child development

We all know that September means back to school! In Liberia also, school children are sporting new uniforms, book bags, and copybooks. Although tuition for public school is free, fees, mandatory uniforms and transportation make completing an education difficult for most children in orphanages. Orphan Relief and Rescue has been working hard to ensure that every child in our partner homes is enrolled in school. In some cases this means helping with school supplies, in others, helping with uniforms or shoes.

Parachute games seem to be the pastime of choice lately for the younger kids in the Child Development Program. The kids think that they’re just plain fun, but Auntie Mariel is sneaking in some lessons. We’re learning about what it means to work as a team. It’s easy to see that when we work well together we can accomplish goals. But, when even just one person doesn’t follow the rules, it can spoil the fun for everyone!

And, well, they are just plain fun!

As I'm leaving Liberia in just a few hours, I'd like to take a moment to thank you -- YOU! -- for making this past year such a success.

Together we undertook truly ambitious projects and saw not only physical conditions but children's lives transformed. We dug and rehabilitated several wells. We set up orphanage gardens and farms, training caretakers and children how to get the most out of the soil and seeds. We delivered food to those that needed it most. We provided care for -- and training to prevent -- common illnesses that Liberians suffer through needlessly.

In the Child Development Program we have been talking about the Fruit of the Spirit. Yesterday we got to "gentleness". I asked the kids what it meant to be gentle, and not a single child knew. I thought this was a fluke, so I went to my next home and repeated the question. Again, not a single child knew what it meant to be gentle. I was a bit surprised as some of these kids are 16-17 years old. So I came home and conducted an informal survey and asked some of our staff. They also did not know the word gentle, except in the context of "ladies and gentlemen".