Pictures of New Kids, New Center

Some of the new kids at Stepping Stones; My new office; the main hall of the new center

New Center and Kids!

Last week we officially reopened Stepping Stones at our brand new, beautiful and huge center. We just added an additional 30 kids to our program, making the total close to 60. The new kids are really funny and cute, it's been nice to see some new faces! They seem to be enjoying the program- so many of them don't have anything to do after school otherwise, so it's a nice treat to play games, get help with homework, do art, etc. A lot of them are coming from difficult home situations- I recently found out that one kid has been repeatedly sexually abused by her brother who suffers from a mental illness; most of the kids in our program are living in poverty and caring for younger siblings; most are beaten at school (corporal punishment is acceptable here) and often at home as well. It makes me really sad to hear about the issues they deal with, but it's great to have the opportunity to help them grow and learn to be kids- giving them a chance to play and have fun with other kids their age, even if just for a few hours a day, is such a good reason for me to be here. Nothing can compare to the sense of fulfillment I get from seeing these kids smile and have fun.
In addition to working for Stepping Stones, I've started volunteering for Baylor Clinic- a fantastic clinic for HIV+ kids in Gaborone. They do monthly teen club meetings with activities such as sports, group talks, field trips, etc. Since kids come from villages all over to attend these teen club meetings, and since many are from Mochudi, I'm helping to start up a similar teen club in Mochudi. It amazes me to see how much being on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment has helped these kids to be healthy and maintain reasonably normal lives. Botswana is one of the only (or perhaps the only?) country in Africa that provides free ARVs for all citizens. Thanks to these drugs, the average life expectancy has increased dramatically. Of course, like any public health program, it's not perfect, and a lot of people still don't have access to the care they need, but it's a step in the right direction.
I'll post pictures of the new center and activities soon!