South African Adventure: Hope

The kids that I have had the chance to meet through my experience with Home of Hope are absolutely adorable! Yes, they can be annoying little ankle bitters who wipe snot all over you, but they can also be so so so sweet. I stopped a moment today to think of the kids and the future that they might have. All of these kids have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and most of them are HIV +. So, they are going to have a tough life. Home of Hope is trying to help these kids and give them a better chance in life, but in the long run there's only so much you can do. It's very disappointing to know that these kids, who have no say in the disorders they are put in this life with, are very likely to end up living under the bridges like the street people that we fed a few nights ago. The possibility that these kids will grow up, finish high school, get a job, and be able to take care of themselves is very very slim. It's nice to be able to help these kids grow and develop into the best person they can be, but there's only so much you can do.

I got the chance to volunteer with a girl from New Jersey who is studying Anthropology/Biology back in the States. She is writing a thesis on FASD, so she is very aware of the problems that these kids face. She is studying the differences in the prevalence of FASD in the US and SA. She was telling me that in the US, FASD is controlled through awareness and counseling. The highest prevalence in the US is with the Native Americans because they were moved about so much in the previous years. According to her, they had nothing better to do than to drink and they did not know of the risks. Whereas, here the kids that are suffering from the disorder are mostly orphans, street kids, and kids of the townships. One reason behind this is lack of awareness, and another is lack of care! Some of the children's mothers are mentally retarded themselves and just don't understand, and others no nothing else to do but drink.
The awareness of FASD is still very low here in SA. But, the problem is just beginning to be recognized. So, maybe in the near future awareness can be raised for this disorder and more children can be sparred from the effects of it.

How much of a difference can a few volunteers really make? We were talking about this earlier and came to the conclusion that we will not even think about it. Some days it just seems so tough. We make all of these sandwiches and take them to the street people, but then we just leave and all these people are just left without a warm place to sleep and a decent meal or medical care.

We spend so much time wiping these kids noses and trying our best to help them reach their highest potential, and then we just leave and the kids continue on with their life.