South Woodham Ferrers Club:
Kerry Akers in South Africa
Autumn 2004Article by Kerry Akers
After a very successful fund raising programme in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, I was able to venture to South Africa, where I lived and worked voluntarily in an orphanage for a month.
The orphanage was based in a township, on the outskirts of Cape Town, called Kyalitsha. The township consisted wholly of huts constructed poorly of cardboard and corrugated iron. Only a few brick buildings were constructed amongst the thousands of huts, one of which was the orphanage I stayed in.
With the highest murder rate in the world and no sanitation system in place, Kyalitsha seemed an unsuitable location for an orphanage holding thirty sick children.
The children seemed ecstatic to see a new face, the apartheid was still prevalent, as mine was the only white face in the area. It was very difficult to come to terms with the fact that out of these thirty children, only four were not dying of AIDS. Despite their tragic fate, many of the children seemed happy and vibrant. Although four of the children were not HIV positive, they were far from being physically or mentally healthy, as three of them had been raped repeatedly by family members and the other child had foetal alcohol syndrome contracted as a result of his mother's alcoholism whilst pregnant.
As a result of brutal abuse, many of the children suffered with anger and fear disorders which were somewhat stemmed by teaching them to control and focus their aggression and fear by giving them lessons in Tang Sou Dao. Not only did the children thoroughly enjoy the lessons, but also gained an outlet from the fear and a focus for their aggression.
When I entered the orphanage all of the children craved attention except one. This child lay in his cot in silence. With this one child I formed a very special bond. His need for a mother was overwhelmingly apparent. His name was Lebo. He was two years old, but had the body of a sick six month old baby. Lebo and his four year old brother were abandoned by their mother who was HIV positive, an alcoholic and a prostitute. Both boys are HIV positive and were left to fend for themselves, locked in a hut for almost a week.
Lebo was not only HIV positive, but also suffered from pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB), a urinary infection, thrush, malnutrition, severe dehydration and gastroenteritis. Lebo lacked the capacity to form relationships or show emotion. I was determined to make a difference to this poor child's life.
The lack of resources and the devastatingly poor standard of living was shocking compared with the benefit of rich living we take for granted in the UK. The lack of medical resources and nutritional foods made it difficult to provide the care the children needed. However, it soon became apparent that what the children lacked the most was love and attention, which I thankfully was able to supply.
After receiving a month's worth of love and affection, Lebo eventually began to form relationships and show emotion. I am desperately trying to raise the money to get Lebo fostered in order for him to receive love and attention 24/7 and benefit from much needed medical care, in order to ease the pain he suffers daily. With a drug called antiretrovirals the pain and discomfort caused by HIV is strongly reduced and allows the sufferer to live a relatively normal life for around eighteen years, by boosting the immune system. However, without these drugs and the love of a foster parent, Lebo could die at any given moment from something as minor as a cold. These drugs and foster care come at a cost and I would be deeply grateful for any contributions towards saving Lebo's fragile life. Please speak to your instructor if you wish to contribute to the cause.
Thank you in advance.
Kerry Akers
The BTSDF Operates a Child Protection Policy
Click on the picture above for a link to the NSPCC website
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