Erfahrungsbericht von Rachel Downey
		I have been evolved with TLC since the year 2000. I first went with a friend having heard about the work of Thea from my brothers wife who is Theas niece. I spent just 8 days there then and it was the hardest but most life changing days of my life.
		We had 27 babies and toddlers in two rooms. There was not a bath room at that end of the house so we had to bath them in Theas bedroom. All the bottles were made in the kitchen along with all the family cooking. TLC had just moved to the farm and a lot of work still had to be done.
		My last visit took me to TLC for 1 year. Things had changed significantly. There was purpose built bathroom and playroom and separate nursery bedrooms for each age group of babies. There were better links with the medical facilities and better facilities for the volunteers.
		All though the care of the babies was just as challenging and tiring it was more rewarding as I was able to offer the babies all the love and care as well as the practical things they needed. Being with the babies for a whole year enabled me to give the children some consistency and for me it was wonderful to be able to collect a baby from a hospital and look after it until he or she could be placed with a forever family. Although emotionally this was very hard I knew for each baby it was the best thing.

Often Thea would say that these babies were like Moses in the bible each one abandon from a poor family but adopted into a palace to be raised as prince and princesses. I love now to be in touch with those tiny babies who are being raised as Africa's princes and princesses. I hope they will one day each offer something back to their motherland maybe they will become a doctor with the cure for Aids or a politician with the power to feed the starving or maybe volunteer at TLC.
I can not wait to go back to TLC. I am never happier than when I am sat in the nursery with a very small baby on my chest singing lullaby's!