Visits to the local orphanage are becoming increasingly common as I (Nellicia) realize the needs of the place. It is incredible to see how hard the children work every day in the scorching heat – plowing fields by hand, planting vegetables, harvesting crops, cooking their own meals, hand-washing clothes, etc. It is heartbreaking to realize that these children do not know how to play without an adult guiding them. The shy, friendly smiles that greet me with each visit make me want to learn more than just their names. Their personal stories are still largely unknown to me: who they are, and why they are here. At the same time, I am afraid to learn more. I know that only about half of the children living at BFO are truly orphans. The other half leave stories of violence and abuse behind that made it too dangerous for them to remain at “home,” but this somehow makes their stories even more tragic.
As I considered where and in what capacity I would like to be involved in ministry during our time in Mount Hagen, the needs of the orphanage kept coming back to me. Yes, there are major teacher shortages both in local and international schools. There are expat children who could benefit from music lessons or tutoring. There are part-time roles open within MAF that I could have stepped into. But none of these opportunities had a grasp on me as strongly as the needs of the children at BFO. And so, with the decision being made, I have started to become more involved.
My first concrete step of involvement has been teaching a course to the children on Personal Safety and Abuse Prevention. With a large proportion of the children having experienced some form of abuse or assault, along with the fact that the culture in this area is one where violence is expected and domestic violence is accepted, this was a clear area of need. Starting with discussions about different feelings and what situations may create those feelings, we soon moved on to discussing feeling safe versus unsafe and how our body gives us clear signs when we are feeling unsafe. We discussed more sensitive topics such as what parts of our bodies are off-limits and how we should respond if someone breaks those limits. The final part of the course will be a session where each child creates their own safety network, with five trusted adults that they can talk to about sensitive topics. Of course, it will be difficult for these children to come up with five adults that they know, and even more difficult to think of five adults to whom they would disclose personal, and in this culture, shameful, information. However, I believe this course is only a start that I am hoping can be built on through the development of healthy and trust-filled relationships.
While teaching this course, I was also able to spend some time observing the children’s typical school day. Since most children come to the orphanage with very little English and no formal education, it makes it difficult to have standard schooling. For this reason, each child starts with a self-paced Christian homeschool curriculum to get “caught up,” or at least learn the basics of reading and writing. When the child reaches a Grade 5 level, they begin going to public school. A few things that I noticed while observing were that this curriculum, though it has a Christian lens, only teaches the core subject areas of Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Students also work through their various workbooks as their sole method of learning; there are no activities, presentations, or projects. They receive a goal for each day, and work quietly until they complete the goal, at which point their schooling is complete – whether that be at 11am or 2pm, they must sit quietly in school until 3pm.
Seeing this setup (which is a lot to ask of the orphanage considering the help and supplies that are available), I realized that I could help enhance the education experience in a few small ways. And so, beginning in the new school year (which starts at the beginning of February), I will be returning to my role as a teacher to support the helpers that are leading the schooling and to try to implement a few changes.
Briefly, some of the initiatives that I am most excited about: I plan to teach regular Bible classes. I feel that this is an important part of my ministry to the children, and hope that they will gain a passion for God and His Word through these classes. I will also be adding some “extra-curriculars” into the school day, such as P.E., Art, and read aloud time; the goal of these is that they will ultimately be planned and lead by some of the older students. A few other small changes are not worth mentioning here, but I am excited to see how the children respond to these extra activities and classes! And as with all aspects of our family’s ministry in PNG, we pray that God will work through us to bring about lasting change in the hearts and lives of people throughout this country; change that is so desperately needed.
