My Heart

The children of Malawi now have my heart. Samantha and I were able to tag along with Susan, Janelle and Marquelle Woods (they are basically my aunt and cousins) to the Open Arm Orphanage yesterday. As we pulled into the compound it looked like any other Malawian structure with a guard attending the gate. As we parked the car and walked inside we found differently. This structure was full to the brim with screening, sleeping and playing children. The toddlers see you and run full speed at your legs grabbing them for dear life and begging to be picked up and played with. Their giggles are precious as you squeeze them tight and make them feel loved. One little girl I spent time with was Patricia, she had recently arrived at the orphanage and was been said to be shy and not very active. However after a few minutes of letting her play with my fingers and hands she decided to stand up and walk over and sit on my lap, using my fingers as support of course. Once she reached my lap she begin bouncing up and down and trying to move everywhere, the orphanage volunteers were surprised at how much she was coming out of her shell.

Now most of the children that live there have been left by their parents or family members. We were told that after the child turn five or so the parents return to take their child back home. Unfortunately the African families often struggle and with another mouth to feed it’s almost impossible to take care of a needy infant and toddler. The volunteers at the orphanage said that some of the parents or families come every day to visit and play with their child, but it’s too much for them to take their child home. Most of these little ones have been abandoned, found in toilets, roadsides, or any public place. Some of the children are HIV positive and so are not wanted by their parents. The ages of the children range from 0-5, after 5 if you are still in the orphanage you go out to several different foster homes. As you step into the rooms it breaks your heart in two as you glance into the eyes of all of the precious and deserving children.

My favorite child I held was a little two month old boy named Enock. We walked into the infant room and he began to cry and fuss, so I reached down to pick him up. He was TINY. Most of the children at the orphanage are so behind developmentally that is not uncommon for them to be small. Since he is only two months old his size is expected. He fought to keep his eyes open but finally gave up and fell asleep on my shoulder, sucking his thumb. Being able to give just a little love to as many children as we could was absolutely incredible and we are hooked forever!