A Reflective look at my visit to St. Thomas Children's Home

It was a sunny winters morning when the OT 3rd year students took a trip to the St Thomas Children's Home. Situated in the heart of Sydenham, St Thomas is a safe haven for underprivileged children who may be orphans or may have been removed from their homes due to lack of finances or an abusive relationship.  Working with these children was an interesting and enlightening experience. More than ever it makes you grateful for what  you have. Our morning was spent with boys and girls between the ages of 6-7 years old. We tried to engage them in some physical and competitive activity.  Many of them have developmental delays and some are also delayed in their physical development.

As with kids that age, they have much extra energy and as the weather was in our favour we decided to do an outdoor activity. We divided them into groups of 6 aside with boys and girls separately, and had them participate in relay races for fun and friendly competition. The warm up was a game of popping balloons where each person had a balloon tied to their leg and the aim was to win by popping as many balloons as you can but keeping your balloon safe.  This was a great way for the children to run around and release all their pent up energy. We  had many laughs and it really got everyone in the mood for a fun and exciting morning.

 In order to build up some team spirit we had them make posters with their group name and they each had a chance to decorate. They then participated in relay races like egg and spoon, sack race, bobbing for apples and bean bag race.    Although the races went well, and they had a lot of fun, we learnt an important lesson that day. Children take competition very seriously, especially these children who my not be the best at anything within their class. Winning gave them great joy, but losing was extremely disheartening to the point that some of them cried when they lost! Although the activity was great for them physically, the competitive element brought in the desire to achieve and a great sadness when they did not.

The important lesson I took away from this, was that these children may have experienced emotional abuse at home or even at school, where they are made to feel inferior. Although they will no doubt experience many such situations in their lives, it is important that any activity we do should boost their self-esteem and self-confidence. They need to become confident and believe in themselves so that when faced with those negative situations they can cope instead of breaking down. This day was a fantastic opportunity to observe the problems children in these situations are faced with, and how they may manifest. It also highlights the importance of considering all aspects of a  client when structuring and presenting an activity. One small aspect that a therapist does not consider can cause a well planned session to go awry.

The other important lesson I learnt, was that living in a home like St Thomas means that each child does not get individual attention and love. Having us, total strangers, give them attention was amazing for them and they showered us with their love and affection. We received many hugs that morning, and those sad and eager smiles can break your heart! Every child is precious and deserves unconditional love, but the sad reality of South Africa is that even children with parents are often abused or abandoned. Coming into contact with those who are underprivileged makes me appreciate my upbringing in a warm and loving family who cares unconditionally.

The lesson I would like to leave you with is never be ungrateful for the many advantages you have been blessed with. No matter how bad life gets, there is always someone out there who is in a worse situation than you are. Instead of envying those better off than you, reflect on the lives of the less fortunate. In a life where we have so much to be grateful for, we should never waste a moment on complaints. There is nothing in life that is unachievable. Truly, the only disability in life is a bad attitude!