Orphanages

3/11/2010

Today was a crazy day. I’ve been up since God knows when because I still haven’t adjusted to the time difference. It eleven at night, I just got home, and I am absolutely exhausted and ready to pass out. But before I can allow myself to do that I had to write because today I had some experiences that I have to reflect on, even if it is very brief. Pastor Vusi, Bandile and I went to a workshop headed by some American church people from Florida today, and afterward we stopped to visit two of the places I will be working at starting next week. The first one was an orphanage for children with disabilities. We didn’t really get to tour because the owner wasn’t there and we have a tour planned for next week, but we did get to stop in and visit. The visual was, for lack of a less harsh word and lack of the desire to use one, sickening. We walked in to a small room sweltering with heat and overcome with flies. Ugh, they were everywhere. There were 2 adults in the room and, if I remember correctly, 16 children- each with a missing limb or some other disability. None were able to feed themselves or walk around normally, and it was lunchtime. So each adult- might I emphasize that these workers are volunteers and do not get paid for their work- had a child across their lap that they were feeding. One was eating the food that was being fed to him. The other’s body was completely limp and her face was distorted. It looked as if her mouth and other facial features were melting off. Each time the woman would put a spoon of the strange orange lumpy mixture into her mouth it would just drip out of the corners and onto a turquoise towel that was laid on the floor. The rest of the children who were not yet being fed were all laying on the floor, some in odd positions that they were physically incapable of getting out of, allowing the snot to run freely from their noses until either their upper lip or a their hand that ran tardily across their little cheek stopped it.