Through the eyes of a child one can never know what they see with their little eyes. In countries like Swaziland I bet children at a young age witness many things that to them seems normal or wishing they could forget. Alcoholism, sexual abuse, physical abuse, mental abuse, growing up without a parent or both parents, not having the love they deserves; I have seen this and more. Many children that I have come across have grown up without much of a childhood.
I have spent some time with many children over the past four weeks. On the compound there is a pre-school class of 30 or so children, and when they get their little break at around 10am, that’s when some of my team mates and I go sit with them and spend time with them. Whenever I bring my camera out it’s a bit crazy, because they all say (shoot, shoot) wanting me to take their photo. When one child gets pushed away or they are told to get away by another child the first instinct is for the other child to hit. Now growing up this is normal for young kids, but when trying to tell them no, they either hit me or try and bit me.
At first I didn’t know what to make of this, and I was confused. It wasn’t until Ruth my teammate told me it’s their way of being strong and fending off what’s theirs or what they want. Knowing this it tells me that most aren’t used to hearing “no hit” or “don’t do that”. Growing up in an area where survival of the fittest is important to surviving if you have no real family to take care of you or have a family that doesn’t care.
There is this little girl who is almost three or just turned three. What I have been told is that her father died and her mother is a drug addict. She lives three huts down from the compound with 10 other children with no family. This little girl walks around and has been seen at different care points that are a few miles away. At the age of three she is more independent than some adults. With a cute face and a full set of teeth she can handle herself and is one tough cookie, but she had to grow up to survive.
I’m ashamed to think back to the times I thought it wasn’t fare that I had to clean my room or do something as a child that I didn’t like. For children in countries that have nothing, not even parents to take care of them. It makes the problems I had as a child seem petty. To see through the eyes of a child, in Swaziland will amaze you how quick they have to grow up, and what childhood they don’t have.
