Home is Where the Heart is?

This week was one of the more difficult weeks for us here at Chezi as the children went home for a one-month school break. Families, mostly aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings came to pick up their loved ones on Sunday and others came over the course of that week. On Tuesday, we also dropped off four children in town. From the beginning, we have been asking how these children feel about going home or “back to the village.” My gut feeling was that many are pretty scared and nervous, but I was assured time and time again that they are so excited to go home because they love the freedom of village life.

The truth is that some of the children do love going home and others are terrified. After all, several of the children living here were abandoned by their families while others watched their families die from disease. When we dropped the four children off in town to go home to their families all of them seemed scared and upset. This was confirmed when all four wet themselves in the car and were hysterically crying as we drove away. For all we know they were fine once we left. I mean, didn’t we all go through this in kindergarten at one point? But I can’t stop thinking: what if they're not fine? What if their family is neglecting or abusing them or even worse don’t want them? In fact, there are a couple of kids left at Chezi whose family did not come to get them at all. At least the kids who are here know they will be fed and that they will be safe at night. Maybe the kids who are still here are the lucky ones.

It’s hard to say, should Chezi send them home or not? Knowing where they come from by being able to live in the village is incredibly important on so many different levels, but is it okay to send a child home to a place that might not be the most healthy environment? There is a larger question about what is a better way to care for the orphans: Community based care where children live in the village or at orphanages such as one we are living? At orphanages such as Chezi the children are safe and healthy but have limited exposure to their culture. With community-based care the children are fully immersed in the culture but do not always have the security of a guaranteed meal and a warm blanket. There isn’t a right answer to the question because both sides are so important. Maybe sending their children home for a month is Chezi’s attempt at an answer.