dear sponsor,

One of the days we were there the children in the home all spent an afternoon writing letters to their sponsors and drawing for them. I took Nate around with me and visited some of the homes where, along with the house mother, we got each sponsored child to complete a letter. They loved doing it and were so proud of their drawings, each wanting to show me along the way ... well, at least when they weren't distracted by Nate.

the playground

the littlest ones

One of my the places I just couldn't tear myself away from at the children's home was the babies nursery where I would just sit with the babies and hold them. The babies were aged from just days old to two years.

On my first day I fed a 2 month old baby who had been orphaned just hours after being born to her mother. The police had brought her to the children's home after she was found abandoned and on her first day of life she was passed to the women who work in the baby centre. As much as the women are caring, the newborn was to become just one of thirty and one of hundreds who live in the home. Unless she is adopted she will never know the love of just one woman, the devotion that only a mother can give to a child that she can call her own.

I had a revelation of just how fortunate Nate was to be born into a family who loves him. To have two parents who are dedicated to him, to ensuring that his every need is met, physically, socially and emotionally. Already at just two years he knows he's loved, valued and that he belongs.

the giraffe reserve

saying goodbye

scale 1:1

playing with an old drum

learning from each other

maasai home

The Maasai home was in the middle of farmland as far as the eye could see. We passed a significant amount of cattle and sheep getting there but also spotted some zebra along the way. Once out at the home the elders greeted us by bending their head down and pushing their forehead towards us. As Nate was then in their view I assumed they were bending down to see him when our interpreter told us that we must cup our hand over their forehead as a greeting. It was a such a warm and intimate way to greet a stranger.

There was absolutely nothing westernised about their way of life. The milk that the babies were fed was from the cattle on the land, the food from their own produce or sourced from a local market. The only hint of civilisation was the electricity towers in the distance that crossed the land. Something which the Maasai people had little call for.

girls helping to prepare lunch

girls braiding their hair

pit stop along the way