elephants!

I have been so busy since I've returned from Africa, and to get it all done I have set a new rule for myself: no computer until after dinner time, preferably after my little one goes to sleep.

So with all the time I am saving by not getting lost in the internet I have been making lots of new things, like phone and camera pouches, patchwork balls and nappy covers. My madeit.com.au shop is a mix of so many different things at the moment, proof that I get bored very easily and don't make more than a few of each item.  Today I created two flat elephants, out of some of my African kitenge. Will I make more? Who knows. I have no plans, just to create whatever I am in the mood to make! 

We are back!

My baby helps me pack... making sure I don't leave him behind!

So after leaving Tanzania on Thursday at lunchtime, I arrived home to South Australia this evening, Monday. It was a huge trip with a one night stopover in Dubai then two nights at my sisters house in Perth to recover a little, but we finally made it! I have to say though that I really wouldn't recommend travelling that far alone with a one year old in tow, it was quite exhausting really. I have to say though, the 3am flights, terrible connections, long hours stuck in a plane seat trying to keep a very active toddler happy, and the seemingly endless hours wandering foreign aiports trying to get bub to sleep, not to mention the terrible food, was all worth it. I had such a memorable time, and am already planning my next trip back to Afirca.

Baby wearing in Tanzania

I was asked a question this morning about something I had mentioned about baby wearing being one of the positive differences I have noticed between Tanzanian mamas and mothers in Australia. The question, more of a comment really, was that African mamas probably wear their babies because footpaths are not really up to pram traffic etc.

Babies being worn as mamas go about their day in town

Wearing or carrying babies is the way humans have evolved really. When you think about it, how did a relatively recent invention (the pram), that was so dangerous in the beginning become so popular, and the ‘normal’ thing to have? They are bulky, cumbersome, restrict where you can walk, separate babies from their mamas, and make you take far too much ‘stuff’ with you. Our bodies are made for babies.. making them, growing them, giving birth to them, feeding them and carrying them until they grow independent enough to walk on their own, just like every other mammal on this earth. Try going out one day with your baby on your back. You will be amazed at what you didn’t realise you couldn’t do before, you can walk wherever you like (cross roads wherever,  go down narrow shop aisles, negotiate steps or doorways easily, walk on bumpy nature trails, the list could go on forever.) I know this may sound silly, but it really does make you feel free.

Another thing that will become obvious is the increase in interaction. When your baby is at adult level, they get spoken to a lot more than if they were at knee level hidden away in a pram, and they become part of the conversation. They can also see the world at a different perspective, they see where all the sounds are coming from, and they see how you normally interact with the world around you. This is an excellent video demonstrating this point.

My baby sleeps as I work

You’ll also be amazed at how little ‘stuff’ you need to take. Usually I have just a small handbag, and to be honest I don’t know what people pile the underneath of their prams with. An Australian friend of mine was converted to an Ergo carrier after she seen me with mine all the time, and one of her early concerns was “How will I carry all my stuff?” Her husbands reply was “well how did you carry it before you had a baby?” And also, you may be surprised at how comfortable it is, and how, with a supportive carrier (like an Ergo or Boba Wrap or similar, something that holds babies legs and hips in the 'M' position) you could wear them for hours. 

Baby wearing starts young here! 

I have noticed a huge difference in baby behaviour here in Tanzania, I don’t think I have even seen one baby cry in public here, they are just so happy and content. My baby has never once cried in a shop, or anywhere else while he has been worn. Babies fall asleep happily, quietly, and peacefully along with the gentle movements made by the mother going about her day. There are a lot of well researched books and articles out there which explain the reasons for this, well worth a read. I highly recommend The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff as a good place to start.

Wearing your baby is also safer. Your baby will never roll in front of a train, or into a river, or into traffic while they are safely attached to you. These may seem extreme examples, but I have heard all of these events happening in the news in the last few years. They also cannot be stolen, as crazy and scary as that idea may be.

A mama and baby on their way to the market

The reason I think prams have become so popular; marketing and money. Seems every new mother in the western world has been made to think they ‘need’ one, just like they ‘need’ a bouncer, a rocker, a special chair to make your baby ‘sit up’ before they are really ready, and all of the other ‘must have’ big brand stuff in the shops, and the more expensive the better it is, apparently! Baby goods companies are big business. Even I have a home based business making blankets for prams, ironic I know. I must say though I have used my pram occasionally in the last few months for taking my baby to swimming lessons, so that I can put him somewhere while I shower, but then on the way home I have worn him and used the pram as a shopping trolley.

So it could be that African mamas carry their out of necessity, but given the choice, I think mamas here would think prams are strange devices which promote mama/baby detachment, and see them as an expensive unnecessary accessory. All babies really need when they are small are clothes, shelter, and their mamas boobs and arms.. and lots of love! Oh and a great baby carrier of course!

