A Family as Real as Any

My name is Gabriella Martine.  I have known Micaela Roughton for the past two years, working under her guidance as a Community Advisor for SFU Residence.  Working as a CA has taught me to reach out to the people living around me to learn about them and how they fit into this world.  This summer I decided to extend my reach into the global community and travel to Zambia with a group of my peers from SFU to build houses for vulnerable youth and orphaned children.  When Micaela offered me the opportunity to extend my stay and spend some time at Nyumba Yanga, I couldn’t pass up the chance to learn about these girls that had inspired Micaela to devote her energy and resources into helping to provide them with safety, family, and opportunity.

 Before traveling to Zambia, my friends and family tried to help me prepare for how overwhelming the trip had the potential to be.  Given that I had no previous experience with international travel, it was a fair assumption that I would come across something I had never encountered before.  I was expecting to feel out of my element, but honestly, the most shocking thing about my visit to Nyumba Yanga was how comfortable I felt there.  Both the Sisters who looked after the girls and the girls themselves were so genuinely welcoming.  It was just as easy to connect with them as it would be with any other child in a different country or circumstance.  I guess it was my own naivety that led me to believe otherwise.

Snack time after school!

I had never visited an orphanage before, let alone in another country, so I didn't know what to expect.  But, I was happy to be welcomed in by such an amazing group of girls with the same hopes and ambitions as any other young girl I’ve met.  They love to laugh, play, sing, and dance.  They treat each other just as though they were family.  They are full of life and are polite and considerate as well as playful and adventurous.  They treat everyone with respect and make sure everyone feels included.  They truly are the most amazing group of young girls. 

I had the privilege of watching them perform their songs and dances (they are all incredibly talented), playing group games with them, and helping them with their homework.  Throughout my visit, I couldn't help but wonder what opportunities would not have been available to them if Nyumba Yanga had not been there to take over their care.  I’m so glad the Sisters were there to nurture these girls and allow them to grow into beautiful young women and that Home of Joy has been able to help support them.  I imagine that nothing can truly take the place of family but I think it’s fantastic that these girls have received the support they need and deserve.

Saying goodbye to Theresa on my last night at Nyumba Yanga!

 Nyumba Yanga was full of sisterly love.  The Sisters were so good with the girls, providing them with caring guidance and the girls treated each other as if they were siblings.  Their home was a place made for song and dance, young minds learning and growing, and finding love and acceptance.  Having just finished building houses in an impoverished community before visiting, I could very well imagine the lives these girls might have had if Nyumba Yanga hadn’t been them for them.  These beautiful girls deserve everything that Nyumba Yanga provides for them and I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to meet them, learn from them, make connection and share moments with them, and see the impact that the Sisters and the Homes of Joy charity have made in these girls’ lives.  It was truly inspiring to be there and a great reminder of everyone’s ability to overcome obstacles and affect the lives of others around you. 

Gabriella

The Simple Joys of Math and Watermelon

My name is Sonya Hartwig. I am a Community Adviser and Undergraduate Student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.  I’ve always dreamed of visiting Africa, but my boss, Micaela Roughton is the one that helped me make that dream come true. She encouraged me to work towards coming on this trip to volunteer with both Habitat for Humanity and Homes of Joy, when I thought I would never be able to afford to go.

My experience at Nyumba Yanga is one I will never forget. During my years as an SFU undergraduate student, I’ve developed a reoccurring curiosity about how an aid organization works, and how I could have a positive impact on other countries. I was so excited to get to know the girls I had heard so much about, on a personal level. I remember the day we arrived, I felt so nervous. Nervous that I was an outsider, nervous that I had no idea what was going to happen next, and nervous that I’d act too silly because of the previously mentioned nervousness. 

But as soon as I stepped off that bus, the girls welcomed me with open arms… literally. They hugged me and took my bags and showed me to the room in the Orphanage guest house where I’d be staying. The Sisters at the orphanage were not at all the cold authoritative professor figures I imagined. They were more like loving aunties. Right away one sister stuck out to me; Sister Nimmi. She looked so much like my mother. I remembered all the stories my mother had told me about going to Catholic school back in her day, where the stern nuns would be cold and rigid. I approached with caution. But sister Nimmi was nothing like I expected. She was bubbly and full of life. She laughed her famous little giggle, and, like my mother always does, told me to EAT so I’d grow.  Right away I was right at home. I could instantly see the love and respect shared by the Sisters and the girls. This place created not just a home for these girls, but a family.

The day I really bonded with the girls person to person, was one night when they needed help with homework. I arrived to the main hall where all the girls were studying and tutoring each other. Unfortunately, regardless of my experience tutoring all my younger family members; there were SO many girls needing help in one little room, that I could not help them all. I would help one girl with a long division question, and turn around to have five girls beside me asking for similar help but with grade 3 math or biology. One very intelligent girl needed help with physics. This was outside the realm of my arts degree, so thankfully we had biology student Gabie with us to take on that challenge!

