Family Visit Day

As I´ve mentioned before, some of the children still have their parents but their parents brought them to the house for various reasons, mainly because they couldn´t afford to take care of them.

Yesterday many of the parents came to visit their kids. I have often seen parents come but usually only one or two sets of parent. Yesterday, however, five of the children´s parents came to visit. They spent time just sitting with the kids while the rest of us took care of the other kids in the house. It was rather a strange experience seeing the families of these kids come in see them after some of them haven´t visited in as long as a few months and then just leaving and going back to their life while the kids are still in the orphanage.

I´ve never been one to pass judgement but this has been something that I really go back and forth on. In many of my previous posts I have made stands, asked questions, and proposed challenges but, in this case, I´m just simply sharing my experience. There are many things that run through my head when I see these parents. Most people´s first response would be how can you leave your children here. Another response that comes to my mind is how hard it must have been for them to realize that they couldn´t care for their own children and then to know that the children could have a better life in the orphanage. This brings up another question of what is a "better" life, to live with your family or to have plenty of food, education, and medication if need be. All these things and more run through my head when I think about the children and their families. I have no idea what I would do in their position because I have no idea what it´s like for them and what they´ve been through. Instead, I am simply a volunteer at the house. I will be in the children´s lives for about another month and then I too will be leaving them and don´t know when, if ever, I will return.

Peace,

Brandon