RVCV Update

I was supposed to move into my little rented house on Friday but that was postponed a bit - so instead, I got to go with the mobile clinic team up to Rift Valley Children's Village for the bi-monthly village clinic.

It gave me a chance to say hi to all of the kids - whom I haven't seen since last December. They are all doing AMAZINGLY well! Taller, happier, calmer and succeeding in school far beyond my wildest dreams.

Our kindergartners took the Standard 2 (Second Grade) test - just to see - and all passed it!

Benja, currently our oldest at the Village is in Standard 5 but got a 90% on the Standard 7 exam.

I sat with Ismail for hours on Saturday (he is 8, in the second grade, his mother died in childbirth and he sat in a crib in the maternity ward for almost 4 years before being transferred to India). He read to me from a chapter book and then we did some long division problems!

And for those of you who have been before, it isn't just the Manyara kids who are settling into their life at the Village. Serengeti and Terengeri are both doing really well too. Paulo is testing off the charts in school - he gets 100% on every test. The volunteers are even having a hard time challenging him.

Simone has calmed down, Eva looks like a young lady, Vicenti (from Serengeti) is ENORMOUS - we have to get a basketball team going.

And of course, Baby Vicenti, is no longer a baby. First of all he has been replaced by Baby Musa and Baby Natalie (both of whom have already gained weight), but more evident, is the fact that he just isn't a baby anymore. Although he did love the attention he got from me - someone who remembers the days when he didn't talk yet - or more importantly, whine yet.

And just in case you were wondering, he still runs with his little arms plastered to his sides - waddling like a duck - it is still the cutest thing.

I am impressed each year I return with the ways in which the kids are each maturing and growing. The chaos of having so many kids all in one place is always going to exist, but the bottom line is that things are well.

The kids are healthy and happy.

And at the end of the day, that is all that counts!