Sunday, November 07, 2004
blessed are we

this portion of entry is extracted from someone's blog, which is linked from tim yao's. eunice often praised tim yao's entries and i myself have found them really good. im ashamed of myself when i read this and also felt for the children.indeed, im truly blessed by God.

" Each year KOTO holds a Winter Appeal. And each year there are different beneficiaries. It may be cooking hot soup for homeless people and collecting clothes to give out. On another occasion it was a trip to a kids' detention center. This year we look like joining up with the Friendship Village.

Set up by a Vietnam Vet who also, it appears, had links with Hanoi, it's a small area that is dedicated to caring for children who have suffered because of Agent Orange. For those of you who don't know, Agent Orange was the toxic substance that was dropped on Vietnam as a defoliant to wipe out the jungles where the Viet Cong were supposedly hiding.

In short, ever since then hundreds of thousands have died as a result of the on-going problems caused by Agent Orange. In addition, many more children are still being born with serious defects. The after effects of Agent Orange are on-going. The Friendship Village looks after these children.

Anyway, yesterday we visited the site. After a short talk, we had a walk around and met the kids. Nothing can prepare you for this. One of the cruelest factors about Agent Orange and its effects is the vast array of disabilities. Kids with peculiar body shapes, kids with no legs, kids with the most horrific deformities, kids with mental disabilities. It is shocking.

On arriving one child took a hold of my hand and barely let go the whole time I was there. He followed us from room to room - waiting outside while we looked around, then putting his hand in mine again when we walked out again. There were kids learning skills doing needlework and making clothes. Others, were being rehabilitated and being given prosthetic limbs. Others, I guess, could only be made comfortable.

It was hugely emotional and I suppose I was coping fine. But then we went into a room where a group of kids were learning how to use waking aids. I suddenly became aware of one small child hugging my knees. I squatted down so I could see him face to face. Then he just put his arms around my neck and hugged me. And I lost it. I'm losing it again now typing this.

I walked around the rest of the place with a lump in my throat. The disabilities were horrendous. You are also aware of your own inability to deal with what you see. There is a part of you that just wants to recoil and hide. When the kid holds your hand you look to see how clean he is. These are very basic instincts and they make you feel very ashamed.

This is work that I am doing as part of my time with KOTO. I have no training in working with kids or young people with disabilities. I am a fundraiser. I don't know how to react to it or how to deal with it emotionally. The kids we have at KOTO are a bright, sharp, good-looking bunch. Then you meet these Agent Orange victims and, for a second, you see street kids as the lucky ones. "


janice fishing at 2:03 AM
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