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The Children
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The children at the orphanage were both orphans (no parents) and social orphans (with at least one living parent). While each child's story differed in how they came to the orphange, it had one common element: a tragedy. Listening to their stories we wondered how these children even managed to survive.

Many came from parents whose parental rights were terminated by the state. Some came from a home where the mother drank and there was no father. While intoxicated one of the children’s mothers attempted to sell her child and for that she lost her parental rights. In other cases the parents didn't occupy themselves with the well-being of children and forced them to beg and wonder the streets. If the children failed to bring back money, they were beaten by their parents.

Another, smaller category of children belonged to parents that were unable to deal with the socio-economic changes and struggled to make a living. Without any prospects and no wage increases, their lives continued to worsen until they simply drank themselves to death. Their children consequently became orphans.

Abuse and neglect at home was also cited as a reason of why the kids were brought to the orphanage. As explained later by the director, most of the children arrive to the orphanage in very bad condition, so bad that their clothes must be burnt (because of dirt and infection) and given a new set of clothing.

To listen and to see all this in person was heartbreaking, to the point of tears. We spoke with the children, gave them our gifts and walked away feeling exhaused. The rest of the day, compared to what we just saw was uneventful.
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