A little bit of hope

In the last few weeks I've been noticing some dramatic changes among the kids at Stepping Stones. When I first started my position there, hardly any of the 30 kids would speak to me, even when asked a question. And it's understandable when they have all been traumatized in one way or another- most of their parents have died from AIDS and even a few have been murdered. Since I'm working with adolescents (arguable one of the hardest times in a person's life anyway), I knew they were already facing a lot- it's hard to imagine losing one of both parents on top of adjusting to becoming an adult. Many of them, despite being under 18, were caring for their younger siblings; some were being abused at home; many were living in extreme poverty, sharing a one-room house with 11 other people; a few are HIV positive themselves... So I'm very pleased to see that the majority of the kids are really opening up and becoming more confident. Just in the last week I've had several kids ask me for help with their homework or college applications; some just come up to me to tell me about their day or ask about family problems they're having- I'm really starting to see that my stay here is meaningful, and feeling inspired to do everything I can to keep these kids from letting their lives go to waste. It is really challenging, but so rewarding to see them excited about school, being more confident and assertive, and interacting better with others. There are still a lot of needs to be addressed, but at least there has been some improvement.