Submitted by Juan Aguinaga on the 2024 Winter SOCI/CRJU program in South Africa…
My mother ran a daycare when I was around 5 years old. She ran it out of our home, and I always will have fond memories of the years I spent with the other children she looked after.
As we prepared for our trip to South Africa during our orientation meetings, we were told of the opportunity we would be getting to take care of children housed in a home where abandoned and abused children are housed. I was not expecting this experience to touch my heart in the way it did. Going into it, I was thinking how at one point I was the one being taken care of, and now I would be in the role of the caretaker.
My mother always told me it was exhausting to take care of children, but I was not expecting it to be as tiresome as it was. As soon as we walked into the house we saw the clutter of children in the playroom. We settled down our things and walked over to them after being introduced to the workers. As soon as I walked over to them I was greeted with tiny hugs from every angle and outstretched hands looking to be carried. I made myself comfortable with the children and began to carry them around and play for around an hour before I started to understand what my mom used to tell me about. I felt like an old man with them and as I pleaded with them for a small break. Although they didn’t listen to my request, it didn’t bother me.
We were told that what the kids needed most was love, the love that they were stripped of from their parents either because of neglect, abuse, or abandonment. It made me happy in a different way than I’m used to being happy. The pure joy radiating from the children was contagious. The day with them ended. My back ached and my muscles were sore, so as soon as I hit the bed I prepared myself for the next day with them and fell asleep. It was a rough morning waking up but I was eager to see the kids again.
Day 2 was very similar to the one before but with more comfort and trust with each other. On this day, I engaged more with a certain three-year-old toddler named Nicki. Her mental development had been severely stunted due to the conditions of her home where she was subjugated to abuse and extreme neglect. I came to find out later that she had found refuge in the home along with her 5 siblings. She wasn’t able to communicate in the conventional ways but instead relied on noises and pointing to convey what she wanted. As much as I was growing to care for all of the children I was spending time with, seeing that child be happy had an impact on me the most. The rest of the days were more of the same but with more enthusiasm going into them.
I’m approaching my final day at the home, with this experience ending tomorrow. I’m prepared for a very hard goodbye, but am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to have shared smiles with all the children. (Submitted on January 14, 2024)