Today we went to work at an organization called Dwelling Places. This is an organization that takes in street children and gives them a home. Their vision is that every child has a place to rest their head and a family to love them. Their mission is to take in as many children from the streets, rehabilitate these children, trace their families, reconcile them with their families and re-introduce them into their family lives.
When these children are taken in they are put into a large home where they are cared for (there are about 55 youth). Their home includes a psychiatric wing (to help deal with the traumatizing situations these children have lived through, this is the rehabilitation aspect) they speak to a psychologist and try to deal with their issues), a medical wing (to deal with the havoc that living on the streets wreaks on a child's body, and to provide 24\7 medical attention in case any child is ill), a school, and living/playing areas as in a real home. They try to make this a home for these children as much as possible. What they tell the children is that it is only a transition home, that they will each get a family that loves them in the end but in the meantime, until the family is traced they have a place to eat, learn and sleep. The teaching that goes on in Dwelling Places revolves both around teaching school matter (and catching-up those who have not been to school on math, English, science, etc), and around teaching the basics of living in a home (making beds, cooking, cleaning up, washing themselves, using a bathroom). I think the saddest thing we were told is how even when a child is given a bed to sleep in, they are so used to the streets that they sleep on the floor anyways because they are unfamiliar with the concept of a bed. This just made me think of how little these kids have, not only do they not have love from a family, but they don't even know what a bed feels like. It makes us think twice of the things we take for granted and appreciate everything we are privileged to have.
When we visited the Dwelling Places site for the children we asked about the process of reconciliation with families, and the question was asked about how often do these children find families and properly are put back into their family lives. They answered us that 90% of the children reconcile with their families and go back to their original homes. At first I was very excited, but then, once I saw the children, some only 3 years old it was hard to believe that within the year they would be back in a healthy family environment. The reasons for which these children are on the street to begin with can range from escape from sexual abuse, to being thrown out by their family because of lack of money. Having a psychologist talk with their families before the children are put back into their original homes cannot possibly be enough, but according to the director, it seems to be fine. Then we asked about the other 10%, what happens to those who no longer have a family to be traced back to? They are either sent to boarding school until they are 18 and able to live alone, or they stay in a semi-independent home where they learn to fend for themselves until age 18 with the partial support of Dwelling Places.
After touring Dwelling Places we were able to spend time with the children there. They ranged from 3 to 15 years old (the older ones were at boarding schools). I sat down with a few girls and asked them all about themselves. It is impossible to describe the joy they feel when they are able to speak about themselves. Nobody ever has time to ask them how they feel, what they like, what they do for fun. Showing the smallest interest in them as human beings can make them feel so much more positive. I decided to ask them about their dreams. One of them told me she wanted to be a doctor, another wanted to be a teacher, yet another wanted to be a musician, and finally, the youngest one quietly said that she wanted, in the future, to be happy. None of them wanted money, or the biggest house, or the nicest car, the things that in our materialistic society we sometimes put above all else. They have ambitions and hope. They believe in their futures, and this belief is transferred quickly to whoever they speak to, and with complete certainty you can believe that these kids will be able to reach their dreams.
After hearing all about themselves, and sharing a bit about myself I asked them what they loved to do. They told me they love net ball. Net ball, is what we call basketball..with a single hoop. Two teams, trying to score in one net, no complications. We had a great time playing net ball all together at Dwelling Places. No matter what they live through on the streets, it is remarkable to see that the youth at Dwelling Places never forget how to have fun.
-Yara Sifri
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