There Are Many Broken Children…
Mama therese plays with the kids in the playground in Bolingo Village, December 2020
“There are many broken children…”
Uttered by Bolingo Village’s new manager, that sentence hit everyone on our weekly phone call hard. She said it so simply, but it was hard to hear with the sound of the kids playing in the background. Once our kiddos come to us, they have it pretty good - that’s the point of Bolingo. It’s easy to forget that every single child in Bolingo has a story. They all have trauma and a heartbreaking life experience.
Our first kiddos in the village all have a similar heartbreak; they experienced losing their parents and ended up in an orphanage. There was hope for these kids, though - they were “lucky.” These kids were chosen for adoption by US families! Each of them was removed from their orphanages and placed into foster care. Life, however, seemed stacked against them. DRC closed adoptions.
Over the next few years, the US families that were supposed to take them home dissolved their adoptions - they didn’t have a choice - DRC showed no signs of opening the process back up. Eventually, the adoption company that was paying for them to remain in foster care decided they could no longer afford to do so. The kids would have to return to an orphanage. These children experienced more uncertainty in just a few short years than many adults do in a lifetime. Three different “normals” were all taken away due to circumstances outside of their control.
Luckily, before they were returned to orphanages, the adoption company reached out to Global Orphan Foundation. We were months away from opening Bolingo and agreed to continue paying for their foster care until we could open. Additionally, we hired their foster moms to be our first foster moms - that way - while the kids had to move - they didn’t lose their “mom.”
The children that have joined us in Bolingo since have all had different stories. A group of siblings came to us (for what started as a temporary stay) because their mom was sick and couldn’t care for them. A couple children were abandoned and found wandering the streets. Others have had parents pass away. Our newest little girl, who initiated this conversation, came to us traumatized and cried through her first night. Marguerite, her new foster mom, sat by her bed for a few hours so that she felt safe enough to sleep.
Upon completing her intake medical assessment, our doctor noted that she had been raped. She’s five.
Bolingo kids walking back to their homes for dinner in Bolingo Village, December 2020
All thought and work on our upcoming trip paused to make sure we had a plan for her emotional care. We did. When arriving at Bolingo, all children have a medical exam within 48 hours and then talk with our pastor. Culturally, counseling is primarily done with a spiritual leader. Our pastor conducts an optional weekly service, provides a bi-weekly Bible study for the staff, bi-weekly activities for the children, and acts as our counselor. Ruth, our manager, along with the Foster mom, our doctor, and the pastor, develop a plan for each child.
We know that there are different levels of trauma - but all of our kids have experienced more than is fair.
Bolingo Village can’t help every child; it’s the most challenging reality for our staff, but when a child comes to Bolingo - we care for the whole child. We create an environment of healing, health, safety, and love. We’re excited to keep growing so we can help more kiddos get the care that they need.