The children of St. Mary Kevin made new friends today. Gloria, Lynne, Lonnie, Melissa and I (yes we were missing two…) presented the documentary and a presentation about the life in Uganda to the children aged 10 and older of Operation Breakthrough. For those of you unfamiliar with Operation Breakthrough (OB), it is the largest single site daycare in the state of Missouri serving working poor families. OB is located at 31st and Troost in the heart of Kansas City’s urban core and provides early childhood education for children ages 6 weeks to 16 years, including before and after school care. OB not only provides child care but offers a health care and dental clinic, mental health services, emergency services (food, clothing, and utility assistance) and much more. Many of the children who attend OB have experienced difficult lives, 25% of the children enrolled are homeless, 25% are in the protective custody of the state due to abuse or neglect, nearly all are living in violent neighborhoods. Many of these children don’t always have electricity; their families ride the city bus to get from one place to another. But today, these children were given the opportunity to learn more about children their own age, in a country far, far away.
After the children watched the documentary, they were invited to answer a few questions posed by Melissa, including, “What did you notice was the same about you and the children of St. Mary Kevin?” and then, “What did you notice to be different?”
Their answers were remarkable; wise and yet innocent. The children noticed that they were all about the same ages, that they wore school uniforms, education was important, that the kids had friends, and that they were black. Two children, who are currently up for adoption, commented that they too were kind of like the orphans, only they lived with a foster family, not in an orphanage.
When asked to name differences, many made note of the living conditions, the limited selection of food, the lack of toys and games, and the lack of family. Several children commented, “It helps us appreciate what we have”. They also noticed that the children seem to not argue or fight and one child said, “They use their words to get along”.
The children were very concerned and intrigued about the Rebels in Uganda. Many were appalled that “soldiers” could come into the villages and kill people for no reason. One boy raised his hand and wanted to know, “where were the authorities to protect the people?” Melissa then bravely posed the question, “Is that similar to gangs?” The children then recognized that the rebels offered food, clothing and a gun to each soldier, as well as a sense of purpose. For others, who were forced to join the rebels, it was due to fear; fear of losing their own life, or the threat of their family being killed. Power and intimidation were tools of the rebel soldiers, not at all different from the culture of street violence that permeates the daily lives of these children. Suddenly, for some, the connection to a country far, far away grew stronger.
The children were also very quick to ask, what can we do to help? Ideas filled the room, “let’s send food, let’s send clothes, let’s send books” and on and on. Gloria heard one child who suggested that they make a video to send back to the children of Uganda. Gloria piped in, “why don’t we come back and interview all of you, then you can tell about yourself and what it is like to be a kid here in America.” The kids responded favorably, except for one young woman whose eyes sparkled through all of this, “No that won’t work, it will take too long, and I want to do something now….” She was also one of a handful who asked if they could go to Uganda in December to meet the kids first hand..
For now, the seeds have been planted, these children have been exposed to a world similar, but different from their own. The remarkable piece was that these children, who don’t have much (compared to most children in the United States), got it! They were able to look beyond themselves, they were given a story and pictures which helped them understand, and their response was “Let’s help”. What greater gift is there - for children to look beyond themselves, and want to give to others? Today was a remarkable day!
1 comment:
beautiful!!
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