They Said 'YES!*!'

Above Picture-Lady in green top, blue/yellow skirt, Mama George-Lady with orange head scarf, Neighbour who cared for B-The child I am holding Cecilia, B's Sister-Lady at the back with glasses, Mama Musa-Lady holding B, her Grandmother-Elderly man to the right, I believe is Bibi's Brother, also an alcoholic-Man to the right in black, local village leader-Little girl at the front, red jumper, holding child, B's Bibi's Daugter!!

Meet Charlie the Chicken,
given to me by the family, a gift of thanks

Yesterday was a very long day, we were out for roughly twelve hours. Mama Musa, Aubree and I set off in the morning for a town called Karatu, this is where my daughter B's family are from. Once in the main part of Karatu we met up with a lady named Mama George, Mama George is a lovely lady who dedicates her life, without payment, to helping the vulnerable and orphaned babies and children in Karatu. Karatu has a huge problem with abandonment, HIV and alcohol abuse so there are many babies in this area who need help. We were also joined by the local village leader, we were taken about 2 kilometres from the road where we met B's family. As we got out the car we were greeted by many children and adults and then we were ushered into a fairly spacious mud hut, we were asked to sit down on the only two stools they had and for a while the villagers just admired B. Sadly the Grandmother and another elderly man were drunk during our visit but all the same they seemed pleased to see B. One lady walked in and just cried, I found out later she was the neighbour who would always take care of B when the Grandmother was too drunk too, it seems that this would have been most of the time!!


Now was the moment of truth, the reason we had come, the conversation went on for quite some time, switching between the villages local language helped by the local leader and Mama George, then back to Swahili, then every once in a while Mama Musa would translate something to me in English. At first I was convinced it was a negative conversation, one women seemed to be getting quite upset, however, in the past when African's have been talking and I have asked Mama Musa why a person is upset she has said no they were not, I think African's just become very passionate and deep into the conversation that I often take their tone as anger, I was assured later on that this lady was far from angry. When the conversation had finished Mama Musa turned to me and said that they had agreed, the family had agreed that signing B over to me for adoption will be in her best interests, well then the tears started rolling, tears of joy, tears of relief.


When I took B home on March 2nd 2012 I had no intentions of her becoming my daughter, she was only supposed to stay with me a little while whilst she got healthy then to go to the orphanage, however, she very quickly weaved her way deep into my heart and almost four months on she is as much a daughter to me as Nancy and Selemani are my children too. I have always had in the back of my mind the thought that maybe her Grandmother wouldn't relinquish her and that she could never truly be mine, even though her Bibi is by no means capable of bringing her up due to her addiction to alcohol. The last month or so I started thinking about what I would do if her Grandmother said no, would I put her in an orphanage, would I continue to care for her in the hope that I would not need to return home before she reached 18, but all these things that have been bothering me, bother me no longer as the family have agreed, what a weight of my shoulders.

Me with B & her Sister

I am so glad I got the news I had hoped for, however, whilst at B's home they told me about her sister Cecilia. Cecilia is 5 years old and you can see that her and B are related, very similar and she is also quite small and petite. Cecilia is a beautiful little girl, she clung on to me a lot during my visit, she was very content to be held and cuddled by me. When the subject of adoption for B arouse the neighbours who had cared for her whilst the Grandmother was drunk were VERY keen for me to adopt her and they are also very keen for us to take her sister Cecilia away from the village were she does not get enough food, will never have education and does not look very healthy, when B first arrived to me she had maggots in her toes, this poor little girl has them in her hands and feet!! Can you imagine, this little girl who is only five years old had to endure the loss of her father, then the disappearance of her Mother, followed by her baby sister being taken away and all the while she has to be at home watching her Grandmother being drunk, day in and day out. The person who should be providing for her is always too drunk to put food on the table.


I am definitely now committed to finding a better place for this beautiful little girl to grow up, since we met her I can not stop thinking about her, but first of all I need to find her a sponsor. Her monthly costs will be around £100, this includes a little amount which can be put away for medical, new clothes etc. and on top of that school which she should start at the latest September 2013 will cost around £400 per year. Maybe I can find two sponsors, one for her monthly allowance and one for school. If you are interested please get in touch at claire_upshall@hotmail.com, I do not know right now where she will be living but I can assure you that I will only find her a very very good home. Please help this lovely little girl, my daughter's sister have the future she deserves. Thank-you in advance for your kindness.

B's sister, Cecilia

On another note I did find out B's birth date March 2nd 2010, this means we collected her on her second birthday! It really is quite unbelievable that this tiny little girl is just 7 months younger than my big girl Nancy, I am just so happy to know her exact age.


During our trip to Karatu we were introduced to this beautiful family...

Follow this link http://walkinlovetanzania.blogspot.com/2012/06/mama-teddy.html?spref=fb to find out how Walk in Love Tanzania will be assisiting them.

B & her Sister

B & her Sister again

It was a very long day and to top it off B was not feeling well, she actually vomited in the car on the way there, however, she was an absolute star, no whinging or whining, I am so proud of her as it was, like I said, very long and very boring.