Dit was van jongs af my hartsbegeerte om eendag \u2019n huis vol kinders te h\u00ea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My drome het eerlikwaar nooit \u2019n man ingesluit nie. Almal rondom my het geweet ek wil graag \u2019n non wees, so my drome het nooit \u2019n man ingesluit nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tesame met my suster, Margareth, \u2019n paar niggies en jeugmaats, het ons gedroom oor \u2019n huis vol kinders. Oor die jare heen het elkeen hul eie rigting ingeslaan. Dinge het nie alles so uitgewerk soos ek gedroom het nie, maar het grotendeels waar geword. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
N\u00e1 skool het ek my eie dagsorgsentrums in verskillende dorpe begin en bestuur, en ook tien jaar by \u2019n sentrum gewerk waar ek die ko\u00f6rdineerder was van programme vir MIV-ge\u00efnfekteerde en geaffekteerde kinders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die droom van \u2019n huis met kinders het bly spook, selfs nadat my eie kinders gebore is. Af en toe het ons as gesin \u2019n kind van \u2019n kinderhuis vir die vakansie by ons geneem, en my hart het elke keer verkrummel as ek in die ogies van die kinders gekyk het wat moes agterbly. Ek moes oor die jare leer dat jy nie almal kan help wat jou pad kruis nie, maar jy kan dit ten minste vir een mens op \u2019n keer doen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By die sentrum waar ek gewerk het, het tientalle kinders elke dag opgedaag vir programme en \u2019n voedsame maaltyd ontvang. Saans was my bekommernis oor waar sommige van hulle gaan slaap, of hulle iets te ete gaan h\u00ea en of daar \u2019n volwassene is om hulle te versorg en toe te sien dat hulle veilig is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daar was soveel stories van kinders wat verwaarloos word, tiener- swangerskappe, alkoholmisbruik onder die jeugdiges en vele meer, wat jou soms laat voel het jy maak geen verskil nie. N\u00e1 \u2019n dekade by die sentrum het ek bedank, en eers daarna het van die leerders en selfs van die ouers my gekontak om dankie te s\u00ea?, en my hart swel elke keer van trots op hulle wat uitstyg \u2013 ongeag hul omstandighede. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek het bedank omdat ek geweet het as God iets op jou hart geplaas het, is dit soos \u2019n vuurtjie wat nie geblus kan word nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die afgelope paar jare leef ek my kinderdroom as huismoeder by \u2019n huis van veiligheid deur kinders in te neem en hulle te versorg asof hulle my eie is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dis \u2019n besonderse voorreg en warm-om-die-hart-gevoel om iets te doen wat jy weet eintlik \u2019n liefdestaak is, selfs al ontvang jy \u2019n salaris. Natuurlik is dit hartverskeurend om die kinders se stories te hoor (die minimum besonderhede wat die maatskaplike werkers met jou deel wanneer hulle die kinders by jou plaas) en die besef van die trauma waardeur soveel kinders reeds op \u2019n jong ouderdom leef. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jy sien die letsels wat gelaat is en hoop en bid dat die Liewe Heer op alle vlakke genesing sal bring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In al die jare waarin ek by kinders betrokke was en steeds is, bly daar trane sonder tal, oneindige vrae, gebede . . . Hoe kry \u2019n mamma dit oor haar hart om haar kind vir R300 aan \u2019n smokkelhuiseienaar te verkoop \u2013 in ruil vir alkohol? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besef die ouers dat hul kinders nagmerries kry en gedragsprobleme het as gevolg van wat hulle tuis ervaar het? Besef die mammies wat hul pasgebore baba in \u2019n vullisdrom gooi dat daar derduisende vroue is wat na \u2019n kind in haar skoot smag? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soveel vrae sonder antwoorde . . . <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Met hierdie skrywe wil ek die vroue, mans en paartjies salueer wat kinders by hulle inneem, of dit in veiligheid, pleegsorg of aanneming is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dis deksels moeilik om iemand anders se kind\/ers groot te maak. Jy moet weet waarvoor jy jou inlaat, en die ondersteuning van familie en vriende h\u00ea. Jy kan dit nie alleen doen nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tog het ek die afgelope tyd weer besef hoe baie mense, vele sonder dat hulle ooit erkenning kry, of gekry het, kinders uit die liefde van hul hart by hulle ingeneem het \u2013 dikwels sonder betaling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Baie dankie vir jul onbaatsugtige diens aan die mensdom. Ek salueer elkeen van julle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a child.\u201d \u2013 Forest E Witcraft <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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