Yesterday at Boona Baana there were two white, American boys sitting in the living room when we walked in. They had just arrived in Tanzania about two hours before, and are going to be staying there for about a month. It will be great to give the five boys living at Boona Baana some more male influence in their life. We have been trying to get the two boys living at the house with us to come but they are usually busy with their own placements and school work. We also met Marco yesterday, who runs the Green Door Home. He is like a father to these kids, plus six of his own (four of which were adopted from Africa). I am really thankful for all the work he does for these kids that I have grown to love and care for. It is a big job, and an expensive one. Two of them have already been sponsored for schooling (L & I), but the other five (M, I, S, A, & E) still need sponsorship in order to attend an international school which would then give them a British secondary school diploma and a better chance of getting into university and finding a supportive career. It will be especially hard for the girls, A & E, who have all the more obstacles to overcome in order to establish themselves in society and live well above the poverty line.
This kind of orphanage, which is home-based and styled like a family household, is much more costly (per child) to run, but in the long-term it is so much more beneficial for the children. On the other hand, community-based orphanages are usually over-crowded and unable to provide adequate health care, sanitation, nutrition, and education for the children. It is more like an institution rather than a home. If Boona Baana had more funding, Marco said that he would go pick up two or three more orphaned children and move them in as soon as he could, but no more than 10 maximum because then it loses the "family" feel. And it really is a family there! Makes me miss my family sometimes <3
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