August 28th - Sleep Overs At The Orphanage

The third organization that GVI partner with here is the Tumaini HIV/Aids Orphanage. The orphanage is very well set up; there is a boys and girls dorm, large kitchen and living / play / eating area. They also have an outside play area within the walls of the building and their own school rooms. There are about 40 kids between the ages of 2 and 10 plus 3 babies and they are very well looked after in terms of clothes, food, toys and most important for them, medical care. The staff are made up of 'mothers' who work 7 x 24 5 days a week and look after the kids. They also have volunteers from an other organization who come in during the day.

Relative to the schools, we spend the least amount of time here and the work is very different. We go in for 'sleep overs' to help relieve the 'mothers'. I went in with Barbara and one of the GVI staff. We arrived in time to visit with the kids a little and then help serve dinner – where I was amazed ... we would serve these tiny kids, these huge plates heaping with rice and beans, and the plates would come back licked clean. After the dishes, we read them stories and then helped get them ready for bed. After tea and chatting with some of the 'mothers', we were in bed by 10pm. We slept in the boys dorm and were there in case any of the kids were sick in the night and needed help. It was a quiet night for the kids – but what again amazed me was how these kids could have these huge racking coughs every couple of minutes and still be asleep.

The morning started at 6am with us and the kids up – them brushing their teeth, our changing beds if necessary and mopping the floors. Then it was helping them get bathed, vaselined up (they put it all over their body – not sure exactly why but I believe because of how dark their skin is and the dryness) and dressed – a large pile of clothes in the middle of the floor and the grabbing begins. As the kids played, we helped get breakfast ready, served and then cleaned up, while they started their lessons and then we were off. The hardest work I've done in a long time between 6 and 9am.

Reflecting on the visit, there were two things that stood out for me. One was related to their HIV/aids status – while we had training before we went and were careful while there, I realized that I had kept more physical distance with the kids than I would normally – I was surprised – despite the education and logical knowledge, the stigma of the disease and my emotional reaction were still very much there. Having said that, my memory of the orphanage is inextricably tied to Selma – a little 15 month old, so tiny and not feeling well with a fever – she just wanted the warmth of someone holding her and within 15 minutes of my arrival it was me when my hands were free – I had this little human heater attached and she wouldn't let go – she was just precious. Normally she is full of light and energy and I saw a little more of that in the morning as her temperature was down and she was feeling a bit better – I was relieved.

The other reflections were of the space and the fund raising – there was something almost claustrophobic about the building set up and I realized that it felt like the kids were trapped – yes, they had an outside play area but they still didn't have the freedom to just run around the village like the other kids did. But more space and freedom needs money and there is a cost to fund raising. The woman who runs the orphanage does an excellent job of networking and promoting the orphanage to raise money – including advertisement/signs on the main roads nearby. Unfortunately, that also means that tourists come by for tours – and the children automatically go into almost formation and sign songs. I had brought my camera out earlier in the morning and had expected a similar reaction to what I get at school where all the kids want their pictures taken – but this time, except for one bright spark of a little girl, the kids were unimpressed. I realized later it must be something they associate with visitors coming through and I really regretted getting it out.

It is a really tough situation – the priority is absolutely looking after these kids and ensuring they have what they need and that takes money – but at what cost? I'm sure the kids would pick a trip to the doctor as being worth singing a song and having their picture taken, somehow, it still doesn't sit comfortably with me ... as you can tell.