Baby Teresa Blog

Tanzania Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:54:00 +0000

Thankyou for your donation of suits that I was able to take to Tanzania.

My husband and I worked at the School of St Jude, Usa River Campus, twenty minutes from Kilimanjaro International airport in 2009/2010 and we planned to return in September this year. My goal is to take the Certificate 3 course in Library/Information services from the Tasmanian Polytechnic back to further the education of teachers and others who work and run school libraries.

A fellow volunteer from Australia who had worked with us at St Judes also planned further education and she was setting up a two week course for Amahs, baby minders and owners of early learning centre and crèches. One of the field trips planned as part of the course was for her students to go in groups for hands-on experience at the Cradle of Love, http://cradleoflove.com/ an Orphanage at Usa River established and run by, Davona Church, from the United States of America. We visited the orphanage and were greeted by about twenty-five children in the toddlers’ area. There were five carers, three Tanzanian women and two young women from Germany. The large airy room had play equipment and a shelf of books which the children were keen to access and have stories read to them. At one end was the dining area with the kitchen close by.

Ten suits were donated to the Cradle of love. The other ten were given to Plaster House, http://www.plasterhouse.org an initiative of a young woman from Australia. Children are sent here after operations in the hospital, that require clean careful after care which would be impossible to sustain in the young patients’ villages.

Carrie Hesekth - second Vietnam donation

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 03:34:00 +0000

It had been almost 1 year since my last visit to the Tam Ky baby orphanage (and last Baby Teresa donation!) and I was ridiculously excited to be going back there. Having been working with this orphanage now for over 6 years I was greeted by a swarm of children and some very excited orphanage staff – I am glad I am not one who is in need of too much personal space! It was about 35 degrees and incredibly humid . . .and I was in my element.

The orphanage is looking great! There are new buildings been built to house the increasing number of children arriving, the new water purification system seems to be having a great impact, and the volunteers have been doing a great job in keeping smiles on the children’s faces.

It didn’t take long for me to make my way to the two baby rooms to deliver the Baby Teresa outfits. When I pulled the first one out the ‘mothers’ (staff) got huge grins on their faces – they remembered them from last year and the LOVE them! There were lots of babies to clothe this year – a set of twins only 4 months old, a tiny 6 month old little one with down syndrome, a 6 month old blind baby girl, Son, a little boy now over 12 months who has severe hydrocephalus and brain damage, a baby only a few days old and another 10 ranging from 1 month to 1 year. Luckily we had plenty of outfits to go around!

Being right at the peak of the hot season, the staff were so happy to have the short onesies and they quickly changed them into their new outfits and paraded them in front of me. One of the mothers popped Son, the baby with brain damage into one and started to cry saying how handsome he looked.

The children are doing well – we do have a problem with the children getting boils in the heat, we have a problem with malnutrition as good baby formula is expensive in Vietnam and sadly, not in the budget, and we have continuing problems with impetigo – an incredibly infectious, painful skin condition, all of which the staff and volunteers try to combat on a daily basis.

Bay Teresa not only gave these beautiful babies new outfits this year, but they also provided some very much needed baby formula – a gesture that was welcomed with cheers from the staff, including the orphanage director. Good nutrition is a great start to helping these little babies get started in life.

Thanks so much Baby Teresa for your help in improving the lives of these children and all of the others that you are helping around the world!

Ben West - Nepal Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:23:00 +0000

Do not let her small stature confuse you, Nada Kulu is a force to be reckoned with. I first met Nanda in April 2010 on my first visit to Nepal, I was walking through the main tourist area of Thamel in Kathmandu and somehow found myself inside a music shop drinking tea and speaking with Nanda about her orphanage ‘Mitrata’ which she started in 2000. The Mitrata, which means friends in Nepalese started by housing and schooling just four children but today has expanded to care for over one hundred underprivileged Nepalese children. Since meeting Nanda I have been sneaking out-dated laptops under the sensitive Nepalese goods import tax radar with friends. These laptops have been gratefully received and used by the children of Mitrata. I was very excited about the prospect of taking twenty Baby Teresa outfits to Nanda.

I had just finished a climb in Nepal and wandered to the same music shop where I first met Nanda. There she was, bubbly and bright as ever, offering me tea and speaking passionately about her new organization; Mountain Sisters. No, Nanda is not happy just housing and raising the children, she also wants to provide a job path for them once they grow old enough to seek work. The Mountain Sisters is a trekking and adventure business which trains and employs the very same children who grow up at Mitrata.

