Boona Baana Centre for Children's Rights

Yesterday we made our way to an area of Dar called Sinza Mori. This is where the Green Door Home is located and the Boona Baana centre. The centre is run by a couple named Brooke and Marco. She is from the American South (via Hong Kong) and he is from Chile (via Taiwan). They met in Chinese language classes in Hong Kong and eventually (through a long story) ended up in Dar and opened a centre for children's rights. They have 12 orphans at present and are funded entirely through private donations and helo from volunteers from all over who come and stay from time to time to help out withthe children. Brooke has a keen interest in trying to make adoption of children in Tanzania more 'streamlined'. Right now it is a complicated, difficult process and with 2 million orphans here, it woul dbe good to be able to get them adopted. The children were so friendly and immediately asked questions about us, our children and home. I showed them pictures of Jack and Hannah playing in the fall leaves before we left Kingston. They kept saying Hannah is nice, yes? They enjoyed having me take their picture and then immediately wanted to see it on the digital screen. They played a rowdy game of soccer (football) with Roman in the yard with a pretty bad soccer ball. It was a fun time. Marco took us to a Mzungu (white) area for seafood called Sea Cliff. This is basically the compound where ex-patriots live and socialize. I felt like I had entered a different country.
Roman and I are on our way today to Kilimanjaro Airport. We will spend a day in Arusha, the site of the Rwandan Genocide Tribunal. We might go to Kilema Hospital this weekend after meeting up with Greg John tomorrow and we'll meet with Elizabeth Minde next week to discus the start-up of the women's project. Nothing here happens in any kind of rapid pace....it happens on Tanzanian time according to Brooke. It could take half a day to go to the post office and mail a letter. Tanzanians are friendly people though. I think i talk a little bit too fast for them as i keep having to repeat myself.
Thats all for now.