Well, the last few weeks have been exceptionally busy here. Every three months we make up a hygiene pack for every child we support – that’s currently nearly 1,300! Each plastic bag contains enough shampoo, soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, washing powder and candles to last three months. After a massive bulk shopping trip we painstakingly pack each individual bag and then ship them out to the camps. It’s a lot of work – packing alone can take up to a week. We are also preparing for our Christmas parties, we hold them every year and each child gets to play games, do crafts and receive a special Christmas gift from us. Again, this takes a lot of time to prepare – imagine wrapping gifts for over a thousand children – it’s no mean feat!
So why do we do it? Wouldn’t it be easier to just send the bulk boxes of shampoo and toothpaste to each hostel? Maybe we could get away without putting on a Christmas party and give one big gift per hostel rather than individual gifts to every child? Well, the reason we do it is simple. We believe each child is individually loved and cared for by God. So we should love and care for them the same. We believe that he knows each child by name and has a plan and purpose for each life. We should treat them the same. Each child we care for has an immeasurable worth in the eyes of God and also in our eyes – and it’s my hope that we always see them that way.