Nanda gladly accepted my donation of twenty long, warm Baby Teresa suits, Nanda then smoothly convinced me to spend the next few days editing the English on her numerous charitable websites, drunk her tea with me and excitedly spoke about how helpful the Baby Teresa suits will be for the infants to wear over these cold Nepalese nights, it was great to have these suit go to such a worthy organization.

If you are ever lucky enough to visit this amazing country and want a guide for either one day in the city or ten days trekking contact Nanda at www.mountainsisternepal.com not only will you ensure a great trip but you will be helping an orphan to help themselves. Mitrata Nepal also offer flexible volunteering visits where you can teach the children in English, arts or any area which you may specialize in.

Aitutaki Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:33:00 +0000

I was recently was fortunate enough to holiday in the Cook Islands. We spent time on Rarotonga – gorgeous, calm and tropical and then made our way to the tiny island of Aitutaki. A more spectacular place – I’ve never seen.

What I realised after just a few days there though, was that despite the postcard-like scenery, living on a tiny island so isolated has it’s share of troubles.

I visited the Red Cross (below) and met with a lovely lady known to locals as “Mother” and discussed with her the major areas of need on the island. With food costing $5 per kilo to bring in produce grown on the island is an essential however the dire shortage of rain over the past few months had made things extremely difficult. We also discussed the cyclones of the past (see the photo of the flattened house) and the prevalence of STIs on the island.

I was delighted to leave the Red Cross with Baby Teresa outfits to be distributed as the Mother saw fit. I was also ably assisted by my 9 month old Milla on her first Baby Teresa donation. As you can see – she was loving it!

Special thanks must go to Roro our host (and mother of 7!) who organised both our accommodation and the donation.

Ben West - Donation in Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:54:00 +0000

This is Ben's second donation with Baby Teresa - read about his first in Equador here.

Sunrise Childrens Orphanage, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The security guard took down our details at the gate and checked our identification. Obviously they cannot let just anyone wander around the grounds amongst the children. The Sunrise Childrens Orphanage in Siem Reap was set up by an Australian lady by the name of Geraldine Cox. Following a visit to Cambodia, Geraldine, through her circle of friends, organised regular monthly care packages to be sent to orphaned children in Cambodia. She then applied for a grant through her employer the Chase Manhattan Bank who supported the orphanage project with $20,000 annually over five years. Now the orphanage is a well established not for profit organisation and receives donations from all over Australia. The group has expanded and now have a second orphanage in Phnom Penh. The facility in Siem Reap cares for over sixty children providing housing, schooling, consistency and most importantly safety and love in its large enclosed grounds. They mainly care for school aged children but have an active program which sends social workers to outer lying villages to give education, support and care packages to young mothers. This is where my Baby Teresa parcel is destined. Despite not being the poorest orphanage, due to its strong connections with local villages and other orphanages I figured that the donation will get to where it is most needed.

A worker gave us a tour of the orphanage and told many desperately sad tales about the children milling around our legs. Their newest resident, a tiny four year old boy with old eyes, was living with his mother after his father left. His mother worked as a prostitute and was an alcoholic. When drunk his mother would regularly bash him to within inches of his life. He ran away from home one year ago and was taken in by a kindly old Buddhist monk. The monk was too old to look after the boy properly so he was taken to the orphanage a week ago and is just starting his new life. I was amazed at the resilience of this child. Despite his sad eyes and beaten dog look, the boy showed great interest in my fake grass thongs and kept on insisting that I help him with his drawing while the worker spoke to us under the shady tree.

- Ben West (read about Ben's travel adventures here at Red Rucksack)

Due to strict regulations on photographing the children I was not allowed to take any photographs with the children.

Vote and help us clothe more babies in need!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Mon, 02 May 2011 04:30:00 +0000

Baby Teresa has been nominated for a $5,000 Sunsuper Dream Grant.

Vote here to help us win (the most votes win!)

http://sunsuperdreams.com.au/dream/view/baby-teresa-is-donates-clothing-to-needy-children

Thanks in advance,

Kirsty & Sammie

Vietnam donation - by Carrie Hesketh

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:33:00 +0000

I recently had the priveledge of taking eight 15 year old students from Smithon High School to visit some of the centres that I have been working with in Vietnam since 2005. We spent two weeks helping out in centres and visiting poor villages and were able to sponsor projects as well as provide clothing donated by Baby Teresa - which were a great hit!

