Forty four girls under one roof. Forty four girls in one bedroom. Forty four mouths to feed every day. Forty four sets of clothes that need to be washed. Forty four sets of homework every night. Forty four girls that need attention. Forty four girls that need to get to school. Forty four girls sharing 5 bathrooms. Forty four girls with at least two pairs of shoes each. Forty four girls with three house parents (who don’t really get days off).
Yet, with these forty four girls this is a drama free house. In one week there has not been a single argument or fight. The older girls enjoy taking care of the younger girls. Forty four girls who, as soon as they walk in the door from school, put their shoes away, hang up their back packs, do their chores (without being told or asked) before they do anything else. Forty four girls who lift up the piles on the table to wash under them, who move every chair at the table to sweep underneath it, and who do it with a smile. Without being told or needing to be reminded they greet every adult when they walk into the room; with a smile.
In case that didn’t leave me awe struck enough, then came Saturday. During the week forty four girls wake up at 5am to pray and have devotionals before getting ready for school. They slept in til 6:30am, I believe, had their devotionals and prepared breakfast. Before 9am forty four girls had handwashed and hung all their laundry! No questions asked, no complaining, it’s just done!! Half of the girls took their homework out and started to work on getting it done after they finished their morning chores.
It is simply astonishing the way these forty four girls run this house! They do all the cleaning and the cooking! You never have to worry about leaving computers out, they will not touch them. It doesn’t matter if tools are accidentally left out after working around the house because the girls won’t use them as weapons or hide them; in fact it’s likely that they will see it and go put it away for you. They will not eat until all of us are waiting in line with them for a meal. If they are bored they will play a game, organize a shelf, do each others hair, play with a younger child, draw or paint, go for a walk, swing in the swings, practice the keyboard or the guitar, or find an American to practice their English with.
Every day these forty four girls that I live with amaze me with their respect and love. Every day I can’t even imagine living in a house with so many girls. What’s even more astonishing is that three adults have willing dedicated their lives to these girls! They take them to and from school every day, watch over them, teach them, and make the forty four girls under this roof their priority: never to they complain about the work or even show exhaustion!
However, the most important part is that forty four girls are given the chance to live a life free from being sold into the sex industry – actually 77 girls (as the other house on campus has 33).
The house of the forty four 🙂
Their dressers 
