Project Sustainable Massage

One of the homes at the orphanage

One of our goals when we came here was not just to provide compassionate touch for these kids while we are here, but to make sure they keep receiving it after we're gone. We planned on teaching their caregivers how to massage them, but quickly realized that their caregivers are just too busy cooking and taking care of the kids to do that. In fact, we've ended up massaging the caregivers while we're here. One great thing about the games we've taught is that they teach the kids massage so that they can actually massage each other. And what's even better is that we don't have to tell them to do it--they just naturally want to and start modeling our behavior, like in the photo below.


Future massage therapist at work!

Of course, being who we are, and knowing how much these kids LOVE getting their massages, that is just not enough for us. So now we are working on hiring a massage therapist for the orphanage. John & Kathy will find someone and we will train them in various modalities so they can work on the adults and the kids. We will also pay their salary and their living/food expenses at the orphanage (this works out to about $150/month). And we can continue training them when we return, and also implement this program in other orphanages around the world. When we approached John with the idea, he absolutely loved it, and actually went a step further in suggesting that we might turn it into a training for some of the kids too (AFTER they finish high school), so they can get jobs in town as massage therapists. Sounds good to us!


Naptime for the kids

It is so helpful to have these uplifting ideas and experiences while we're here because it can get extremely emotional. I actually had my tearful breakdown at the TB hospital yesterday and I was the last one of the group to have one. It can just be really heavy, hearing about children whose parents told them that they (the kid) gave their parents HIV, or kids whose parents died and when they were picked up at a relative's house by the orphanage, the relatives barely glanced their way as they left. Or the little girl who stopped taking her medication because she was told that nobody would ever love her, so she decided she would rather die. Then there are the kids who look years younger than they really are due to the fact that they failed to thrive in their early years (that's what happens when nobody touches a baby/child). And those are only a few of the stories. I just can't even think about them when I'm with the kids. I actually forget that they're HIV+ when I'm with them too. And that's definitely a good thing.


Penny and Patrick take a little break while the kids eat lunch.