Ester M

I don’t really know what to say as it is still a shock, so this will be short.

Ester with Bibi Frank, meeting my son for the first time two weeks ago.

Tragically we have lost a beautiful soul from this world this week. Ester Mbaga, one of the Kesho Leo house mamas passed away on Tuesday after a very short illness. I feel so very sad for her three children, who will grow up without their dear mama.  I will miss you very much Ester, as I am certain you will be missed by many.. you have touched so many hearts xx

Ester with her youngest daughter, Sharoni

Explaining baby sleep training to an African mama of 8.

I had an interesting conversation today. Somehow I ended up explaining the concept of baby ‘sleep training’ with an African mama of eight, who is also my sons grandmother (Bibi in Swahili). It went something like this:

Bibi and I were sitting in my living room, watching my son (almost 13 months) play with his older cousin, when the conversation turned to sleep.

Me: He doesn’t sleep a lot, he wakes a few times at night, and only has one short nap during the day. Did your babies all sleep well?

Bibi: Oh, all babies, they differ. Some sleep a lot, some do not. Every baby, they are different. They will all sleep in their own time.

Me: In Australia, some people train their babies to sleep at night.

Bibi: (looks confused)

My boy with his Bibi

Me: They put their babies to bed in a cot in a separate room,

Bibi: They don’t sleep with them?

Me: No, they usually put them in their own room, sometimes from only six months old. I don’t do that, my baby sleeps with me because it is easy for me to feed him back to sleep when he is just lying there next to me.

Bibi: Yes, sometimes they wake and just want to suck. And having them in your bed, that is where they feel the love.

Me: Yes, I think he feels comforted when he is snuggling next to me. So anyway, what some people do to train their babies to sleep is to put them in a cot in their own room, and when the baby wakes they don’t pick them up or feed them.

Bibi: (looks confused and a little shocked)

Me: They figure this way the baby will learn not to wake up because they won’t have their needs met. Some mothers might go in to the babies room for a few minutes, patting the baby to settle them, then leave again. If the baby cries they just wait outside the room and go in some minutes later, but still don’t pick them up. They continue this until the baby goes back to sleep.

Bibi: They do not pick up their babies?

Me: No.

Bibi (looks a bit disgusted by this thought)

Me: I have even heard about a doctor who tells mothers to put their baby to bed at a certain time, close the door and don’t go in if the baby cries and to not go in until the morning, unless the baby is asleep so they don’t know their mama came in.

Bibi: (Looking absolutely horrified by now) Why do they not attend to their baby?

Me: I don’t know, maybe they prefer to sleep. Don’t worry, I would never do that to my baby!

I hope I haven’t given Bibi nightmares now by sharing this information with her. We discussed more on the topic, and also the stark difference in the way babies are treated in our countries, which I noticed when I returned to Australia the first time after being in Tanzania for about a year. To come from a country where babies are content, normally being held or carried on someones back, having their needs met promptly, to then arriving in Australia to see babies crying in prams, not able to even see their mothers and their cries being ignored was quite a shock. I think it’s safe to say that ‘baby training’ is a relatively modern western concept that will never catch on in Africa.

Craft workshops at Kesho Leo

Thanks to the generosity of friends and family for donating the supplies needed and/or cash for craft stuff, I have recently been lucky enough to host three craft workshop afternoons at Kesho Leo, an eco-friendly children’s village run by foodwatershelter.org.au, just outside Arusha, Tanzania. I volunteered with fws for the year 2009, and it was so wonderful to be back to see the mamas and kids again. The mamas have learned to sew since being employed as live-in house mamas at Kesho Leo, and have been making bags and purses for the past couple of years which they sell in town. I decided to give them something a bit different to do, something which I was hoping would spark some creative interest and make use of otherwise wasted materials. Before I left I got googling, and found a lot of different things to make with recycled magazine paper. I felt this would fit in well with fws values, as there is no paper recycling facility available in the area so this paper would otherwise go to the local dump and be burned. Why not make something beautiful with it instead?

Tiring work for some! My baby enjoys a nap while I get crafty

We started with paper beads, a tutorial I found here. These are quite simple to make, and you would never know they are made from paper.. and they make gorgeous unique necklaces!

Next thing we did was make some beautiful gift bows. One brightly coloured magazine page makes one bow, and I thought they would be a hit at the Arusha Christmas fair this year. Another Christmas themed project we made were tiny origami “lucky stars”, which can be strung together to make a garland.

Oliva's beautiful bow

Lastly we used scraps of fabric and spare buttons to make some fabric yoyos. Some fabric scraps are too small to use for anything, and a project like this is a great way to use them, and also for developing fiddly hand-sewing skills.

