25 persons aged from 13 to 70  turned up when we announced that there will be a meeting for those interested in volunteering.  Several of them also brought along the children who were under their care. The children entertained themselves as they left their care-givers to deal with adult matters. Although everyone was living in the same neighbourhood it was the first time several who turned up would be speaking to each other. So we broke the ice with the children’s game “Blow Wind Blow.” …

A 12 year old boy who had recently been discharged from a children’s home continued to receive support from the institution.  He was invited to attend activities during the weekends. Unfortunately on one weekend, he was told by some children there that his 11 year old girlfriend who was still residing in the Home was bad mouthing his family.  The boy was livid but he could not find an opportunity to confront or clarify the matter with his girlfriend. The information ate into him and the…

"You contributed the space for people to  discuss, to reflect and to act. Intangible maybe but invaluable!”  Jean Louis Lamboray commented after reading my lasr post.  Space and time are 2 very important gifts we can give and definitely,  2 very important resources we need to do our work. Space and time are often in shortage when young people are deemed to be putting themselves or others at risk of harm. For instance, a 9 year old boy who is attending school 3 out of 5 days a week is deemed…

In the midst of a bitter quarrel.  a mother told her 5 children that they could leave her. The siblings aged from 12 to 20 years old took a few minutes to pack a few personal belongings and then left the flat together.  When tempers cooled the following day,  mother and a couple of the younger children called to inform us of the situation.  We then contacted the eldest sibling and she told us that she wanted to discuss the situation with us. At the meeting we were most heartened that she…