We all have gifts to share
One thing our travelers notice when we visit our partners in Tungamalenga and Makifu is how different our family structures can be. American homes typically house a nuclear family – parents and children – while in Tanzania, living with extended family is the norm. A household of parents and children often includes a grandparent, several orphaned cousins, perhaps an aunt. Malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS and other diseases leave many children orphaned, and for the most part, traditional Tanzanian culture cares for orphans within the extended family structure. For those children who truly have no relatives in this world, the Iringa Diocese owns and operates Huruma [Mercy] Center. Matron Mama Chilewa and her small staff care for 45 - 60 children ages 5 - 16. Often the children are brought to the center by social workers who find the children living on the streets. Staff care for the children while searching for relatives willing to take in the child. We met an eight year old girl wh