Came under Tumaini care early 2009!

Daniel, Gerehad and Anna all arrived on the same day from one of the very poorest parts of Tanzania, Songea.  Anna’s sister Martha arrived later, after being delayed because of a road washout caused from extensive rains.

As I explained in Gerehad’s bio, both his and Daniel’s fathers are desperately poor and, afflicted with polio, are unable to work and support their families.  Both little boys were in extreme need and as Songea is my partner Oddo’s hometown, relatives told him of their plights and we welcomed them into the Tumaini family.

Daniel warmed up quite a bit after a couple of weeks of rest, medicine and some good food.  He began to understand that he would receive good, healthy food EVERY day, and that he didn’t have to gorge himself in fear of the meal being his last.  Time spent with his new siblings at Tumaini House allowed him to open up and begin to play, colour, learn English AND Kiswahili, the alphabet, etc.  And we have seen him grow and flourish ever since.

Daniel is a confident, kind young man, and an EXCELLENT student (consistently one of the top performers in his class).  He has a goofy sense of humour and can often be seen entertaining the babies with his silly facial expressions.  Daniel loves to play… football is his game!  And if you don’t find him on the field, Daniel can almost always be found playing with the Tumaini puppies.  His love for the animals is so clear, and this will continue to develop as he hopes to one day become a safari guide!