Goodwill Shoes

Well, it has been another two interesting days.
Roman and I went to the Cradle of Love Baby Home yesterday. It is this Oasis for abandoned babies. I called it Orphan Baby Club med. It is run by a woman named Davona who is an American. She has been in Africa for a number of years having had her first 'baby home' in Malawi. She is funded through private donations through her church and now has a string of volunteers from around the world who come to help with the babies. The volunteers usually go home and fund raise for the home so the money just seems to roll in (like a 'pay it forward' phenomenon) and Davona and her babies survive. I have attached a picture of a special baby feeding station they have made in the vocational training that Davona's husband runs. They train Tanzanian men skills in wood working. All the cribs and change tables were made in their program. I have attached a picture of the feeding table. These babies were so beautiful. There were 28 in total, but the numbers fluctuate. Some were tiny (days old) as she had just picked them up at the government hospital 2 days before after their mothers had abandoned them (many reasons why this happens but it would take more than this blog but mostly HIV, poverty, cultural issues). She names the babies herself. There was one named Moses who was found at the side of the road under a tree. There was a toddler named Tyson who was the tallest baby they had, named after Mike Tyson.

We took the Arusha Coaster bus to get to the Baby Home. (Mom: don’t read this part. It was the scariest bus ride I have ever taken nor will ever take again. They fill a rickety bus with way too many people and then drive it at speeds they shouldn’t, while blaring an African beat version of Shania Twain or Bob Marley). The bus fills with carbon monoxide as it travels along. We were on it for several hours and probably shaved a few weeks of our life just by pollution alone. The fact is that this is the way that the majority of Tanzanians must travel. Only the upper middle class and wealthy own cars. The other mode of transportation that we took home from Kilema hospital is the Dalla Dalla. This is a Toyota minivan called a Hiace that should fit 8 people safely. The average Dalla Dalla carries about 15 people not counting the driver and the young chap that hangs out the door yelling for customers as you pass though villages back to Moshi. The music is blaring all the while and the whole thing petty much smells like body odor. Deodorant is a luxury here and I haven’t met that many people who are wearing it! Just so you get the full picture, I need to also add that the lady next to me was holding a chicken.

The title of today’s entry is Goodwill shoes because I really think that it is something to tell about. Have you ever wondered where all the shoes that you give to the Goodwill go? Well, I can tell you that most of them are in Tanzania, being worn by Tanzanians. I’ll try to get a picture tomorrow but basically, the side of the road vendors are selling these shoes by the dozens. They wash them and polish them and put white paint on the running shoes and spend their day making these things look like new….and they really do. You can look around most of the vendors tables and see T shirts and purses and shoes that North Americans have given away. Now, I am pretty sure these guys buy the shoes from some middle man who is making a lot of money off our ‘stuff’. But, the shoes look really good by the time these guys clean them up. Tanzanians can by a pair for about $4 US dollars. A little food for thought the next time you give away your shoes.

Next topic: Women in Tanzania

Special Message to Jack: Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Jack! Happy Birthday to you!
See daddy in the picture with your gift.