Our kids have often seen too much.
They may have been taken to dubious nightclubs aged six, sent around to pick the pockets of the inebriated locals; been locked in a small room for three days with a younger sibling and no food wondering whether their mum would ever return; been treated like a slave, beaten daily and forced to sleep outdoors in the dog’s kennel; or lived in a cold, dark, rancid drainage canal with older kids constantly plying them with glue and at constant risk of rape, because the streets somehow seemed safer than home*.
Yet, it is so important to remember that despite all that they have been through, the horrific things that they have seen and experienced in their short lives, that our children are just that: children.
Alalay offers them a home, food, education, opportunities, a sense of belonging and love, but it also provides them with the chance to be a child again – to smile, run, laugh, sing and play. To enjoy spending time with their friends and momentarily forget about their past. Here are some of our kids just enjoying being kids on recent days out…
*All of these stories are based on real events that have happened to our Alalay kids.
