The past several days have been filled with big events and milestones; not in my own life, but in the lives of the children at the shelter. I saw a little boy take his first steps. One of the toddlers started eating solid food at the “big kid table”. Ryan helped his favorite little baby to sit up without help. Some of the pre-school kiddos made the climb up the rock-wall for the first time.
My favorite moment came when a courageous little boy conquered his fear and went down the big slide. His face lit up and he put his hands into the air over his head as I cheered for him. I also love the recognition I see in the children’s faces when I walk into the room. A few of my favorites run to jump into my open arms, “Mommy!” They have come to trust me and seek me out for comfort and hugs when they are scared, hurt, or tired. It feels nice to be recognized and trusted.
There is a new group of Americans visiting the shelter from Colorado. Today their leader needed to go to a nearby squatter camp to do some set up for the group and invited us to go along. On the drive out he explained the history behind Freedom Park. In this area of South Africa mining provides a lot of wealth and employment. Many people from surrounding countries come to the area hoping to improve their quality of life through the mining industry. When they arrive often there are not enough jobs or they cannot get a job because they are an illegal immigrant. As a result they end up living in Freedom Park. The land is owned by the mine, but they allow the immigrants to set up their homes as long as they are not permanent structures. Electricity and water are not available on the land, so the government built water towers. Somewhere along the way in the political world, someone decided that water should not go into the water towers. So, the residents of Freedom Park must buy water from a truck. Then they must haul the plastic jugs to their homes.
We parked by a group of trailers set up by the South African government. The trailers serve as classrooms for a school and offices of a health clinic. Little faces peeked out of the classroom windows as we walked by. One trailer had a picture of Jesus and his disciples painted on the side with the word, “Creche,” which is the word used in South Africa for nursery school. As we approached the school, two by two the pre-school aged kids came out of the classroom, pulled down their pants, and used the dirt beside the trailer for a bathroom. One little girl looked shyly at us so we quickly walked around the corner and looked out into the sea of homes. Corrugated tin, metal sheets and plywood form the temporary homes in Freedom Park. As I looked at the make-shift homes I thought of the cold nights we have experienced in South Africa. Many times I have slept in a sleeping bag under a thick blanket and have still felt chilled. I imagine the nights are awfully cold in the drafty structures. We learned that the government has set up housing with water and electricity nearby, but many people choose to stay in Freedom Park. The community has been around for more than 25 years; many people that now live there were born and raised in the area.
Several children at the shelter were found in Freedom Park or were born there. We drove passed the rows of housing and I marveled at what a different life they live at the shelter from what they would have lived in Freedom Park. When I am at the shelter watching the kids play, feeding the babies, or helping the toddlers to walk I often wonder what their lives will look like. As a result of going to Freedom Park I now have an idea of what their lives could have looked like. What a huge difference the shelter has made in the lives of its children.
