Natalia
Today we went to St. Anthony's Village for Children. St. Anthony's is an orphanage that houses children of all ages, including children with developmental problems. I hadn't been to St. Anthony's yet, so I was really excited to go spend the day with the kids. As soon as we arrived, children started to come to us smiling and squealing. I got lots of hugs and many of them would put their arms up begging me to carry them. Other children were completely silent and immobile, sitting in wheelchairs spread out around the area. After a tour of all of the rooms in which the children are kept, I had a one month old baby in my arms named Moses. Many kids would come and take my free hand in theirs, and I walked with them to go introduce myself to all of the kids who were sitting around.
I also spent some time in the room where the children with disabilities stay. It's a very overwhelming experience to be in there. Right as I walked in, I saw five children laying on mattresses on the ground. None of them could really move. There were quite a few flies landing on them and they were helpless to it. It really broke my heart, but I sat down in the middle of them and spent most of the time that I was in there talking to them and trying to keep the flies off. We took a lot of them outside in wheelchairs so that they could be with the other children and get some fresh air.
My day at St. Anthony's gave rise to a huge mix of emotions. Every time I picked up a child, the first thing I thought was how much I wanted to take him or her home with me. At one point Emily and I were sitting in the shade holding two baby boys and we sang them a lullaby. I wish so badly that each and every one of those beautiful children could have a mother and father who could sing to them and hold them every day. It was wonderful being with them, but it also made me feel helpless because they all deserve to be cared for and nurtured, and I feel like I'm not doing enough. However it helped me realize how significant every act of kindness is and how every action that is taken to help them makes a difference. Those kids would be completely neglected if no one came to play with them. I am so thankful for this opportunity to come here to Zambia and see everything that we have seen and do all the things we have done. Even though it feels like so little, it has made me so much more thankful for what I have and so much more eager to make a difference in any way that I can.
Tomorrow we're going to St. Anthony's again to do dental and medical screening on the children. I can't wait to go back and see them!
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