Last weekend we discovered that there was food missing in our fridge. As there are four of us, and we don’t always eat together, we normally tend to think one of the others must have taken the last piece of bread, etc. But then a sausage, the first piece of cold meat we had at our house and which was given to us by Verena, had suddenly disappeared, as well as half of our bread and bananas. First we had to discover that some of the children were searching our rubbish for food or other “useful” things which already is a quite awkward feeling and then they steal our food. You might ask yourself how this is possible… The rubbish of all houses in our Home is thrown on a pile in the garden and burned (everyone does that here in Burundi, it’s cheaper than the refuse). In this way we can’t hide our rubbish, actually none of what we’re consuming here. Our fridge was standing in the salon where the children are taught and coached, because they used to put the babies’ milk inside every now and then. Thus they were able to look at what we were having inside all day long. Our consequence: We moved the fridge so that only we have access to it.

Stealing our food is bad enough, but some of the children steel also among themselves. Parallel to the fridge case we found out that the guitar that one of the boys was given to by the Fondation (a gift of a former volunteer) had been stolen, as well as some eggs of the chicken on our grounds which belong to certain kids.

After two weeks of “investigation” we found out together with the wardens that a group of boys has stolen and sold the eggs and the boy who said his guitar had been stolen has sold the guitar himself..!

The guitar incident disappointed me the most as it was not only a gift of a former volunteer to him, but a gift to all the others in order to make music together. In addition to that the children don’t seem to mind thieves among them or they cover even up for them.

As a measure to prevent further thefts, we volunteers stole their beans Friday night, so they had no beans to got with the corn purée (which I think is pure quite disgusting) the next day!

We wanted to show them how we felt that morning without breakfast, and how it feels to be stolen in general. It might sound tough, but we really want and need to put an end to these repeated thefts, after all they don’t live on the streets any more. By punishing also the innocent ones, we hoped those would start to complain to the others, and improve mutual respect.

But on the other hand, those are kids with difficult backgrounds. Some of them lost their parents, brothers or sisters, others were violated and/or are HIV-positive, experienced horrible things on the streets. Bringing them up is definitely not easy.

 

But where is our area of responsibility? In educating AND bringing them up?

 

Definitely.

 

But in which way?

 

I often feel more or less in the parental position rather than that of friend or sister. After all friends or brothers and sisters also impart general values and knowledge, but in a less authoritarian manner, in a playful way. And I would like to see myself in the position of a friend or a sister.

 

Living together with the kids doesn’t make it easier for me to get in touch with them. I often can’t distinguish between work and spare time. I constantly have a bad conscience when I don’t do anything together with the children or I feel bad when I’m leaving the home, because of my work in the other homes or in order to meet some friends, for I could spend that time with the orphans, too.

It has been much easier to get in touch with the boys and girls of the other homes, as I spent the time there more consciously. I don’t blame the children in our home, not all, because their comportment actually is not much worse than in the other homes, but the difference is that we’re not called to account or feel as though we are called to account for the events there.

 

I think I have to keep some distance to feeling responsible, unless I’m directly affected, in order to become real friends with the orphans.

 

I now have a notion how difficult it is for parents, relatives and those who work in an educational job, to bring up children, to retain the staying power, patience, passion, and to find a fair way.

 

I really pity my family and teachers for having had to deal with the problems I made when I was younger, but simultaneously I thank them for their effort and their belief in me, so I’m now able to make my way…

 

Now don’t believe there are only lows here in Burundi!

 

I really enjoy my work, my English class with the street urchins is great, every week I can tell that they’re making progress. And I feel they’re starting to put trust in me, when talking about our backgrounds, our problems.

 

Last weekend we reintegrated to women from the mother and child home which also can be seen as a progress. They asked themselves if we could help them to go back to their home town, where they want to start a “petit commerce”, e.g. to grow vegetables and/or fruit, produce soap, palm oil etc. and sell it.

The women in our mother and child home became pregnant by rape or by irresponsible boyfriends who fled after having made them pregnant or because of their own irresponsibility. Some of them go to school, others are illiterate but receive at least alphabetization.

In terms of the “illiterate reintegration” the two women, who are actually younger than me, were given an aluminium sauce pan, three cups, seeds (carrots, salad, beans, onions, etc.), a hoe, clothes for their baby, and some money for the bus ticket and as starting capital for their small trade.

We appreciate their own initiative in saying they want to leave the home so that they can earn their own living, although it isn’t easy with a baby. Unmarried mothers seemingly become often fair game if they don’t stay with their family.

In this case the two mothers will go back into the interior to live among their relatives…

 

Thanks again for all your nice emails and messages! I’m really sorry if I don’t response directly, but I promise I’ll write back!

 

See you

 

Love

 

Claire

 

- Photos of some grand moments attached!!

 

Streeturchins playing with my camera

Our daily view - underneath the clouds the outline of the Congolese mountains

The young mothers producing our Christmas angels

The little Rascals in the Mother and Child Home

Appoline, warden of the Mother and Child home, and her headgear suited to the rainy season

Before the football match of our street urchins agains those of Don Bosco

Guess who lost: "England"! ;P - In the background the Burundian mountains