St. Monica's Children's Home

            I have been working at St. Monica’s Children’s Home, which is a non–governmental organization that provides a safe environment for about 85 children in the Durban South area. The girls are ages 3–18 and the boys are ages 3–12. St. Monica’s strives to help these children, whose families are unable to provide for them the best possible living situation. The children attend various local schools and live in cottages at the Home; each cottage houses approximately 15 children. The Home depends primarily on subsidies from the provincial government and the generosity of private donors.  

            While the children attend school, I work in the managerial office with the director, the director’s personal assistant, two social workers, and the chief childcare worker. I generally work with computers and perform tasks to help these administrative workers. By observing the functioning of the office, I have learned a great deal about the “behind–the–scenes” workings of a children’s home and the continued effort that is required to make ends meet for the benefit of the children.

            All of the workers in the managerial office are women; in fact, there are only two full–time male members of the permanent staff and only 15 of the 85 children at the Home are boys. Consequently, the director of the Home asked me to work with the older boys, all of whom live together in the same cottage. When school is in session, the children return around 2:00 pm and have lunch in their respective cottages. Afterwards, the children have playtime, during which I play soccer, rugby, and cricket with the boys. Then, all of the children have study time, during which I help them with homework.

Spending time with the boys is always entertaining (and tiring), and they always find a way to surprise me. When I first met the boys, they asked me in all seriousness if I knew George Washington, Robin Hood, and Chris Brown. When we discussed their favorite soccer players, they love South Africa’s Siphiwe Tshabalala and Spain’s David Villa. In addition, they like to watch cartoons about superheroes and draw pictures of the characters.

At St. Monica’s Children’s Home, the managerial staff and the childcare workers, who tend to the children in the cottages, are able to provide a real sense of belonging for the children. The Home provides religious and academic services, and takes the children on outings over the weekends. St. Monica’s is not driven by profit–seeking, but rather for the purpose of affording these children the opportunities to lead an enjoyable life that will provide them with the education to do well beyond their schooling. The first month in Wentworth has been hectic, as everyone in our group has had to adjust to new living situations and modify their cultural perceptions. However, I am proud to witness and contribute to the notion of ubuntu, that all people are obligated to help each other, which is fully present at St. Monica’s Children’s Home.