Am I safe? Am I loved? Now, what can I learn? These three questions can be difficult to answer for children from hard places. If felt-safety isn’t present, or children question whether they’re loved, accomplishing daily tasks and learning new skills can be challenging. Disruptions caused by a global pandemic likely leave dysregulations in their wake, but for the girls at a partnering children’s home in India, they provided a consistency that ultimately led to healing.
Class schedules and lessons didn’t come to a stop when schools shut down in India. Staff at the children’s home set up blue tables with benches in a row, like a classroom, and kept the girls on the same school schedule. “The girls rise each morning at the same time, share breakfast together, and get right to lessons,” shared Back2Back Staff. The girls have classes in the morning, break for lunch and a rest, and then return to lessons in the evening. Keeping their schedules intact has developed a consistency that has had a major impact on each of the girls.
One young girl had returned to see her family right before lockdowns were mandated. She was out of the home and her regular routine was disrupted for over two months. When she returned, she had fallen back several grade levels and had to reassimilate to the routines of the home. Having tutors and a regular schedule allowed her to get back into the rhythm of things much more quickly.
When children know what to expect, and who to expect it from, their brains have freedom to slow down. They can ask themselves the questions: Am I safe? Am I loved? and know confidently the answer is yes! With each yes, learning can begin.
Felt safety and consistency is providing more than just educational growth – they are allowing each girl to grow spiritually, absorbing what they’re learning in their devotion time with caregivers. These things help them physically as they sleep soundly in their own beds, in a home they know is safe. They allow them to adapt socially and emotionally, because they’re surrounded by safe adults who want the best for them, and they know their needs will be met, without question. Change truly begins when holistic care is provided, and children don’t wonder if basic needs will be met.
Sponsorship, advocacy, and prayer provide the means to meet each of their needs, which ultimately allows growth to really occur. Thank you for providing consistent, holistic care to each girl at the children’s home. They are safe, loved, and known because of your generosity.