Morris and I visited our first Children’s Home today. It is
not run by TSA. It is run by Government and ‘well-wishers’, people who donate
funds to keep the home operating. This Home is located next to one of our corps
where we were holding a gathering. The director, a caring young man named
Christopher, and some of the children came to our gathering and participated.
At the end of the service, we were invited to visit the Home. Our schedule was
tight because we had a four hour drive to Kakamega before dark, but we could
not forfeit this opportunity.
Our first stop was the nursery – who can resist babies? J It was a small room with two cribs – one baby
in one crib and two babies in another. The babies were between 2-3 months old.
We were told their stories included being rescued by the Child Welfare office
and another abandoned by a young parent. These three precious infants could
steal your heart in a flash.
Morris and I got to hold one baby each. I held a little
Joel, and Morris held Joyce. (Morris has a special place in his heart for
little girls!). They snuggled into our necks with no hesitation. I remembered
how important ‘flesh on flesh’ is to babies. We didn’t want to let them go.
When I placed Joel back in his crib, he started to cry, as if he had been
really enjoying the snuggle. Oh my heart!
Our attention was then directed to the room adjacent to the
nursery. It was like our hearts expanded
as we saw about 8 cribs in a room that was probably 8 X 12 feet. These were the
toddlers, two or three in a crib. Two of the children had some disabilities,
they had their own crib. We had to fight
back tears as we walked among the cribs to say hi and touch the little ones
hands. Some of them were asleep. After a few minutes, one little one woke up
and when he saw the ‘white man’, he started to cry loudly and others followed. So we did a quick exit from the room, not
wanting to disturb the children. Back in the nursery we met a lady, Jennifer,
who Christopher called the ‘Mom’ of the babies. She was cuddling Joel and we
were told she is one of the employees for the baby section. We took time to
pray over the little ones and thank the staff for their good work.
Christopher then took us outside to meet the older children.
There are 144 children living there right now, ranging from infancy to high
school age. Outside the children were playing in the open area. There were some
swings in the playground and a small indoor multi-purpose room where we
gathered to hear the children sing. What a pleasure to hear these kids raise
their voices with great gusto: “Who made
the stars that twinkle in the sky, who made the rain that falls so hard, who
made the pretty butterfly, and who made me and you – our Father God” and
then another tune: “We have chosen a
better way, we will serve God for the rest of our life.” Music to our
ears!! Morris shared a few words with them and said a prayer. They kept saying
“Ah sante sana” (thank you for coming).
The visit to this Children’s Home was short so we didn’t get
to ask all the questions we wanted to. From what we could gather, the
opportunities for adoption are quite few and many of them stay at the home until
they finish school. Most of the children
come there when the Child Welfare Ministry becomes aware of situations where
parents are deemed unfit to raise children. Christopher said: “some of the
children have witnessed or experienced abuse, some have even witnessed the
suicide of their parents. Every once in a while, an infant baby is left at the
gate and they take the child in.”
We could see some of the older kids helping the younger
ones. I began to think that perhaps it is like a big family or a small
community. They support each other. They
probably bicker and tease each other too. They have rules to follow and adults
to take care of them. When the kids are
young, they are given some basic pre-school education. When they are of age,
they go to the schools nearby – one of the main Primary schools being a Salvation
Army school near the corps next door. Some of the high school age youth are
doing exams each year and hoping to continue with their education.
It’s easy to ‘feel sorry’ for these children. And yes, it
definitely was one of the most heart wrenching visits Morris and I have made,
especially to the nursery and toddler room. (If we were a few years younger, we
would probably be having another conversation.)
We can certainly appreciate the reward and the challenge the 28 staff
have as they continue to run this facility of love.
Perhaps most child psychologists and many of us would say
that children flourish best in individual homes, if they are healthy ones, and
not as much in institutions. Yet sometimes institutions are necessary. Where
would many of these children be without such a place?
I am very grateful that Youth and Child Protection is one of
the key pillars of The Salvation Army’s Accountability movement. The Army has
always worked hard to protect children – in our churches, camps, and other
Salvation Army facilities. Now there is even more emphasis and accountability
measures to ensure every child is safe and treated with dignity. Physical
punishment is not tolerated and every child must be provided with a high standard
of health and nurturing in each area of their development.
I often wondered which part of living and serving in Kenya
would affect me the most. This visit
today comes close to the top of that ‘wondering’. I’ve heard many people who have served in
developing countries speak of how they left a piece of their heart there. I
think a piece of mine got dropped in a nursery and toddler room today.
God bless every child who lives on this planet. May we all find some way to contribute to
some child’s wellness and growth.
Me and baby Joel
Outside in the yard of the Children's Home.
Christopher is standing to the far left and
the DDWM (Divisional Director of Women's Ministries) to the far right.
The kids were a little shy getting their photo taken.
