Daya Dan

As promised I’ll tell you a bit about what I do as a volunteer. I get to the house around 8:00 in the morning. Sometimes I’m late, sometimes not, it’s pretty relaxed. I then help wash clothes, dress the boys, clean and change bedding, hang laundry or just play around. The task depends on how many volunteers we have and who’s already doing what.
On the 1st floor there are between 20-30 boys from age 7-19, all of whom are mentally or physically handicapped, or both. Some of the older boys go to a school and are gone most of the time I am there. Others do physiotherapy to help with their physical symptoms and about 8 boys get taught by volunteers. I help with this group.
We begin with a quiet mediation tie to calm the boys down a little bit, then we greet the children and volunteers which helps the boys practice speaking in English. Some of them can not speak at all, others with extreme difficulty. Then we break from the group and do one on one teaching with the boys. I have been teaching one boy for a month now. He’s quite smart, but also very laid back. The boys seem to have figured out how to play the role of a not so smart kid and not have to do much learning. My student doesn’t speak much, but he can, and he knows a lot of vocabulary. He’s pretty chill and if he’s not in the mood he’s content to just stare into space while I get frustrated that he doesn’t want to learn anything.
Officially he has ADHD, but since most, if not all, of the boys were taken off the street at some point, malnutrition at an early age has effected the growth and development of their brain cells. It is an incredibly sad story but it is the way it is.
For me the thing that struck me the most, especially at the beginning, and continues to the present, is that because there is so much coming and going of the volunteers and teachers and friends, the boys have no father figure, and no consistency in their lives apart from one another and the sister who is in charge. And when I say that she is in charge I mean it. The boys listen to her every word. If she’s watching they behave very well, in comparison to when she’s not around. And they love her so much. How much? SO much! On a number of occasions, one of the more rowdy boys will simply walk up to her and give her a massive hug around the waist. Even if she is trying to accomplish something he wont let go and will just let her carry him around. It’s amazing to see that, and makes all of the frustration of the day worth it.
I wonder if God will ask me to come back here someday to spend a long time with these, boys or other orphans like them…?
On the flip side, experiencing the difficulties of working with these kids just reinforces my desire NOT to have a family of my own. Not to mention it brings to light just how much responsibility a child’s life is.
Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad. For all the hard work in providing for me, loving me, teaching me and playing with me. And especially for the perseverance through frustration, I think you did a pretty good job on all 5 kids.

~Matt Clarke
Go Big or Go Home!
PS. No more photos, my camera got wet and is now broken. :’( sad. It just means I can now dream about getting a sweet as camera for making sweet as videos.