Home Away from Home

When we arrived in Mbeya, Tanzania we were met at the station by Deborah, the director and founder of The Olive Branch for Children, and her Tanzanian husband, Putyei. They are both unbelievably kind and dedicated people, and Deborah immediately started telling us all about their organization, and what they would be having us do here.

Africa has offered no shortage of smiling faces and warm welcomes for us, but when we arrived at The Zion Home-- our based for the next 3+ weeks-- we were shocked to walk into what was possibly the warmest welcome either of us have ever received. The kids started dancing, drumming, and singing in typical Tanzanian style as we walked through the door. We both froze, completely overwhelmed by their smiling faces and enthusiasm at our arrival. We stood speechless, and our travel-weariness disappeared as the sound of singing, clapping, and stomping feet surrounded us. They carried on like this, not just for one song, but for three! When they finally finished, Deborah introduced us in Swahili (most of the children here speak English, but some have just arrived and do not) and then the most amazing thing happened... the children rushed us- all 30 of them- and every last one of them gave us each a GIANT hug and said "Welcome!". It was one of the single most amazing moments of my life. To be completely surrounded by these children, who have had only the toughest of lives, and have their little arms and bodies wrapped around us so warmly, silently thanking us for being here, even though we'd only just arrived.

We spent our first evening playing scrabble with a few of the kids (a great way for them to practice their English) and then played a freeze-tag type game with larger group. After we had dinner (beans, rice, and cooked greens- the standard lunch and dinner meal here) the kids went to bed, and we stayed up a while playing “Settlers of Catan” (a group favorite) with Deborah, Putyei and the other volunteers.

The Olive Branch not only operates the Montessori outreach program, building schools and providing teacher training in the surrounding areas, but it also operates two homes housing over 45 orphaned children, many of whom are living with HIV. The main site where we are staying is not just the home of Deborah, her husband, and her one and half year old daughter, it's also the home of the 30 children in their care and the multiple interns and volunteers they have working for them at any given time. In addition to this, The Zion Home is the main operating office of their organization, which provides home based care for people living with HIV and community health education in addition to the Montessori outreach program. On top of all this, about half of the children who live here are home-schooled on site. Needless to say, there's a lot going on! The facility here is big enough for them, but only just barely, meaning space is at a premium and there's no such thing as having your own--for anyone. Needless to say, there's a lot involved in running an operation like this one and there are constantly people bustling around, preparing meals, washing dishes, and helping with the kids.

The most amazing thing about this place is that it truly feels like one big family. It's hard to tell who is an employee and who is a resident and everyone pitches in when needed, even the children. Deborah and Putyei aren't just the directors of the organization, they're the parents of each and every one of the kids in their care. The children all call them “Mom” and “Dad” and think of each other as brothers and sisters. To them, we are “Auntie Jenna” and “Uncle Sean”. It feels incredible to be welcomed so easily and quickly into this amazing community.

Our first morning we woke early to the sounds of roosters crowing, children playing outside the bunkhouse and breakfast being brought in from the outdoor kitchen. Over the course of the day, Deborah gave us an overview of what we would be doing for the next few weeks. I'll be heading out into the villages to administer perhaps the most rapid and condensed version of a “Montessori Training” that has ever been done, while Sean stays here and works with the kids one-on-one to come up with individual projects they can focus on while their teachers are busy giving lessons to other children (the home-school here includes lots of kids of mixed ages and abilities, but is not Montessori... yet).We're both excited to dive in and get started, and are looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish here!