PLAYSCHOOL PROJECT FOR ORPHANS

Early this year Sr Edna O'Connor began helping at Mother Teresa's home for the terminally ill in Lusaka. Many mothers come there with their babies. When the mothers die there is often no relative to take the baby. Often the babies are sick, but with good nourishment and care they recover and continue to live at the home. Eventually some are placed in various orphanages, but there is a grave shortage of orphanage places,so many of these children continue to be cared for by the Sisters of Charity in their home.
They have in their care new born babies, infants and toddlers as well as some school going children. There is a community school which caters for the 6+ age group. Edna helped mainly with the infants and toddlers at meal times.It became very obvious to us that the toddlers had nothing to do between meal times. Occasionally a volunteer might play with them, but most of the time they roamed around and often got in the way of those trying to mind the babies.There are about 25 of these children aged 2 to 6 years. Many are HIV positive and are the poorest of the poor.
The SHM community discussed the situation and we felt that something needed to be done for these children. It seemed that some type of pre-school programme might be the answer. In consultation with the Sisters of Charity, and with the generous contribution from Marymount School in Rome we have been able to set up such a programme.

In our parish there was a qualified pre-school teacher who had not been able to find a job and she was very happy to accept the post of running a play school for a few hours each day at the Home. She herself is an orphan, the first born of the family and now responsible for her younger brothers and sisters,so the possibility of employment for her is a Godsend.
It is amazing to see the wonderful change in these children and how content they are. They are so happy to have their own teacher who is committed to them. In a real way new life has dawned for these little ones.