A Gusii in Maasailand

We have been contacted by an orphanage in Kajiado, asking if we can take one of their children, a girl called Esther.

Esther was transferred to the Kajiado Children's Home from another orphanage, but she is of the Gusii tribe and there is no one in Kajiado who speaks the Abagusii language, and she does not speak the Maasai language. Naturally, Esther is very unhappy and wants to return to her traditional homeland of Kisii.

We would be happy to help and to make this child happy, but we really are stretched financially.

If anyone reading this can help by sponsoring Esther so that she can return to her people, please do not hesitate to contact us at Twiga Children's Centre through our website.

Thank  you.

Swing High, Swing Low ...

The Swing

The upright is erected

Then the crossbar is positioned

Marking up

Here we go ...

Testing for strength (or acting like a big kid)

Brian [minor], being light, gets to test the swing

Dennis puts it through its paces

From his expression, I guess it passed the test!

Edwin was next to go ...

and also approved of the new acquisition

Aloys, for all his swagger, was very careful

He doesn't look happy, does he?

Oh, now he does.

Nyachuba is the first girl to have a go.

... followed by Catherine, one of our new girls

Then it was  time to try tandem.

Catherine gives her little sister, Ivy a ride

Brian, of course, just had to use it as a climbing frame.

... while Christine uses the swing

Cliff and Brian

Steve gets a go - eventually

Dreaming

HIV/AIDS

In our latest intake of children, we have accepted a little girl who was born HIV positive. Her mother, who is still living is also HIV positive and is being treated with anti-retro-viral drugs.

But the little girl isn't. She is being treated with a special diet.

Now, we know very little about HIV/AIDS, other than it has killed the parents of most of our Twiga children.

Two years ago, we lost a 3-year-old girl to AIDS and we don't want to lose another.

Presently, this little girl appears to be perfectly healthy, although it is difficult to judge as she is also very shy.

• Can anyone advise us as to whether dietary treatment is normal for a 2 to 3-year old child?
• Should she be on ARVs at such a young age?
• Is there anything else we can do?

Your help in this matter would be very much appreciated.

Website Updated

The Twiga Children's Centre website has been improved to include a register of our current children.

We support all these children in one way or another. You can help.

£1 a day (or $1.50) helps us to help a child.

No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child. -Abraham Lincoln

Stand tall and help a child today.