As with everything in Africa, these projects took a lot longer to teach than I expected so unfortunately I didn’t get to the other craft projects I wanted to show the mamas. On my list were paper bowls and coaster sets, patchwork (for bags, cushions and purses), baby bibs and nappy covers. Oh well, there’s always next time I guess!

A Hungry Child Can't Wait: Ask 5 for 5

Guest Blogger: Sarah Lenssen from #Ask5for5

Family photos by Mike Fiechtner Photography



Thank you Kanga Creative and nearly 150 other bloggers from around the world for allowing me to share a story with you today, during Social Media Week.



A hungry child in East Africa can't wait. Her hunger consumes her while we decide if we'll respond and save her life. In Somalia, children are stumbling along for days, even weeks, on dangerous roads and with empty stomachs in search of food and water. Their crops failed for the third year in a row. All their animals died. They lost everything. Thousands are dying along the road before they find help in refugee camps. 



At my house, when my three children are hungry, they wait minutes for food, maybe an hour if dinner is approaching. Children affected by the food crisis in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia aren't so lucky. Did you know that the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging whole countries right now, as you read this? Famine, a term not used lightly, has been declared in Somalia. This is the world's first famine in 20 years.12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance and over 29,000 children have died in the last three months alone. A child is dying every 5 minutes. It it estimated that 750,000 people could die before this famine is over. Take a moment and let that settle in.



The media plays a major role in disasters. They have the power to draw the attention of society to respond--or not. Unfortunately, this horrific disaster has become merely a footnote in most national media outlets. News of the U.S. national debt squabble and the latest celebrity's baby bump dominate headlines. That is why I am thrilled that nearly 150 bloggers from all over the world are joining together today to use the power of social media to make their own headlines; to share the urgent need of the almost forgotten with their blog readers. Humans have the capacity to care deeply for those who are suffering, but in a situation like this when the numbers are too huge to grasp and the people so far away, we often feel like the little we can do will be a drop in the ocean, and don't do anything at all.

When news of the famine first hit the news in late July, I selfishly avoided it. I didn't want to read about it or hear about it because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I wanted to protect myself. I knew I would need to do something if I knew what was really happening. You see, this food crisis is personal. I have a 4-year-old son and a 1 yr-old daughter who were adopted from Ethiopia and born in regions now affected by the drought. If my children still lived in their home villages, they would be two of the 12.4 million. My children: extremely hungry and malnourished? Gulp. I think any one of us would do anything we could for our hungry child. But would you do something for another mother's hungry child?

My friend and World Vision staffer, Jon Warren, was recently in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya--the largest refugee camp in the world with over 400,000 people. He told me the story of Isnino Siyat, 22, a mother who walked for 10 days and nights with her husband, 1 yr-old-baby, Suleiman, and 4 yr.-old son Adan Hussein, fleeing the drought in Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, she built the family a shelter with borrowed materials while carrying her baby on her back. Even her dress is borrowed. As she sat in the shelter on her second night in camp she told Jon, "I left because of hunger. It is a very horrible drought which finished both our livestock and our farm." The family lost their 5 cows and 10 goats one by one over 3 months, as grazing lands dried up. "We don't have enough food now...our food is finished. I am really worried about the future of my children and myself if the situation continues."

Will you help a child like Baby Suleiman? Ask5for5 is a dream built upon the belief that you will.



That something I knew I would need to do became a campaign called #Ask5for5 to raise awareness and funds for famine and drought victims. The concept is simple, give $5 and ask five of your friends to give $5, and then they each ask five of their friends to give $5 and so on--in nine generations of 5x5x5...we could raise $2.4 Million! In one month, over 750 people have donated over $25,000! I set up a fundraiser at See Your Impact and 100% of the funds will go to World Vision, an organization that has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for decades and will continue long after this famine has ended. Donations can multiply up to 5 times in impact by government grants to
help provide emergency food, clean water, agricultural support,
healthcare, and other vital assistance to children and families suffering in the Horn.



I need you to help me save lives. It's so so simple; here's what you need to do:

1. Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)
2. Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.
3. Share #Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter!

I'm looking for another 100 bloggers to share this post on their blogs throughout Social Media Week. Email me at ask5for5@gmail.com if you're interested in participating this week.



A hungry child doesn't wait. She doesn't wait for us to finish the other things on our to-do list, or get to it next month when we might have a little more money to give. She doesn't wait for us to decide if she's important enough to deserve a response. She will only wait as long as her weakened little body will hold on...please respond now and help save her life. Ask 5 for 5.



Thank you on behalf of all of those who will be helped--you are saving lives and changing history.





p.s. Please don't move on to the next website before you donate and email your friends right now. It only takes 5 minutes and just $5, and if you're life is busy like mine, you probably won't get back to it later. Let's not be a generation that ignores hundreds of thousands of starving people, instead let's leave a legacy of compassion. You have the opportunity to save a life today!