Homework time in the hall with the girls!

I had so much fun that night! Most of the questions these girls had were the same ones I would ask my mother in 5th grade. Questions like: Why isn’t this question right? How do I calculate that? What is the next step here?  And the infamous Why is this so hard? I could see that these were not just orphans like I thought of them, but kids just like I used to be. It dawned on me how badly these girls just needed a friend to help and encourage them one-on-one. Though they helped each other out as much as possible, there is only so much help you can get out of a big sister when they have their own homework to do. All of them simply needed someone with the patience to sit by them and answer all their questions. I especially bonded with one girl named Florence. She was struggling with Math exactly like I did in high school. Like me, she had a strong grasp of how to sort out the question, but every so often would hit a frustrating road block and not know what to do next. She needed me to encourage her to keep trying, to have faith in her when she felt frustrated, and to guide her when she didn’t know what to do next to solve the equation. After our short few hours together, she was beaming. She was so happy that she was able to finish the assignment. I felt proud of her, and in a way, proud of my younger self for defeating the same obstacles in my education. Before I knew it, it was time for bed. If I had known I could be so helpful just by helping them with homework, I would have planned to stay months, not just a week! I loved giving Florence the confidence she deserved. I loved being a big sister.

Lydia and I enjoying a surprise watermelon snack!

The week continued. I explored Lusaka, played games with the girls, went for walks through Nyumba Yanga’s incredible vegetable garden with Sister Nimmi, and even got to ride on their school bus to pick up the girls from school one day. 

On one of the last days, we went to a local market to see what it was like. It was amazing! So many fresh smells, so many people! Upon leaving, we decided to buy a bunch of watermelons for the girls as a surprise parting gift. This really touched my heart. Back home, my family is from Argentina. One thing we love to do when visiting our less wealthy cousins in Buenos Aires, is to spoil the family kids a bit by buying watermelon for them and hanging out as a family together. The Nyumba Yanga girls, who had somehow become my family in only a few days, were sharing in a custom of my own. We had so much fun that day being silly and eating delicious watermelon. They don’t get it very often, so they were very excited.

My time at Nyumba Yanga was unfortunately short. But in only a week I went from feeling apprehensive and distant, to having a blast with some really cool gals that became like family to me. What a wonderful, healthy environment for these young girls to grow and flourish into bright contributing members of society. I can’t wait to be back here again soon, to help with homework and learn more from these girls.

Sonya

Challenged and Rewarded

2014 has been an exciting year for Homes of Joy so far!  Nyumba Yanga Orphanage welcomed an assortment of international volunteers who helped to conduct a site visit and spent time volunteering with the girls.  Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing a series of blogs about their time in Zambia. Our group of international volunteers included:  a group of students taking part in the Residence Life Service Learning Program at Simon Fraser University, board members Micaela and Mary Roughton, and HOJ child sponsor and long-time supporter Jane Taylor.  We hope you enjoy their stories and reflections about their time at Nyumba Yanga!

The Homes of Joy Board of Directors

My trip to Zambia and the Nyumba Yanga Orphanage was literally out of my world and comfort zone on many levels. Each day was an unpredictable journey into a whole new world; international travelling, living as a minority, in an orphanage, in a developing country in Africa, with no husband accompanying me for the first time ever. Thoughts of these challenges brought no comfort but, I stepped out in faith. The warm welcome including music, dance, song, skits and hugs and the resulting pure peace and joy I encountered in this poor simple orphanage was beyond anything I could have hoped for or imagined, truly out of “my” world. These beautiful girls, all from traumatic pasts, living in poverty in an orphanage, are the most incredible, amazing ambassadors of faith, love, hope and joy that I have ever encountered in all my life!!!!!! I was humbled, and my heart strings pulled as I was enveloped in love from these girls who live with no families and yet give so much. No holiday has ever, nor could ever compare to the daily experiences of living in community with these girls, the house mothers, and the Sisters at the convent. We, in the Western world, the land of plenty and advancement, have so much to learn about real living.  If only we could live more simply and selflessly, then others could simply live, and our world would be a better place for all!!!

I have been involved actively in the background of Homes of Joy from its inception with my favorite responsibility being sponsorships.  I experienced firsthand what it means to these girls to know someone on the other side of the world truly cares about them! There was such excitement as they asked for the details about their sponsors and anything personal we could share.  One of my greatest aha moments was being able to connect the girls with their sponsor  as I had a few pictures with me,and in retrospect wish I had had all pictures.  Now, one of my personal goals within  the organization  is to promote this connectivity for every girl and every sponsor but my first priority is to get all sponsored so no-one feels left out . Five more sponsorships and we will have met this goal, (my heart’s desire from day one), and I hope to achieve it by Christmas!!!

Mary Roughton

HOJ Board Member



This is my last day with the girls and as you can see we have connected and share love, laughter, joy and memories until we meet again….