Behind all the smiles
Our last blog of South Africa, March 2010 before our travels to Uganda, we wanted to leave you with a small idea of the reality for most of these children.
We first walked into Letaba school in 2007 and were greeted with warmth, smiles and a joyful laughter. We came away thinking how happy these children were, with their physical disabilities and that they were making the most of life.
We visited more and more, eventually supporting them through Yebo. The stories we heard from the teachers in 2009 made us understand just slightly, a bit more of the traumas that are going on for the children.
This trip of March 2010, we gained more information, which led us deeper into the knowledge of the sadness, the pain and the suffering of many kinds of abuse that these children have had. This went even deeper as we learnt that their traumas still carry on throughout their time away from the school.
We look at this project now with different eyes, learning as we go along.
Of course, the traumas that are happening for these children we are unable to stop. The traumas that are so serious and disturbing also bring heavy and intrusive emotions if disturbed in the wrong way.
What we can try to do for these children, however hard their life is, and however they cover up their pain and manage to still bring smiles that give joy to others, is to bring as much happiness into their lives that will give them a chance to express their feelings in a positive way, through activities that they can relate to their own situations. A gentle approach to support of emotions.
By Emmy, March 27, 2010 @ 8:10 pm
I think this really expreses how sensitive and subtle you have to be when working with these children. It’s inspiring how happy and upbeat they seem and how willing they are to trust, no matter what they’ve been through.
It’s easy to underestimate the importance of a few hours of happiness, and how much just a little time can have a positive effect on a child and let them know that they are important, unique and worthy of love and affection.
By Peace Nakitto, April 14, 2010 @ 10:21 pm
Children just don’t cover up their pain and pretend like adults often do, they forgive easily and are more willing to look forward to a brighter future,because they are not just learning through their trouble, they are actually growing and they don’t only see themselves but also the beautiful things around them, so this makes them SMILE!!