Our first stop was the Tam Ky Baby Orphanage. Tam Ky is around 70kms south of DaNang and the Baby Orphanage is home to approximately 40 children up to the age of 8 years as well as a constant flow of new born babies - there have been anywhere up to 30 babies at one time. Some of these babies are adopted out, some are looked after until their parents are back on their feet financially and some grow up in the orphanage. The gorgeous Baby Teresa suits were an absolute hit - the staff were giggling saying the children "didn't look like orphans anymore!" The babies as well as the older children loved the bright colours. These children never, ever have brand new outfits so it was a complete novelty. The staff were very gratefull and ket asking for more... but we had to spread the Baby Teresa love further!

We also visted villages where there were many families living in squat conditions - under corregated iron or fallen down homes. When we gave their babies these bright coloured outfits they were very, very grateful - it's amazing what smiles a new outfit will bring!

Our last delivery point for the suits was the Hoi An Orphanage - home to 70 children from babies to 18 years old. Again the suits were greeted with smiles and hugs and the staff (who earn approx $2 per day on 24 hour shifts) begged us for more so that they could give them to their own babies they thought they were so beautiful!

So, it is fair to say the Baby Teresa suits were a very big hit... amazing what some new, colourful, ultra spunky suits can do for people that have nothing.

Thank you so much Baby Teresa - keep up the amazing work.

Ubud, Bali Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:19:00 +0000

I recently found myself, 7 months pregnant at a birthing centre in Ubud, Bali surrounded by tired-but-happy new mums and babies. Ubud may sound familiar to you as it's recently been given a tourism boost by the movie launch of the popular book Eat, Love, Pray. I was there, not to give birth myself, but to attend a wedding of a fabulous couple who had met in Ubud a few years earlier.

While there, I wanted to find somewhere fantastic to do a Baby Teresa donation, many thanks to Libby Showell for pointing me in the direction of the birthing centre "Bumi Sehat" - about ten minutes drive out of Ubud. Bumi Sehat, as I was told by our fabulous guide, was set up by an Australian woman and handles about 90% local births, and 10% westerners. Westerners pay to use the facilities, but locals are assisted for free.

After getting over my initial shock at their logo (well - it certainly meant I knew I was in the right place!) I was delighted to find that the facility was clean, well appointed and the staff were extremely helpful. More surprising was all the water birth facilities - I'm told they're very popular!

I met three mums while I was onsite, each having given birth within the last 2 days. It was fantastic to be able to donate some Baby Teresa outfits for some of the mums in need (especially being pregnant myself) and the centre welcomes donations - keep it in mind for your next visit to Bali!

Thanks to Baby Teresa's social marketing guru Lara Solomon for coming along with us on this donation and thanks to all of you out there who make our donations possible by buying Baby Teresa outfits for little ones you know and love.

- Kirsty

PS - the last two pictures here are of a Mum I met on the streets of Ubud with her little one.

Donation in Equador

noreply@blogger.com (Sammie Appleyard) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 04:27:00 +0000

Ben West is currently travelling around South America. He recently did a donation to an orphanage in Ecuador. A big "thank you" to Ben from all of us here at Baby Teresa HQ, you are a star! Here is what Ben had to say.

"Currently I am lucky enough to be exploring South America. Prior to leaving I was given the opportunity by Sammy and Kirsty to bring with me Baby Teresa outfits to donate to an orphanage in Ecuador. Quito, the capital of Ecuador has a large population of underprivileged and abandoned children due to its underemployment rate of 43.8%. (census 2001). The poverty in this town is hard to miss as beggers frequently approach tourists, many holding infants or young children.

My friend Victor, a dutch medical student who speaks far better spanish than I offered to help me to find a suitable orphanage. After two hours of fruitless searching on the internet for an address we decided to just walk into a church and ask. Four churches later we were on the way to an orphanage call “San Vincent de Paul”. Located in a poor neighbourhood one hour out of the city centre San Vincent de Paul is currently home to 65 infants aged 2 months to two years.

Initially we were greeted with some suspicion by the head nun at the orphanage but after we showed her the Baby Teresa outfits and managed to explain why we were visiting she was quite happy to show us around. Each bedroom held about twenty cots, infants and small children were everywhere. I saw six very hardworking volunteers feeding, changing and playing with infants and trying to maintain the peace.

The play area had few toys which the children were all sharing. An excited volunteer offered to dress some of the children in their new clothes for some photos. The other children crowed around wanting to be part of the action. After a few photos we left the workers alone who were busily dressing the infants in their new clothes.

It was a great experience to deliver this donation to such a worthy place. I found it immensely rewarding when I left to see a room full of little green and orange “tiggers” sporting their new jump suits."

France Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Sammie Appleyard) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 05:56:00 +0000

A big thank you to Andy and Simmy for the donation they took to Gap in France a few months ago. Here is what they had to say.

