Did we think about the costs and profits of this action?

Are the costs and effort in balance with the two-week visit? Did we take the emotional impact for the children into account? 

Costs

The visit of the children was not a solitary action. After the fire, the Love, Hallie Foundation decided to invite ten children to come to the United States for three months. Since the children had to make a stop-over in London on their way back home, it was quickly decided that this stop-over could easily be made into a two-week visit to Holland. The costs of the tickets were an investment that was made to raise an amount of money many times larger.

Profits

During their stay in Holland the children were accompanied by Pamela, a 'Zulu-mama' (picture: on the right). She was the person that the children could turn to in their own language whenever something was the matter. Pamela also took care of a degree of discipline and order during the trip. She helped the children to see all that they encountered in the right perspective and to relate it to their own situation. Pamela will stay involved with the children in South Africa, since she will be the operational director / 'housemother' of the new Agape.

During their visit to the United States the children went to school, to make sure the would not get behind in their education. Because the schoolyear in South Africa ends in December we already know that this was successful: all children passed their exams!

During their time away from home the children have enjoyed all our luxury and wealth. Now they are back in their container. A change that would be hard on anyone. How do the children deal with this? To answer this question, it is important to know some things.

In the first place, South Africa is a country that is characterized by differences. Not only the differences between black and white, but also between rich and poor, are great in this country. This is painfully illustrated by the golf course that was recently built near the orphanage. The children know that other people live in these kinds of circumstances. They just never lived like that themselves.

Another important difference is that these children often grow up at a very early age. It's not easy for a child to take care of your parents until they pass away and then being responsible for your siblings. The notion that material posessions are not comparable with family, love and happiness is something they have learned at a very early age - and perhaps better than we did. They missed the other children of Agape a lot and were happy about going back to South Africa. Once they got back home, they were especially grateful for what they experienced and for their improved knowledge of the English language. The didn't mention the new clothes and the gifts they received everywhere, but only the 'mental baggage' they got to improve their chance for a better future.

Maybe it's better for us to wonder who learned what from whom, we from these ten children or they from the thousands of people they got in touch with.