"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." - Dorothea Lange

Sunday, April 12, 2015

mama melissa!

Change the Truth is incredibly lucky to have Melissa in its corner. This August will mark her fifth year living and working on our behalf at St. Mary Kevin Children's Home. The following recent missive makes it quite clear that she is a mama to so many now - and a fantastic one at that!

"Mourie lost her first tooth last weekend. As a child, my mom did an exceptional job of making those childhood milestones special. I celebrated Antwain’s milestones with him, and it has become one of my great joys to be present for the childhood milestones of the children at SMK.




In America, the Tooth Fairy is a common myth parents use to trade their child’s tooth for some small money. My mom kept the Tooth Fairy legacy alive when I was a child, and I did the same with Antwain. When Mourie discovered her tooth missing, she shared that Uganda’s Tooth Fairy is actually a Rat, which is crafty enough to eat the tooth after leaving a Ugandan shilling coin in its place.

When Mourie lost her tooth, we did not give the Tooth Rat the opportunity to pay us a visit. Instead I traded her tooth for a Ugandan shilling coin, and we are saving her first lost tooth for her Mommy. For me, it was a special privilege to be there during this moment in her childhood."


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