S.O.S.

Last Thursday was the first real field trip of my internship experience so far. After a couple of weeks spent mostly in the office I got to visit the S.O.S Children's Village in Port Elizabeth. SOS is an internatinal organization dedicated to the care of orphaned and abandoned children. They have villages on every continent, providing a link between the orphans and donors, who can sponsor a child through online donations. I am fortunate enough to have both parents still in my life and I cannot even imagine growing up as an orphan.These kids have faced a lot but they are still able to show joy and SOS allows them to live as normal a life as possible

The SOS village was stunning. Well kept grounds, a safe environment and plenty of space to play for the kids made for an exemplary organization in child care services. We got to see one of our coaches deliver Practice 6 and 7 of the curriculum with the kids. It was certainly great to see the glow in the faces of the kids as they played games, sang songs and they got to learn about dealing with AIDS in the community and avoiding the HIV virus. This is what GRS is all about, I thought to myself. After a little over an hour we had to leave, but I left with a sense of joy. The kids displayed an overwhelming sense of good cheer and willingness to participate. I am very excited to see other sessions, our coaches are truly dedicated to their work, or teaching through play in this case!

Knowing that the coaches are able to make such an impact on the kids is reassuring. Several of the coaches were telling me that leaving the kids on the last day of the curriculum is actually very difficult. They get invested in the games and curriculum, while at the same time a bond with the coach forms. The coaches are all local, and the kids can get in touch with them fairly easily which helps.

I was also happy to learn of the important work organizations like SOS do to assist orphans all the way until they become independent. We visited one of the houses where a family created by SOS was based. Kids of different ages are matched up to live together and a mother (who is appointed and trained by SOS) oversees the household. The house which is within the SOS premises has a kitchen, living room, bedrooms and a play area. The mother is appointed as head of the household, overseeing the kids who attend schools close by, and buying meals and supplies for the house. The idea is to raise the kids in as normal a way as possible within the SOS village. There are plenty of opportunities to interact with the other kids and SOS organizes activities that keep them busy as they learn and grow!

To find out more about SOS South Africa please follow this link.