A couple of months ago my nutritionist and I started an Infant Donation Program for Primeiro de Maio - the orphanage that Luka is from. Most of you know that when we adopted Luka he was 8 months and weighed only 3.2 kg and was VERY tiny. It always haunted me to think that all these little babies weren't really growing and developing. This is where Nadia comes in. She is my nutritionist and friend and she wanted to help. We started by visiting the orphanage to see what they needed and we found that the babies were not using diapers. This caused many infections and hygiene issues. We also noticed that some of the babies were lactose intolerant and they were giving them regular formula. The first month we donated diapers, soy formula and regular formula. Every month Nadia's practice donates money and fresh fruits and I try and collect from friends what I can.
To date we have donated thousands of diapers, over a hundred cans of soy and regular formula, sterilizers, baby bottles, electric razors to cut the babies' hair, wash cloths, blankets, baby nail clippers....basically anything that will help these people stay healthy and develop. Every month the list changes depending on what they need.
We have seen an improvement in the babies since December 2008 when we initiated this program.
The pictures you can see here are from our visit in April. This time my friend Salut went with me...she also adopted a little girl from the same orphanage. The pictures show the babies 0 - 24 months and the area they live in. During the day they do go out and play out in the sun, but this time we were there they were hanging out inside and singing songs. It gives you a little glimpse into the lives of these kids. Some of the photos may be difficult to look at, but remember this is Mozambique's flagship orphanage...believe it or not. This is a government orphanage and the best one in the country.
We visit every month to see what they need, then we stop one week later to deliver the donation and then sometimes Luka and I check up to see how they are doing.
The orphanage is very grateful and the staff always looks forward to the first week of the month when we arrive with our donation and they also love to see Luka and how much he has grown. He is a little celebrity at his old stomping ground.
If you want to donate some money to our program please email me at mvigues@msn.com. We need all the help we can get.
To see more photos click here.
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