"In July 2010, my partner and I had the opportunity to travel the vast expanses of France, including a three day stay in the town of Gap. Gap (formed in 14 BC), is in the Hautes-Alpes department in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in the South of France. This town forms a regional centre for communities living in the Southern Alps. It sits 800 metres above sea level and boasts 300+ days of sun a year. It has a population of around 36,000 and its income is generated through tourism (main source), agricultural industry, clothes manufacturing, wood products and construction material.

The township and surrounding Alpine communities is supported by the Gap General Hospital, which including a pediatric ward. While the population of Gap enjoys a decent standard of living compared to neighboring countries, there is still a dependence on France’s health system, particularly in regards to family services. In fact, I was often taken back by the degree of poverty encountered in France and Gap was no exception. After overcoming the usual language barriers with hospital staff, I was escorted to the Pediatric Ward where the jump suits provided by Baby Teresa, were presented to senior nursing staff. The staff were very grateful of the gift from Australia and the suits were immediately provided to some of the poorer families present in the ward.

Overall, the opportunity to make such a donation was a great experience and I’m sure there are a number of very grateful families in Gap, France."

Baby Names Galore!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:16:00 +0000

The baby name debate has been raging this month at our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BabyTeresaFan.

Popular boys names: Angus, Mitchell, Max and more...

Girls names people love: Matilda, Valentina, Ava and (a lot) more!

And for some fun - the most unusual names, check out the page to see some of those!

And today, we're asking what names are too "old" to give a little one.

Thanks to everyone for participating, and even more, thanks for spreading the word about Baby Teresa - where for each outfit we sell, we donate another one to a baby in need.

Xavier - a home model cutie!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:43:00 +0000

Check out Doug and Ruth's little spunk Xavier doing us proud as a home model! We always love seeing our suits in action (send them in to us: shop [at] baby-teresa.com or on the facebook page) - AND we can tell you that the twin to the suit purchased for Xavier ended up in Indonesia - very cool.

Baby Teresa - 12 months in!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Baby Teresa on TV show The Circle

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:22:00 +0000

Or head in here to view Baby Teresa on television show The Circle - we're mentioned from about 50 seconds in! - Kirsty & Sammie

Jakarta donation

noreply@blogger.com (Sammie Appleyard) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:33:00 +0000

Nyssa is back from her trip to Indonesia. She visited a local orphanage in Jakarta. Here is what she had to say. "Lestari Sayang Anak is a small orphanage tucked away down a quiet alley in south Jakarta. The organisation’s founder, Ingrid van der Mark, met me at the gate with her two adopted girls, Emily, one, and Lisa, three, and lots of smiles. Ingrid is just getting the orphanage up off the ground, but it already felt like a home with donated play equipment, cots, colourful wall paintings and plenty of toys. She plans to care for up to eight babies at a time, working to make what difference she can to a small number of children. There are close to 10 million people (on the record) in Jakarta and devastating levels of poverty. There are too many mothers who can’t afford to feed themselves, let alone a baby, and there are too many babies. The orphanage has received many donations and has clothes for the babies, but they are second hand and not great quality. It felt really special to bring along a present for them. Jimmy, aged three months, was quietly curious about me and my colourful packages. As you can see in the photo, Emily was much more forthcoming. The orphanage receives plenty of donated items, but it is in desperate need of basic funds to pay for wages, food and the regular ongoing bills. People can sponsor children or make one-off donations. For more information, visit lestarisayanganak.com/. Thanks for letting me be part of Baby Theresa - it was a really lovely experience!" - Thanks Nyssa for supporting Baby Teresa, we really appreciate it.

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:46:00 +0000

Thanks to Tracey and her little man Oscar (aka Tigger as he's been named after wearing his Baby Teresa outfit by his 2 year old sister!) for this awesome home model shot!

I wonder wear Oscar's one for one donation will go with suits heading out to Bolivia, Equador and Vietnam this month!

Cambodia donation

noreply@blogger.com (Sammie Appleyard) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Courtney and her travel companions are back from an amazing trip to Cambodia. Here is what she had to say about their time away and the Baby Teresa suits they donated to a local orphanage in Phnom Penh.

"In July a group of 24 Tasmanians traveled to Cambodia for a house building trip with the Tabitha Foundation. During our time in Phnom Penh we were delighted to visit a local orphanage and donate 20 Baby Teresa outfits. The Sisters who run the orphanage were overwhelmed by the donation and the children were very excited to see us all. It was a really special experience being able to spend an hour playing and cuddling some of the happiest children in the world. Thanks Baby Teresa!"

