According to Namibia, I am an orphan. Does that knock the wind out of you like it did for me?
A few weeks ago, I was introduced to the Ministry of Education’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Register. Starting in 2010, schools are required to register any learners that qualify as orphans or vulnerable children.
Almost anything can make you an OVC...lack of either/both parents, living in a child-headed or grandparent-headed household, having any sort of disability (physical, learning, mental...any severity), having glasses, lacking money...the list goes on.
As a registered class teacher (aka homeroom teacher), this gives you additional responsibility. You are the one to gauge if any of your learners are OVCs and then include them in the register. Let me tell you...a lot of the learners here qualify as OVCs. Since the Register is so new, the Ministry only uses it for statistical purposes. Schools can use the information to waive school fees or provide free meals where applicable.
This week, I’ve been doing this awesome family tree project with my 11th and 12th graders. I have learned a lot about my learners’ families and would estimate that almost a third of them qualify as orphans. So many of them have had one or both parents die...and they’re only teenagers.
Just last week, the mother of a girl in my homeroom passed away. She walked in the school gates one morning, handed me this note, and walked away: “Dear Madam, Am sorry for bothering you, I just want to let you know that M will not be coming to school this days due to her mom’s death.”
How do you react? I still will never know. But let us rejoice once again in the great sovereignty of God in my life – in blessing me with past experiences, sorrows, and healing that enable me to comfort and listen to others.
“Praise be to God...who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:4
No comments:
Post a Comment