... So funny!!!

Love having great friends come help out with the kids! Always a wonderful time! 

The Tuleeni chicken coop!

My new friend Alice ford and I building a chicken coop for Tuleeni!! 

Amazing connections with wonderful people!

Awesome clothing donations from volunteer, Leslie Vice! 

Hellen and Vanessa in their new skirts from Leslie! 

 

Amazing clothing donations from a local friend of mine, Muksin! 

Some of the kids and I with Molly-- my friend who I worked with as a case worker for Communities in schools knew this guy named Barton from her rotary club. She put me and Barton in touch and he told me that his friend Molly would be climbing Kilimanjaro in October. Molly contacted me and followed through by coming and visiting us while she was in Tanzania! She brought clothing and underwear and made a wonderful monetary donation! Thanks Molly!! 

Bath time!!

Ismaeli and lucky taking their bucket baths!!!

Tuleeni bracelets!!

The Tuleeni kids have been making these awesome bracelets to sell to raise money for their school fees and the new orphanage/community center. Email me at mandy@neemainternational.org if you are interested in buying one!! 

Smiles that brighten the world

First, a special comparison picture-- I asked five year old Samsoni to smile for a picture. The result looks very similar to my smile as a child. My parents said every picture of me for a certain length of time looked this way. 

And some other beautiful Tuleeni faces to go with it!! 

Baby Lucky with his mother, Prisca (26) who grew up at the Tuleeni Orphanage and now lives there dedicating her life back to the center that saved her and have her a chance at a successful future, which she has achieved. 

Vanessa, Hellena, little Neema, and myself hanging out in the shade trying to avoid the blazing sun! 

So happy.

Wonderful day with the kiddos!! 

Family is all that matters

Some recent pictures of the kiddos and me. So lucky to have them.