“God gave us crying so other folks could see when we needed help, and help us.”

Very early on it was obvious to me that the place I felt I could have the deepest impact on was in the Creche.  I was not familiar with the term Creche, so as soon as I had access to internet I looked up the definition.  There were two... both fitting:  a group of young animals gather in one place for care and protection by one or more adults OR a day nursery.  There were days when working in the Creche was like being thrown to the wolves... and other days it was the sweetest, most rewarding experience of my life.

It was in the Creche that I fell in love.  I can admit it without feeling badly, I had my favorites.  If you have checked out my pictures, it is obvious that there were a few kids that worked their way into my hearts and profoundly changed me.  

How can anyone resist this face?

What a belly!

Lebo melted my heart!

The Creche Babies were an adventure... there was never a dull moment.  It was here that I realized what I was seeing in every baby at Botshabelo... desperation.  When people ask me what was it like, that is what I think of.  No one wants to hear that, so I focus on the uplifting stories, not the sad, lonely acts of desperation that occur every day.  The Botshabelo kids are without a doubt the happiest and most desperate kids I have ever worked with.  I understand that statement could be confusing, but that is truly how I look at it.

Desperation could be seen at any moment... There were 8 to 10 babies in the Creche on a daily basis with only 2 adults working there.  Clearly, the babies were not getting a great deal of love and attention.  The care givers in the Creche were inexperienced and young themselves, so I do not fault them for not being as involved as I think they should have been.  

When Kay and I would walk towards the Creche, the babies would run to the fence and call to us... "Visitors, visitors".  If we entered, they would run to us with their arms raised begging to be picked up.  If we walked by the Creche, the babies would run to the fence and reach through it.

When we would sit down, the kids would pile onto us and want out love, our arms around them.

The kids were desperate for attention, for love, for hugs, for toys, for a hand to hold, for a smile, for their picture to be taken, to sit on your lap, to be picked up when they were tired or cold or hurt or crying.  There was a level of desperation that could not be met.  Kids would fight over holding our hands... kids would push to knock someone out of our arms or our laps... kids would cry when we would put them down and beg to be picked up again.

Lebo was the worse of them all.  Lebo learned early on that if he cried, I would stop what I was doing and pick him back up.  If I didn't immediately pick him up, he would lay on the ground and "cry" until I reached down and loved him.  

Checking to see if I was looking... so cute.

I clearly picked him up every time...  I couldn't let this adorable little baby lay on the ground and cry. 

My time in the Creche taught me that if I can make someone feel better just by loving them and caring for them when they need it the most, then that is my responsibility to do so.  My arms miss holding my Creche babies... I hope they remember that someone loved them, even if it was only for a short time.