Peru Donation – Casa de Acogida Mantay

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:08:00 +0000

During June I travelled for the first time to South America. It was a truly amazing trip with some of the most breathtaking scenery and some of the most impressive people I’ve ever met. If you ever want to see stamina – watch a Peruvian local run up incredibly steep steps fully laden with 20 kilos (or more) on their backs.

For me – the highlight of my trip was in Peru for two main reasons. Firstly – after finding out that I was going to be expecting my own Baby Teresa in a few months my husband and I decided we’d still hike the Inca trail. 46km later and exhaustion doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt, but ending at Machu Picchu made it all worthwhile.

After the trek we descended back down into the amazing town of Cusco where I was able to complete another Baby Teresa donation – the other major highlight of my trip. Sadly due to transport strikes I was unable to complete this donation in person but the organization struck such a chord with me that I wanted desperately to make sure that our Baby Teresa suits went here. I think you’ll understand exactly why when you read about Mantay below.

I must first thank Jane, the owner of Jacks Café in Cusco, firstly they do the most amazing breakfasts you absolutely must try if you’re in Cusco, and secondly it was through Jane that, despite the transport strike, I was able to get our donation to Mantay.

So – let me tell you a little more about Casa de Acogida Mantay or just “Mantay” the Quechuan word for “mother” as so many seem to call it. It’s headed up by Raquel García Matías who was phenomenal to communicate with despite our language barriers (thank goodness for online translators like Babelfish and Google translator).

Mantay is a non-profit home specifically for single mothers aged 12 to 18. Some estimates state that 25% of Peruvian mothers are under the age of 18. Mantay offers support and shelter so that these young mothers don’t turn to abandoning their children under the pressure of being such a young mother – and often being alone.

Mantay runs workshops focusing on things like domestic violence, which can stem from a family being unprepared or resentful of their situation. Mantay also has a small workshop where the mothers produce artisan products Such as purses, bags and bookmarks. The skills they learn in the workshop can help them to find work in the outside world, and the products created can be sold to raise a little money for the upkeep and running of the home.

If you’re in the Peru area Mantay absolutely welcomes volunteers and assistance and their website is here: http://www.mantay.org/english/

All in all, as you can see from the photos this was a perfect fit for a Baby Teresa donation.

- Kirsty

Enterprise Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 04:03:00 +0000

Thanks to the lovely Claire van Ryn and Rose Chisholm for this fabulous article in the most recent Enterprise magazine.

Sanctuary Fundraiser!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:15:00 +0000

We were delighted to again be involved with our friends at Sanctuary in New York!

Congratulations to them on an amazing fund-raising effort.

Sammie and Kirsty

New Baby Teresa Stockist

noreply@blogger.com (Sammie Appleyard) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:45:00 +0000

Welcome to our new Baby Teresa Stockist - Thumbelina Miniatures & Gifts (http://www.thumbelina.net.au/) located in Nicholls ACT, head in and check it out today!

noreply@blogger.com (Sammie Appleyard) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:04:00 +0000

Kanoodie Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Sammie Appleyard) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:58:00 +0000

Have you checked out our new stockist? Head here http://www.kanoodiebaby.com.au/. Fiona stocks a wide range of products for the baby, mum, dad, gifts and lots more. Check it out!

From a customer in the UK...

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Tue, 11 May 2010 06:16:00 +0000

Savannah and I love the babygrow we received today in perfect condition in the UK. It's great to know another baby get to benefit as well as Savannah. I love this concept! Here is a picture of the Little Miss modeling it.

Nichola Barnett

Enterprise Photo Shoot!

noreply@blogger.com (Kirsty Dunphey) — Fri, 07 May 2010 04:47:00 +0000

Check out these stunners! These 5 gorgeous babies were our delightful (and extremely well behaved) models for our April photo shoot for Enterprise magazine.

Huge thanks go out to Claudia and her mum Ida, Imogen and her Dad Oliver (previously featured in our post "Do models eat?", Harriet and her Mum Mel and twins Harry and Jock and their parents Karla and Sam.

The day was full of fun as Harriet stole the show with her fabulous mane of hair and her tendency to want to direct the shoot herself. She also stood up! Exciting times.

Harry (in the blue) and Jock (in the orange) were our terrific twins and our "big boys" of the day.

Imogen was our teeny tiny little lass who ate and slept and was very calm.

Claudia wowed everyone with her stunning eyes and ability to pose on cue and loved a prop of any sort (Mum's scarf, toys etc!)

Stay tuned for the finished images on our site and the Enterprise article!

Kirsty and Sammie
Baby Teresa HQ