It's not a stereotypical orphanage, in that none of the children stay there over night. It's more like a daycare/preschool. The culture of the Batswana has very strong emphasis on extended family, and there is very much the "it takes a village to raise a child" mentality. It's not uncommon for children to be brought up by grandparents or aunts/uncles. So if a child's parents die of AIDS, most often a family member offers to take in the child. Also, a lot of the kids that go to Kamogelo aren't orphans at all. They're what the global health community calls "vulnerable children", meaning their parents have HIV/AIDS which makes the kids more at risk for HIV and a lot of other social problems. The kids come to Kamogelo in the morning, where they get breakfast, then have lessons, have lunch, play, and then go home. It serves kids ages 3-6 with a class for each age that has about 15-20 kids in it.
It was such a great day! We went to work and went to the staff morning prayer/Bible reflection. You have never heard such moving singing in your life until you've heard a hymn sung by a group of Batswana. One person kind of appoints themselves canter and sings the first line and then everyone joins in with the most perfect harmony I've ever heard. It's amazing and they sound like they've rehearse for months but they do it just on the spot.
After that all the kids came. As soon as they see a new adult, especially a foreigner, they scream TEACHAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! and cling to you because they're desperate for attention. I was literally dripping children. Kids in my arms, on my back, on my legs. But they are the cutest kids ever. However, "Good morning teacha" is pretty much the extent of most of their English. They do sing English songs, like "Jesus loves the little children", "Good morning Mr. Teddy Bear", and "Welcome to Kamogelo". I taught them the Hokie Pokie, which was hilarious.
The lesson that day was short and consisted of writing their name, writing the word "apple" and then coloring in the apple. Friday's aren't heavy on lessons because the teacher's clean the classrooms, so they just let the kids loose on the playground after. So I got to go run around outside, push kids on the swings, play catch, and carry them around. It was a blast! But I also had to sometime break up kids fighting and make sure they didn't kill themselves on the playground. I took a few pictures and it's funny that one word the kids know very well is "camera" because other volunteers have taken pictures too. They cannot get enough of seeing their pictures on the screen.
Kamogelo is a great place, but it's extremely sad to see these kids who have to go through so much and are living in real poverty. At least here they get 2 hot meals (with a lot of carbs and starchy food to help them gain weight), most have a uniform of some kind, and they get a start at an education even if the curriculum isn't very organized.
Saturday I went with Cat to the orphanage she works at called SOS Children's Village for the graduation party. SOS is very different. A lot of the children stay there overnight, divided into little houses with 2 house "mothers" and about 12 kids of all ages (so if a sibling group comes they can all be together). You can tell SOS is a lot better funded and it's a lot more colorful, with bright murals on the walls and things. The kids there were great too and also very happy to see us!
Both of them were great places to see. They have different approaches but are still dedicated to solving the same problem faced by children here. I hope that with they help them have a better future.
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