Meet Junior. He is a little dude that really leaves an impression. This kid eats like a machine, devouring bowl, after bowl, after bowl. And rightly so. He's grown up (in all of his 5 yrs) with the uncertainty of not knowing if & when your next meal is coming. It's kind of frightful watching him eat - it's like he's gonna make himself sick. I have to say, it's a memory I will take with me forever.
But, thanks to some awesome people like Isaac, Elisabeth and dedicated volunteers like Judi from Wyoming, these kids are now getting food everyday at school.
The crazy thing for me was to witness what happens when you take a starving child & give it some food consistently for a few days. I had no idea that the transformation could be so remarkable. Ombeni (the little boy in the last two pics) was seriously underweight & had trouble keeping his eyes open. But after some good feeding (and a few kind words), he became the smartest kid in the class. He also had so much energy, that every day after school he'd see me leave the school gates & run for a massive jump hug. Most incredible feeling ever.
The other thing that happens is that their personalties come out. When someone's not worried about food anymore, I guess they can focus on the fun stuff. Some little ones (like Gracious - the kid in the pic below with the yellow backpack) are mental as anything. Like I mean, TROUBLE with caps. Junior also got to be a bit of a Mr Man at school - let's just say he didn't take crap from anyone!
It's been a while since my last post about the kids in Tanzania & I thought it was time to dedicate one to these guys. So, here's to the (now thankfully, not-so) starving kids of HillCrest.
