Imagine!

August 3, 2006
Yesterday I visited Freedom Park again. I hesitate to share some of the stories we encounter because I don’t want this blog to depress people. On the other hand, I wish the world could see what I see, and hear what I hear. This is one story that I feel worth sharing. We visited a child run home yesterday. The “man” of the home was a 16 year old boy. He has a twin sister (who we didn’t meet) and they have a 4 year old little brother. The mother died 2 years ago; the father has been gone for years. The 16 year old boy attends school at the crèche (the catholic run school in freedom park that is very basic, and extremely overcrowded.) He doesn’t have money to pay for next years school, so he was planning on dropping out next year; so Noel agreed to pay for his next years schooling, as well as for the 4 year old to attend crèche. We asked what the 4 year old does during the day and they said “he’s just busy going around to the houses here.” This means that the 4 year old is on his own all day just wandering around the neighborhood. The family has no way of making any money. They don’t receive grant money from the government because they don’t have South African citizenship. Their parents were illegal immigrants, so even though the children were born in South Africa they don’t have birth certificates because the parents were afraid of being exported. So even though the children were born here in South Africa, they can’t prove it and are therefore illegal. You literally can’t do anything in South Africa without an id book (your proof of citizenship.) You need your id book for almost any business transaction. You can’t open a bank account, you can’t receive any government services. You basically don’t exist if you aren’t a citizen. The sixteen year old sister is not in school. Later when talking to Noel about it we figure she most certainly is selling her body for money. There is no other way for the children to earn money. And they clearly had money coming from some where. Can you imagine if you were in their shoes? Parents die when you are 14. You have no job, no skills, no education, a 2 year old brother to care for, as far as the government is concerned, you don’t exist; and if they found out about you, you could be exported. How would you view the future? What hope would you have? Imagine that you are a sixteen year old girl that has to sell her body just to put food on the table. Can you imagine?