WHO HOLDS THE BABY WHEN MUM IS GONE?

At nkoaranga orphanage centre on the outskirts of arusha city, the women known as the mamas care for children through their most vulnerable years. Their concern extends beyond infancy to the homes and families those children will need.

BY SUKHDEV CHHATBAR

When a mother dies during childbirth, her newborn still needs to be fed, washed, comforted and held. While a family grieves, the baby’s need for care continues.

At Nkoaranga Orphanage Centre in Arusha, that responsibility falls to the caregivers affectionately known as the Mamas.

The orphanage’s history is closely linked to missionary work and the care of vulnerable infants. German missionaries are credited with its early beginnings in the 1930s. The need it serves is clear: Babies whose mothers die during childbirth or whose families cannot provide the care they require, need somewhere safe to grow. Attached to Nkoaranga Lutheran Hospital, the centre receives children from the hospital and the wider Arusha area.

Its present building was constructed in August 1997 with support from the German organisation overseen by Mama Ursula.

Some children arrive after their mothers die during childbirth. Others have been abandoned, says the centre’s longstanding matron, Ms Anna Akyoo. Their circumstances differ, but each needs someone to respond to their cries and provide consistent care.

For the centre, meeting those immediate needs is only part of the work. As children grow, staff must also consider where they can safely live and who can care for them.

“Many still have fathers or other relatives,” Ms Anna says.

Her words highlight an important distinction: A child living in an orphanage does not necessarily have no family. Ms Anna says maintaining family relationships and helping children return to relatives, where possible, are central to the centre’s work.

Care that continues through the night

The centre has about 13 caregiving Mamas and cares for an average of 30 children, mainly babies and toddlers, according to Ms Anna.

Their work follows the children’s needs throughout the day and night. There are feeds to prepare, nappies to change, clothes to wash and babies to settle.

Ms Anna describes that work as an expression of dedication and service to God. Caregivers work shifts and sometimes sleep in the babies’ rooms so they can respond when needed.

Alongside feeding and washing the children, the Mamas organise activities and manage the laundry. Ms Akyoo recalls periods when washing equipment broke down and cloth nappies had to be washed by hand.

These practical demands are an essential part of keeping the home running. Reliable equipment and supplies help caregivers carry out their daily responsibilities.

Safety and the search for family

Ms Akyoo says authorities bring abandoned children to the centre while social welfare officers investigate their circumstances.

The immediate priority is care. Alongside that, the investigation may help establish the child’s identity and trace relatives.

For staff, finding family connections is part of understanding what options may be available for the child’s future. Until those questions can be resolved, the Mamas continue providing everyday care.

What happens as children grow?

A fifth birthday is usually a moment of celebration. At a centre caring mainly for babies and toddlers, it also brings the question of what comes next into sharper focus.

Ms Anna says children have previously returned to extended families at around five or moved to homes caring for older children.

Each transition involves more than arranging a new place to live. Staff must consider who will take responsibility for the child and whether the proposed household can meet their needs.

Ms Akyoo says staff visit families to assess the possibility of a return and try to maintain contact with relatives during a child’s stay.

“We try to keep in touch with the families,” she says.

For children who have spent their early years with the Mamas, a move also means becoming familiar with different people, routines and surroundings. Preparation and continued contact can help staff understand how a child is adjusting.

The question is therefore not simply when a child will leave, but how that next stage can be made secure and dependable.

Supporting the work

Donations help the centre meet its daily needs. Contributions have included food, clothes, toys, soap, fencing and water-heating equipment.

Such support serves a practical purpose: Helping staff maintain the surroundings and supplies children depend on.

But the centre’s task reaches beyond the next meal or clean nappy. Its work also involves keeping family connections alive and considering how each child can move towards a stable home.

The Mamas answer the immediate question of who holds the baby when mum is gone. As that baby grows, another question remains: Who will be there in the years ahead?