Submitted by Julia Goins on the 2018 winter session program in South Africa sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies…
This week has been the most indescribable experience I have ever been a part of. I started my service placements at a safety home called Leamogetswe. This home provided care to a little more than 100 children ranging from toddlers to teenagers. It was a safe space to eat, sleep, play and learn for children who no longer have living parents, children who have AIDS or children that have experienced abuse or neglect. Many of the children were taken by the government and placed in this home by a social worker in an effort to give them a sense of family within the home and provide them with access to services, such as education and counseling. The children also had daily chores to do every morning which gave them a sense of responsibility and accountability.
When we got to the safety house each morning, we would help with chores and then go to the building where the toddlers played all day. This tiny room had about 15 toddlers, 1 adult caregiver and a dozen books and puzzles. Most days, we would sit on the floor with the kids and individually read them books, do puzzles or just play games.
When we went to see the older kids in the afternoon, we were able to communicate better with them and every day was different. I played soccer, made friendship bracelets, did puzzles, read books and played South African games they taught me. Often times though, I found myself just walking with three or four kids attached to every limb of me. All these children wanted were for someone to love them. With maybe 5 or 6 caregivers for more than 100 kids, these children rarely got individualized attention. There was one boy in particular that would not let go of my hand and if anyone else tried to hold my other hand, he would get angry and hit them. All he wanted was my undivided attention.
It was so hard leaving these kids at the end of the week, knowing that they just wanted constant love and affection and were not receiving that due to the lack of caregivers. I built strong bonds with many of the children and by the end of the week, I really cared about them. The feeling of not knowing what was going to happen with them or what they were going to become in the future was extremely hard for me to grapple with as I was leaving and would never know.
