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Pressure in the Children's Home

A couple of weekends ago I spent almost the whole weekend at Jakaranda Childrens Home in Pretoria, South Africa. Friday evening I watched my family members participate at the TTA Development Tournament that was hosted there, and Saturday I cooked about 17kgs of boerewors for boerewors rolls (hot-dogs).  There is a development program for the Children's Home kids called Defend with Integrity.

On Friday evening I watched the kids participate, and on Saturday I saw them outside the hall. Some were participating in the Taekwondo tournament, some were playing rugby in the open area and there was one or two that was hanging around the braai and pancake area.

It took a lot of self control not to give in to the emotional manipulation, to dish out boerewors rolls. But it was not easy, these are children, that do not have much. These are children that probably envy those that have a family and a stable house to live in. These are children that are put together in a house, to grow up away from their family for their own safety.

 But these children also have a sword hanging over their heads! As soon as they finish school or turn 18 years of age, they have to leave the children's home. Imagine being in you final year of school, having to contend with the pressures of final exams, and then to worry about where to stay, what to do, and where to get money to study if they could. Or what would happen when they return home. For me the pressure would be too much.

 Thinking about this a couple of days later, it suddenly dawned on me that I am / was in a similar situation as a child. Let me explain.
My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was in Grade 7 (std 5), my senior year in primary school, and she died later that year. My dad remarried a year later and we moved to the farm where my step-family lives.

 However the next year, 16 months after my mom passed away, my dad had a stroke and passed away ... on my brother's 21st birthday. (not much of a birthday). And suddenly, although it did not feel like it to me, my sister and I were orphaned. We were living in a house with 5 other kids that did not really understand us, and our teachers compared us in class as if we were supposed to be twins. But my step-mom really tried to make it easy on us, to make us family and make us settle in. And we got to love her as mom. But it was not home, it was not familiar (not really). 

 And just like the kids in the children's home, I left when I was 18. I went to report for my National Service and after the 2 years I joined the Defense Force as a Permanent Force member.After that I only went to visit my mom, I never really went back 'home'. Where was home anyway?

 But I took the opportunities I had and made the best of it, at least I could enter the Defense Force for National Service and then decide what I wanted to do. Today's kids do not have that luxury,if they do not go to study, they have to fend for themselves, find a job, do something, or land on the street. This make a lot of the Children's Home kids survivors, making do with what they have and make sure that they can survive, by whichever way. I really feel for those kids, they have been dealt a bad hand early in live, and then it may happen again when they leave school.

 So what are they going to do after school? I am sure that there are an organization to cater for a gap year, an preparation year, but ... What are we going to do about it? Can we do anything about it? Any ideas?







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