And how are the children? #AllTheChildrenAreWell

“Among the many fabled and accomplished tribes of Africa, no tribe was considered to have warriors more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty Masai. It’s surprising, then, to learn the traditional greeting passed among the Masai warriors; “Casserian Engeri,” one would always say to each other. And that it meant was, “And how are the children?”
 

It is still the traditional greeting of the Masai, acknowledging the high value the Masai placed on the children’s well-being. Even warriors with no children of their own would always give the traditional answer, “All the children are well.” This meant, of course, that peace and safety prevail; the priorities of protecting the young and the powerless are in place; that the Masai people had not forgotten their reason for being, their proper function, and their responsibilities.
 

“All the children are well” means life is good. It means the daily struggles of existence, even among poor people, include the proper care of the young and defenseless.”

 

I’m not sure if you have been watching the news lately, but there is a story that has made international headlines from a Township not far from where we are staying. 2 toddles (2 & 3 yrs old) were raped and murdered and discovered inside a public toilet in the township of Diepsloot. The suspect, 29 yrs old, was found in Alexandra, the township that neighbors Sandton. (More) So if you were to ask me, 'And How are the Children?' I have a very mixed opinion at this time.

On Saturday, my team spent the day at an orphanage funded by Jo’Burg Child Welfare Society in Soweto, one of the largest townships in South Africa. This particular orphanage hosts children who are taken out of their homes due to abuse, neglect, some are orphaned and others are found on the street. When we got out of the car, it was like the scene from Indiana Jones where the kids surround Indy and start hugging him. I stepped out of the van and was immediately surrounded by toddlers. I was carrying a plastic bag full of sweets in my hand and they knew it was for them. Their arms were lifted high in the air longing to be picked up and held, and the rest were crying for me to give them whatever I had. I picked up 2 little boys, one on each hip, almost immediately. They just wanted to be hugged. It was very different than anything I had ever experienced in the States because most toddlers I've ever come across are not so anxious to be held and loved by strangers without hesitation.

The older boys started a game of soccer with Esteban and Marcelo, while the little kids gathered around the women and were excited more about the sweets we had to share. SAP brought in a bouncy castle for the kids to jump on. They were doing karate moves to Soichiro and Gang. At one point the house mothers handed out juice boxes for the kids and I sat down next to them while they were enjoying their snacks, 2 little girls immediately sat in my lap on either leg. We took a tour through the nursery as well where there were about 30 cribs setup for the toddlers. There were 2 little children sleeping on the floor, a few crawling around, and another handful still napping in the cribs. One little boy woke up and started crying while I was standing next to Hemang, and then proceeded to rock himself and put himself back to sleep. It was heartbreaking.

On the bright side, this orphanage was clean and bright and the kids looked happy! They were smiling and playing at laughing and you knew that being here was much better than whatever situation they were removed from. And how are the children?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped for lunch at Mama Lindy’s. Mama Lindy is one of Awethu’s entrepreneurs and her business is to help tourists experience what a traditional South African household was like when she was growing up. She greeted us warmly with a big hug just like your own mom would do, gave us a quick tour through a museum house she setup, and then we sat down to lunch at a large table outside. Part of her business model is to help tourists understand that there was more to life than politics and struggle growing up. There was love and happiness within normal families and their stories were just as important. Mama explained to us that although she hasn’t traveled extensively, her

 

children have. And her children have been taken care of and hosted by so many fabulous people all over the world and she wanted to do the same for other people’s children. She stuffed us with delicious barbeque and sweet scones. The children are well.

 

 

 

After leaving the Mama’s, we headed into Kliptown, one of the worst shanty towns in the area. Our group was greeted by a young man from the Soweto Kliptown Youth Center (SKY) who walked us through the streets. Founded in 1987, SKY is a youth center in Kliptown that provides hope and services to some of the most neglected children in South Africa.

 

 

 

 

As we walked down the “streets”, our guide explained the lack of access to water and sanitation throughout Kliptown. Not to make light of the lack of access to toilets, but the funniest part of our tour was when a little girl (probably about 3 yrs old) walked up behind our tour guide, pulled down her pants, and peed in front of all of us right in the middle of the street. (He was in the middle of telling us that it’s hard to control children in these neighborhoods. I guess he was right!)

 

For the 50k residents, there are only 48 water spouts. There used to be 100 but the metal pipes were raided and sold off by addicts to support their drug habits. There are communal toilets, but no internal plumbing. Throughout our tour, we were followed by 2 adorable children from the Youth Center. It is not uncommon to see small children ages 2+ just roaming the streets of Kliptown on their own. And so it is no wonder to me that with the crime and drug & alcohol problems in the townships, horrific murders against small children like the one I mentioned above can ensue.

 

 

 

It started raining in the middle of our tour. We took shelter in the Youth Center where the kids provided us with an incredible dancing, drumming, and singing show. South Africa’s got talent! Shortly thereafter the rain turned to hail and the hail just came on stronger. We moved from the dining hall to the library where the roof started to leak. Everyone pitched in to move the boxes of books and papers away from the water. The toddlers were ushered in after us and were so excited to see water streaming from the ceiling – a built-in water park! But you could see the look of distress on the adults faces. They knew it was bad.  We did what we could but it was time to go. We all had to take off our shoes and walk through 4 inches of standing flashflood water and ice to make it back to our tour van. I reminded the group that we all got our tetanus and typhoid shots, right? No seriously, I was panicking in my head. I’ve never seen a more filthy street and I was about to walk through it barefoot with no visibility in the pouring rain. I went first. A small boy in rain boots and an umbrella gave me his arm at the door and escorted me to the street. He giggled as I squealed with pain from the cold. Laura was just behind me and we took refuge on a rock sticking out from the water. Our legs and feet were bright red. We took the final stretch together with Adel and crossed the street to our van. Success!

 

 

As we made it to our van you could hear music and drumming over the screams of my colleagues. There was a stopped train just beyond the field where we were parked. The men inside the train were singing and drumming to pass the time. It was like something out of a movie. To our left, a few little boys had gathered outside of the van. I had given away all of my sweets at the orphanage that morning, but had a few pieces of gum left. I handed out a piece to each of the little boys which prompted them to start dancing for us. Just in front of us, parents and community members were arriving to check on the status of the orphanage. I only remember one in particular. A man pulled up and got out of his car. He was carrying a handle of liquor and a cigarette. He took a long swig from the bottle and then proceeded into the children’s center. And how are the children? …

Esteban followed up with the Youth Center and it turns out they are not well. We have had 3 consecutive days of hard rain and hail and the roofs are not faring well. The children’s beds are wet and they are in need of warm blankets. We are going to work as a team to see what we can do to help.

Saturday was an extremely tough day for me. You can see there is so much pain and need within the communities in and around South Africa. Yet, somehow these children seemed very happy. The children were smiling and laughing and finding pleasure in song and dance and small things like a stick of gum. They may not be in the best situation, but they are taught that their greatest downfall can be self-pity.They are taught to persevere and work hard to get an education and go on to live a better life. I have a lot to learn from these kids. I hope I never forget the way these kids made me feel that day. Everyone told me that this trip would bring a lot of perspective to my life, and I don’t know that you can sum up the changes this trip has made on me only using the phrase 'a change in perspective', but this sabbatical has certainly changed me for the better.

 

Something new every day...