Re-Launching House of Resurrection

This update is on the second of our two service sites: House of Resurrection Children's Home/ AIDS Haven.

Sydney with Diego

Our students have been busy at House.  All spend parts of each service day, cuddling and playing with the kids.  They have also planted two gardens with vegetables (carrots, beets, spinach).  They know they won't be here long enough to see the "fruits of their labor," but they have diligently worked away.  Spearheaded by Isaak Meyer and Joe Mork, they are also helping them build a bin where their kitchen scraps can be turned into compost. 

Michelle was one who talked
with the psychology department

We found out yesterday that as a result of Michelle Pokorny, Melissa Ludwig, and Jim making a connection with the NMMU Psychology Dept, that department has now committed to come to House on an ongoing basis to offer workshops with the Mothers on parenting children through the emotional scars of life.  Their first workshop is scheduled for May 10th!   This is great news, as the House kids have understandable feelings of anger and sorrow about their HIV/ AIDS status and the loss of their birth parents.  

And, I have been helpful, too.  Before Easter I asked Rev'd Nicolette, "How can I help?"  She and I decided to work together to rewrite her business plan.  After interviewing some of her staff and leaders, I wrote their words into a statement of where they've been, where they are, and a future view of what they intend to become.  Nicolette loves it.  Let me tell you a bit about their incredible journey:

A "family" who waits for a cottage

House of Resurrection originally was a hospital that provided end of life care for the poorest of the poor, especially people infected with HIV/AIDS.  Considering that the medications of today were not available to them, this was a place to die.  Many of the adult patients who died left children behind.  Gradually, House transformed into a home for children who were infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.   They cared for these children, often until they died - but gradually due to the availability of ARVs and the staff's deep knowledge of living with AIDS/HIV, the children today are kept healthy and safe.

Now, House is transforming once again.  They wish to lessen their association as “orphans growing up with AIDS,” and really integrate their children with the outside world.  These are children just like any other, yet they live separated behind a fairly high wall in an institutional setting (orphanage).  House wants to quickly move to a cluster of "homes” where each child is raised in as normalized fashion as possible – with a "Mother", and five "siblings".  (The House mothers used to "clock in" for shifts.  All are now "around-the-clock" mothers in residence.)

They have set big goals: 

• They plan to build six “cottages” on the property where each family can truly live as one – eating dinner around a table, having a quiet conversation about school, instilling values.  The architectural drawings for the cottages are each two-story, so that the children can see over the wall into the world in which they will live as adults.  The plans are inexpensive, yet of quality.  Using locally available materials and labor, to build one cottage is estimated to cost less than $30,000!
  
• That is not all. They are facing – for the first time ever – the happy and scary prospect of the children growing up.  No child has yet lived into adulthood.  Now, they expect many – if not all! - of the children to do so.  The oldest children are 14 years of age, and in three years, they will need transitional housing, allowing the older kids additional freedom while still under guidance.  It was really fun to facilitate the first ever conversation with all the staff about parenting teenagers!  They started asking all the right questions of each other, like - "Are we ready for boyfriends?  Will we be ready to talk about sex?"
• The last piece of the vision is to become a vibrant community hub.  They want to build a small “shop” where vegetables from the garden can be sold, as well as other products they produce or have in surplus.  More importantly, via this shop, the older children can have daily interaction with others in the community, while learning the entrepreneurial skills of running a small business. 

Reverend Nicolette calls this vision "The Re-Launch of the House of Resurrection."  They will literally be completing the cycle of transforming from a place to die...  into a place of new beginnings.  




(Again, if you would like to contribute anything to their change from an orphanage to a cluster of homes, let me know.  They have a fantastic leader in Reverend Nicolette.  It would be a great place to invest.)