Orphanage

Jambo!

Today was an AMAZING day! We started our day with an incredible breakfast including our all time favorite hibiscus jelly on toast! Bright and early our team began our travel to St. Francis of Assissi Orphanage! When we arrived they greeted us with songs and huge smiles! We were all so excited to spend time with the dedicated nuns and children that they oversee. Their singing truly brought us to tears, it was an amazing experience. At the start of the day we handed out new shoes to all of the children and nuns. The kids also got an extra treat of bubblegum for waiting! Each child was able to pick out a pair of shoes to replace their old ones (Thank you so much to those who donated!) You could see so much joy in their faces when they were able to walk out with new shoes on. After we gave out shoes, the real fun and games began! We broke out soccer balls, baseballs, and more to play with the children. They were so excited! Each child had a different personality that touched our hearts in so many ways. Some of the young girls even took us to braid our hair! While many of us kept the children busy, a few Nurse Practitioner students were able to treat some children and nuns in need. At the end of the day, before leaving, the Public Health students were able to give out period packs from the Red Elephant Project to some of the girls. The Red Elephant Project is a movement that gives reusable pads to girls for when they have their period so they can continue to attend school. This is a huge issue in Africa because these girls do not understand what their menstrual cycle is and how to maintain it. While we were handing out the packs you could see the girls were very excited, so we hope the education we provided will allow them to continue with their education. The time to say our goodbyes came, which was emotional for many of us. Although we were sad to leave, we remembered that the children were in great hands with the nuns that take care of them. We headed back to the hotel to organize medical supplies and school supplies and then eat lunch. After a bit of relaxing, we went to Tanzania's version of a shopping mall and bought some souvenirs! Some of the cool items we saw were original paintings, beautiful scarves, and little homemade figurines. Many of us bought gifts for our loved ones, and the shop owner gave us each a free bracelet because we gave them great business! It was many of our first times bargaining, so many stories will come later! We are now hanging out at the beautiful lodge before a delicious dinner and an African Dance lesson. We are looking forward to all the opportunities we will have in the amazing country of Tanzania!

Thank you again for all your support! We can not wait to share all our stories with you! Stay warm in the cold weather, we are truly enjoying this 90 degree weather!

Tomorrow we are looking forward to the coffee plantation and a well deserved afternoon of resting!

P.S. Happy Birthday Cody Smith!!

Yours Truly,

Alex Zogran and Kay Saguiped