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Like many of her neighbors, she'd follow the narrow village
paths to the Bibi Jann Day Care Centre, established in 2001
with donations from Americans and Swedes. Here, children
ages 2 through 6 dance, sing, twist their tongues around
English, and begin math, writing and reading. They slide,
swing, seesaw and whirl on the merry-go-round. They also
enjoy two meals - for some, the only food they see all day.
Angel
could come to school because a Dar doctor had pledged her
100,000 T.S. yearly school fees - as generous donors sponsored
other AIDS orphans. Dressed in a pretty blue dress with
a big white collar, Angel cuddled baby dolls, piled blocks
and read books - things she had never seen. She even made
a few friends, and looked forward to her second day.
She'd
been in school for about an hour when the monster arrived:
A sickly white ghost of a creature, with funny hair sticking
out all over its head and huge, dark eyes that covered much
of its face. While many children rushed forward to meet
this, this Mzungo Monster, Angel cowered in a corner and
tried to make herself very small. When the monster looked
her way, Angel screamed. She screamed so loud, the teacher
took her on her lap and held her tight.
The
Mzungo Monster sat down on a stool in the middle of the
classroom and passed out candy to each child as they introduced
themselves. But Angel knew better than to get too close.
When the monster called her name and held the bag of goodies
out behind her back, Angel carefully took a few steps while
still holding the teacher's hand and snatched a sweet. It
was good! She carefully accepted another and another from
the monster's hand - but only if the monster didn't look
at her.
Angel
marvelled that the other children didn't seem afraid. Day
after day, the monster returned, bringing books and toys
and curious things called puzzles. One day, Teacher and
the Mzungo Monster even came to Bibi Angelina's house, and
Bibi actually HUGGED the monster!
Freshly
braiding the little girl's hair daily and tending to the
child's grief has helped the 58-year-old grandmother cope
with the AIDS deaths of four of her seven children. She
formerly sold food, but back pain and high blood pressure
forced her to stop. If she had the money, she said, she'd
like to start a business selling fabrics to villagers. She
sews, but has no machine. The perfect recipient, the monster
said, for Grandma-2-Grandma, in which other bibis "adopt"
Tanzanians raising their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren.
Angel
sat on her bibi's lap while the monster aimed a camera and
a light flashed. Then Bibi Angelina waved goodbye and she
walked back to school with Teacher and the Monster. The
nonster came back next week and the next, and soon Angel
realized that this Mzungo Monster was simply another grandmother
- a mzungo bibi who cared about children in Mbagala.
And
that is why Angel stopped being afraid. On her last day
in Dar before boarding that great big plane, the mzungo
invited the little girl onto her lap.
And Angel had her picture taken with Bibi Jann.
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