At first when we took Julianna out, we saw the younger children out with their caregiver going for a walk. These children were age five to six. The sad little faces looked over at us. Kenny told me not to look, but I couldn’t help it. I asked Sveta to take some pictures of them so that we could maybe send the pictures to get kids placed on Reeces Rainbow. It was difficult to get individual photos.
There were many, many older children that we saw at this home. When we were outside, Sveta heard the kids talking. They knew that we were their for Julianna and that we were her parents. The older boys, ages 14 - 16, were just hanging around Kenny. The one boy kept trying to talk to Kenny. He was so lonely. When we left outside, we initially forgot Julianna’s toys in the sandbox. The boys called to us, and Kenny ran back to get them. A boy handed them to Kenny and then the boy hugged Kenny. My heart ached to see all of these poor children who have been given the gift of life, yet they are castaways in a culture that is corrupt with alcohol, drugs, and politics.
There was one girl who seemed to be physically deformed. She spoke to Svetlana and said “Hello” in English. You could see that she was not mentally disabled. She asked Svetlana how to say goodbye in English. Sveta responded and then the 15 year old girl with the shortened arms said, “Goodbye” and waved to us. We walked toward the door with Julianna.
There were many older boys and girls who have been given jobs in this institution. They are actually “graduates” of the home who have been given employment and a place to live. Michael, the director of this home, is doing the best with what he has. It is sad that these children except for Julianna will never leave the confines of this place - a flashback to a 1920 school building. Thanks be to God, we saw no signs of abuse with these children. We are hopeful that this doesn’t occur.