Easter was a time of great joy at Malaika: We all celebrated together with Francesco and, finally, also with Giulia, who had been missing for a long time due to health problems.
Anna, who helps them with fundraising in Italy, was also there, along with her husband, who were in Tanzania for the first time and enthusiastically welcomed by the children.
After a good lunch, the children searched for the small chocolate eggs hidden in the house (it was raining outside; we are in the rainy season!) and had a lot of fun discovering them. In the afternoon, we continued singing, dancing, and playing games together until the evening. For the three children who arrived in Malaika last summer, it was the first Easter spent together and discovering the taste of chocolate was very exciting.
In the previous days, we had a preview of the traditional holiday meal with a visit from friends and relatives from Canada, originally from Arusha, who shared the lunch and spent peaceful hours with us.
Also returning for the holidays were older children who had begun living outside of Malaika, studying, or starting their work experiences: it is always nice to have a house full of voices and affection and to tell each other the latest news.
We have missed the children and youth in the Outreach program, who, during the holidays when the colleges are closed, go back to their families of origin: we will visit them soon to make sure, as usual, that they are well and that everything is going well at school.