Our day with the orphans (part 1)

For those people who have contributed to the Small Voices Foundation Cause, let me start by congratulating you. I hope that each and every person that reads this who has donated time, toys, prayers and money sleeps a little better tonight. The work for the last year is everything I dreamed of and hoped for, and has made a difference.

It may take me several posts to detail the events of today, or perhaps I may never be able to truly recount the experience but I will do my best so that each of you know what an amazing cause of which you have become. For those of you who have donated money to charities with the knowledge that you may never know what your dime has created, I can tell you that with Small Voices I have seen where each penny has made a change for the better.

We were driven at noon (after being confirmed bright and early by Leonce today to Rebero Orphan Center and greeted by 60 of the 88 children who are benefitting from Rebero. Immediately Barton and I were swarmed by little hands and hugs. We could hardly get out of the car. The 2 genocide survivors who founded the Rebero Orphan Center (ROC) had created an agenda of plays and native dance that lasted for an hour. I sat in a chair while the children displayed their ritual dance and Barton snapped shots, like ROC paparazzi. Next, the children re-enacted the Nativity complete with costumes of kings, shepherds, wisemen, angels and the Mary and Joseph- all for us! The production caused such a stir that the neighbors all gathered around to enjoy the spectacle. At a certain point during the native dance of the women, the girls attempted to pull me up and make me dance their native dance. Ummm….let’s just say I gave it my best. During, what I thought was pretty darn close to “keeping up” with their moves, I looked into the crowd of bystanders and noticed the entire mass was laughing hysterically and pointing at me!!! I guess it is true, white girl can’t dance….Embarrassed, I ran back to the safety of my chair.

Next, the directors lead us to the classroom that SMALL VOICES BUILT FOR THE CHILDREN!!!! The teacher who was hired, with SVF MONEY (!!!), did a lesson demonstration where she depicted an English lesson. The children could hardly concentrate because they were so enamored with Barton! Finally, one of the bravest boys motioned for Barton to sit next to him. Barton promptly snuggled up to the young boys and continued to watch the lesson demonstration. I watched from afar as the boys giggled to each other and stared while whispering about Barton. Just as I wondered what their fascination might be about, one boy bravely leaned over to Barton and rubbed his red arm hair and giggled, then pointed to his own bare arm. White redheaded boys have a lot more arm hair than Rwanda boys! I started to laugh and tried to teach them “freckles” and I think they got it☺.

More to follow….