I always heard my mother say dat when you think you have it hard, there’s always somebody out there who got it harder than you.
Now while all the lot o’ hollering, bawling, cussing, blaming, accusing and carrying on going on from people all ovah the place who get laid off from duh jobs; last week I read a very sad story in the Nation newspaper ’bout a whole family who grew up in the children’s homes, with nothing, barely making it from day tuh day, and is now about tuh be living ’pon the streets, all because o’ the hand dat life has dealt dem.
Look, I read and re-read dat story on the back page o’ the Thursday 15th nation newspaper just tuh try tuh understand if this sort o’ thing was really true; and I aint gine tell you nuh lie, it hurt muh heart tuh think dat a whole family was staring poverty, homelessness and starvation straight in the face right here in Beautiful Barbados.
What I cahn understand is how a child or children could grow up and live in a childrens’ home or orphanage from the time duh know demselves; nevah had the opportunity like other children tuh say mommy or daddy; aint know nutten ’bout anything apart from going tuh school, church or whatevah other activities there are allowed tuh do and as soon as duh become sixteen or so, the child is put out in tuh the real world tuh fend fuh itself.
Look, all like now so writing this column, I got all kinds o’ questions flying through my head.
I would like tuh know how come all o’ these children, brothers and sisters grow up in these homes? Why the mother didn’t have dem wid her? What happen tuh the father, where he is or was?
How come if it is time fuh these children tuh come out o’ the home where they lived and grew up since duh was babies, and duh had challenges, how come the child care board didn’t make some kinda provision fuh dem before duh come out? Where duh expect dem tuh go? How duh expect dem tuh survive in this dog eat dog society? How duh gine eat? Where duh gine sleep?
I think the Nation should do a follow up story pon these children who grew up in the protection o’ the children home and how they survive outside when they are put on the streets tuh fend fuh demselves in their teens.
Challenges
Uh mean it is hard as France fuh the teenagers who grow up in a house wid mother and Father or wid a grandmother, even wid a few other family members like aunts tuh leave home and go out and make a life fuh demselves, far less these poor children.
I know of two cases of young men who grew up in these homes. One o’ dem find out after dat he had a mother, a couple o’ brothers and sisters who was never placed in the home and it was only he and a sister dat was in the home.
I cahn remember how he manage tuh be living wid this old man who he looked after ‘til he died and left a lil old one roof wooden house fuh him.
Today, he still struggling and working in construction but he listened and when the piece o’ land dat the house pon was up fuh sale, he went ahead, got a small loan and bought it. I know him well because he went tuh school wid my brothers.
I was not as close tuh the other one when he was in his teens but I know dat he was living at one o’ the aunty’s for a long time after he came out o’ the home.
But how the people at the Child care board could tell the Land lady who was showing summuch compassion tuh this family tuh do what she has tuh do, if she has tuh put dem out, put dem out? That is so heartless hear? It really cahn be easy fuh these children But thank God all bajans aint so, I know dat people are beginning tuh respond tuh the plight o’ these young people and duh gine make it, hear wha’ I tell you!
