April 20, 2012: SAFE/JTC

I have officially been in Liberia one week. And what a week it has been! Today we visited another site of the herring donation, the SAFE/JTC (Juvenile Transit Center) home which is a home and community center for vulnerable youth. Nina and Paul collected heights and weights of the kids, while I bonded with some precocious children who loved my camera. One of the caretakers of the site, Vivian, was there with her four young girls. She told us matter-of-factly, “I was abused by a Nigerian man. So, my children are Nigerian.” Like the women of the THINK home yesterday, Vivian comes from a very difficult background and has been treated very badly in the past. She is warm and energetic, with a raspy voice and a quick smile. Her children are adorable. One of the girls’ names is Peace, and she clung to me all day, totally winning my heart. (That reminds me: a lot of the Liberians we’ve met have these great names, like Love (a guy), Comfort (a woman), Peace, Honest, Grace, etc.)
The SAFE home also cares for four severely disabled young children who have been abandoned by their parents. One young child, who by size and appearance looked to me to be two or three, was actually five years old. Paul measured her MUAC (mid-upper arm circumference, a way of seeing how well-nourished children under 5 are), and learned that she might be malnourished, and recommended referring her to a clinic. It was surprising to me learn that this child was five years old. I don’t know how else to say it, it just shocked me because she was so small for her age. Who knows what happened to these children early in their lives to impair their health? On the plus side, the SAFE/JTC center seems like a very nurturing and safe place for these vulnerable kids. All four of their last names are Think, after the THINK home, which is where they were left by their mothers.
While Paul and the local staff measured heights and weights, Vivian brought out a wooden case of beaded jewelry she makes herself, and sells. Nina and I bought a few sets of necklaces and bracelets, and Vivian and the young girls sat on the ground making more jewelry. Before we left, they gave Nina and me three bracelets each, made of red wooden beads.
I loved visiting the SAFE home. I seriously didn’t want to leave. The kids were so sweet, and I wish I could have gotten to know them and their amazing caretakers better. We snapped a group photo, and Vivian got all the kids together to sing us a goodbye song. Her youngest, Mary, started bawling when we left (we tried to tell her we were just going to get some gas and come back, but she didn’t buy it). Again, it is a good feeling to contribute to these programs, and a privilege to see the amazing things they are accomplishing.