More Pictures!

Finally, the rest of the pictures! These shots really show the kids living conditions, a little of their personality - they certainly weren't camera shy! In fact, I think they look down right sassy! ;)

The baby I'm holding in the picture was one of the more recent arrivals, and was HIV positive. I don't know if you can really tell from the picture, but the baby was so tiny! It made me glad I brought all the formula - he needs as much nutrition as possible - though they explained he is most likely underweight from the HIV more than malnutrition.

In the background you can see the woman who takes care of all these children, Claudia Namises. I can't imagine it is easy to be strong for so many children, and as she spoke of her hopes for expanding the orphanage, I was overwhelmed by the fact that she does this with help from only a few volunteers - the orphanage has no government assistance.

I really want to go back, or at the very least send more to them (It's a mighty expensive trip over). It's very easy to go there and play with the children, bring them some clothing and food, and then come back to a cozy heated apartment with a stocked fridge. That said, I'm going to continue collecting baby clothes to send over, and stay in touch with Claudia to find out what else they will need. As I said before, if anyone else is interested in donating, please email me or post a comment and I will send you the orphanage's address.

I hope everyone enjoys the pictures!