Today we visited an organization that houses boys and girls who are either orphans or cannot live at home for safety reasons. As westerners we look at the home as a shelter, but they really try to make the space feel like so much more. Their goal is to create a family within each home. The children each have their own bed, wardrobe and bookshelf, and space to play. The directors of the homes are an incredible couple who truly love the children in their care. The children respond to them as if they are mom and dad. It’s special to see the bond that they have with the kids. There are currently 3 homes, 2 for girls and 1 for boys. Each home has a “house mom”, someone who lives in the home with children. The kids attend school each day and then attend training classes that are of interest to them later in the day – computer skills, music class, sewing, English lessons, cooking/baking and hair cutting/styling. They provide counseling to the girls who need it, and medical care as needed. It was particularly heartwarming to hear that the counselors use stuffed animals from Pixar’s Inside Out films to help the girls identify their emotions.

They really have created a family within each home and it is incredible to see the response the kids have to the stability and love that is shown to them in every aspect of their day.

We visited the home while the children were at school, but they arrived back home while we were there. The kids got off the bus and literally ran inside and when they saw “Dad” they all flocked to him and surrounded him, all waiting for their turn to say hi and give hugs. It was super special to see.

The organization runs on 6 pillars, Compassion, Joy, Hope, Redemption, Family and Dignity, but the overall pillar that everything flows from is Love. It is obvious how much they love and care for the children in their homes. They truly have created a family. We aren’t sharing the name of the organization or the names of the directors out of respect for the safety of everyone at the home.