Meet Zwadi

I thought it was time to introduce you to some of the children that Mary works with and has been working with over the past three years. So the next couple of posts will be about a couple of the children that I have known and been fortunate enough to see learn and grow in the time I have spent in Arusha.

When Kari and I were first in Arusha in 2003 one of our placements was at Nkoragana Orphanage or to be more correct, Kari's placement was at Nkoranaga and I went up there whenever there was time to visit. It was one of our favorite places to volunteer mostly because it was clear that it was there that we were most needed. There were 32 children at the orphanage at that time and without volunteers most of those children went uncared for, untouched, and unloved. Our job as volunteers was to bathe and feed the children and then take them outside to play. For the most part it was fun, at times it was incredibly challenging. There was one child in particular that was a huge challenge. Her name was Zwadi. The pictures above are of Zwadi three years ago at the orphanage. It was clear to us at the time that Zwadi had some sort of mental disability. She was unable to communicate or play. She refused to look you in the eye and did not like being touched. After volunteering in Mary's autism unit I began to wonder if Zwadi was in fact autisitc. She was incredibly physical, she struggled whenever one of the volunteers tried to bathe her and refused to be toilet trained. We all cared for Zwadi but to be completely honest most of the volunteers didn't like her. She was difficult and demanded much attention if one tried to care for her. There was little any of us felt we could do. There wasn't the time or resources to work with her and we all figured that she would live her entire life at the orphanage never being able to communicate or interact with others.

Fortunately when we told Mary about Zwadi she offered to evaluate her. Sometime after Kari and I left, another volunteer offered to help to bring Zwadi to Mary's class each morning. Eventually Zwadi was moved from the orphanage to Patandi boarding house where she is cared for and brought to Mary's class each morning.

I am incredibly happy, excited, and proud to tell you now that after approximately two and a half years of being in Mary's class Zwadi is now doing incredibly well. She has developed a personality. She loves to clap and sing. She loves to play ball, and participate in class. She not only will sit with you and sing with you, telling you when you're clapping is off beat, but she is also able to sit quietly while others participate in class. It is incredible to see someone who was so uncontrollable and unable to function or participate in daily tasks, to not only be under her own control, but also to know and understand when someone is talking with her and to respond to requests and commands.




I sat with Zwadi for twenty minutes this morning, singing, clapping, and drumming, and when it was time to finish, Zwadi said "imekwisha" which means I am finished and got up and moved on to playing kickball with another child.

I cannot begin to tell you how incredible it is to see that education really does work, that Mary's program is effective. I am more certain now than ever that this school is essential. Through her class, Mary is saving lives. She is giving purpose, hope, and the ability to communicate to children who had been given up on long ago. It truly is inspiring.

Zwadi is learning new activities and words every day. Soon she will be learning daily tasks like doing laundry and pouring water. She is so much fun to be around as she is always smiling, laughing, and looking for someone to play with. I am confident that with the help of Mary Zwadi will continue to grow and eventually be able to function in Tanzanian society.

I will keep you posted on all of her progress and next time I will write about another child who I've known and loved for the past three years named Toomey. Toomey was Alexis' (a friend of mine) favorite child and I look forward to telling and showing everyone of her improvement.

So until next time, I am doing well. Progress with the banking has been slow and painful, but I am happy to report that as of tomorrow all of our sorrows should be figured out and groundbreaking should be taking place by the end of the week. I will write more as soon as I know about the progress of the school.

thank you once again for all of your interest and support.

Salama,
Colleen