…One might also call it ‘Heaven-on-Earth’.
St. Anne’s has been providing services since 1997. They house women who are unable to care for their children on their own. It’s divided into two parts; a living environment for the mother and her child and a daycare for the children. Residing mothers are given 4-6months to live here. During this time, they work hand-and-hand with Social Worker’s to assist them with finding employment opportunities. The program is divided into what we would call Phases. Once a mother finds employment, she is able to move on to the next ‘Phase’. During this time, her child is still able to stay in St. Anne’s longer than the recommended 4-6months, if needs be. The hope of St. Anne’s is to keep a constant flow; having mothers come in, receive help and continue on their own with the skills to care for themselves and their children, leaving space for another family to come in and receive that same help. These mother’s here have enough insanity in their lives…they need stability; and that is what St. Anne’s services provide.
Today was our first day at our volunteer sites. Gabrielle and I were assigned to St. Anne’s and we were excited! Upon our arrival, our instructor Jan, introduced us to Mr. Martin, the Director of the Daycare portion of St. Anne’s. Martin gave us a tour of the facility and presented us with our assignments. I was assigned with the infants.
I remember entering the room shared with six cribs bordering the Mickey Mouse decorated wall and four infants; Anthony, Nicholene, Shanay and Haley, along with the Teacher; Sweetness (trust me, her name says it all!) I remember walking in and Anthony being the first baby I’d seen. His big bright eyes-so bright it was almost as if there were a hint of light-blue in them…indescribable. I picked up Anthony and held him close to me. Knowing he needed affection as he has been in St. Anne’s since April ’09 and his mother is currently on ‘Phase 2’, meaning she has found employment and is showing progress. While holding Anthony, Haley was asleep in her crib. Nicholene was sleep on the mat with Shanay who was on the floor lying awake. Eventually I received the opportunity to hold each of them, but there was something about Anthony;
As I stood there holding him close to me, I asked myself how am I making a difference by simply holding a baby?
…While I’m holding Anthony, I’m giving him the affection he needs that he may not have received before he was brought to St. Anne’s. By holding Anthony, I am giving his mother the opportunity to work with the Social Worker’s so that she can find a job to become stable and able enough to care for him. As I hold Anthony, I remember that I am holding the future of South Africa in my hands.
(A very pivotal moment it was for me; both a privilege and a reward.)
At one point, I was left all alone with the babies. I named the four of them The Ripple-Effect. It seemed when one baby cried, the next would join in until all four were crying. Ironically enough, even after Jan said we probably wouldn’t have our first diaper change (Nappies as they call them in South Africa) today, I did! Sweetness walked in on me changing Anthony and asked “Do you have baby back at home?!”, in an excited voice. I laughed and replied, “I’m so sorry, I don’t.”
Today I helped feed the babies and Shanay’s mother came in and breastfed her child. Later, Sweetness and I had a discussion about breastfeeding; her views were; it is much better to breastfeed than it is to bottle feed with milk. Her reasoning was that the breast is much healthier than the bottle. With breastfeeding, you are forced sit there with your child and connect with them. As oppose to bottle, most mothers simply give their baby the bottle and do other things. I remember Sweetness saying, with breastfeeding, it is much more intimate; you have to be in the moment…
The day was filled with much to do. One would think an infant; unable to say or do much wouldn’t require much attention, but they do! While being at St. Anne’s the workers are quickly accustomed to each infants’ needs. Whether it is; knowing when they need a nap. Knowing when they are hungry. Or, simply just knowing when they need affection. Whatever the case may be; the angels that provide services at this Safe-Haven are well equipped for whatever task at hand.
*Pictures coming soon!*
