Tanzania: the country voted favourite in East Africa by the travellers we've surveyed, because "it feels safer and Swahili is an easy language." It is also home of Forever Angels Baby Home, the place where mum worked for 3 months 3 years ago, and that was our first stop in Tanzania.

Forever Angels was started by an amazing lady called Amy, who has managed to create a beautiful home for about fifty 0-5 year olds. Some have a difficult family, others no family, others are simply abandoned, and the aim is to find them a new home, or, ideally, return them to their families when they are more secure. Amy and her husband have adopted 5 children themselves, but every one of the 200 or so angels who have passed through the doors are loved and remembered like her own. Not only does she offer outreach support and regularly start up new projects (eg. for older girls, educational and vocational), she has also greatly benefited the local life, by providing many jobs (as managers, "mamas", special needs mamas, physios, cleaners, cooks, guards, handymen, drivers and tailors) and the volunteers bring in money for the Dukas (little wooden shops) and markets. It is really incredible what she's done, and the children are well and fairly cared for.

And so I got a taste of mum's life in Mwanza: The sweet fresh smell of the big babies after bath time, the cheeky games of the little toddlers, the resigned smile when your tiny baby is too busy giggling to drink her milk. The mess the big toddlers create at meal times, the cries of "And me! And me! And me!", the continuous singing, dancing and drumming of the mamas (especially vibrant when electricity has gone). Mum seems to be pulled towards the disabled children, and one boy in particular touched both our hearts- a gentle boy, unable to walk, but with such a spark in his eyes! I, on the other hand, seem to find myself with a mob of toddlers demanding assisted backflips...

Evenings at the volunteer house involved chilling with a beer in great company while wrapping Christmas presents for the 500 local kids, including previous Angels, Amy invites to join in the celebrations. It's a lovely environment where I felt very at home.

Forever Angels, what an incredible place!