I've gathered through the grapevine that the previous blog entry seems insensitive, as if I were making fun of the children's poverty. Thanks for the feedback, and I'll do my best to provide an explanation.
By this point I feel that this is my home and that these are my kids. The holes in the shoes and socks are like a family joke. Like when your baby walks around with an inverted bowl on its head. You laugh and you take a picture to share with friends. You certainly aren't scoffing at the baby.
Our children are well taken care of. We are surrounded on every side by abject poverty, and the children in adjacent villages sometimes do not get enough food to eat. But our kids all have American sponsors whose donations provide for their clothing, food, and school materials. They all had new shoes and socks over a year ago; it's just that they've now been reduced to shreds.
An important point that I forgot to mention in the previous blog is that new shoes are on the way. We have received a donation that will enable us to purchase new shoes for the whole school (actually, we are switching to sandals next year, which won't necessitate wearing socks). I can see how the pictures would seem less humorous if that's all the kids are going to have.
Maybe it's also human nature to throw up one's hands and laugh when the situation is beyond control. We have tried to keep everyone clean and neat and presentable. But they're kids. A volunteer who was here briefly in the fall was horrified not only at how many children she was constantly catching in the act of lying or stealing, but that the rest of us volunteers just laughed when she mentioned it. After months of threatening and punishing and scolding oneself blue in the face, I guess you just start laughing.
By this point I feel that this is my home and that these are my kids. The holes in the shoes and socks are like a family joke. Like when your baby walks around with an inverted bowl on its head. You laugh and you take a picture to share with friends. You certainly aren't scoffing at the baby.
Our children are well taken care of. We are surrounded on every side by abject poverty, and the children in adjacent villages sometimes do not get enough food to eat. But our kids all have American sponsors whose donations provide for their clothing, food, and school materials. They all had new shoes and socks over a year ago; it's just that they've now been reduced to shreds.
An important point that I forgot to mention in the previous blog is that new shoes are on the way. We have received a donation that will enable us to purchase new shoes for the whole school (actually, we are switching to sandals next year, which won't necessitate wearing socks). I can see how the pictures would seem less humorous if that's all the kids are going to have.
Maybe it's also human nature to throw up one's hands and laugh when the situation is beyond control. We have tried to keep everyone clean and neat and presentable. But they're kids. A volunteer who was here briefly in the fall was horrified not only at how many children she was constantly catching in the act of lying or stealing, but that the rest of us volunteers just laughed when she mentioned it. After months of threatening and punishing and scolding oneself blue in the face, I guess you just start laughing.
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