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Abused children find friends indeed

A young tenant enjoys a “Day of Fun” at the Good Shepherd Home for  children.

In the eastern Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda, young girls abused by hands meant to care for them find refuge at the Good Shepherd Home for Children.

Now, through the Kiwanis Club of Wadadli, they’ve also found friends. The club called its first visit to the girls the “Kiwanis Day of Fun.” But it was just the beginning, promises Kenfer St. Rose, club secretary.

“Our main reason for doing this project is to socialize with the children, but it also is a way we contribute to the community,” she says.

Club members played games, hosted a barbecue, and, to the girls’ delight, served ice cream for dessert.

“They enjoyed every moment of the day,” Kenfer says.

Since 1984, the Good Shepherd Home has emphasized self-reliance. Girls learn household duties, attend school and the church of their choosing, and take part in such community activities as scouting, carnival, and playing the steel pan—all in preparation for becoming self-supporting adults.

Meanwhile, the Kiwanians are helping them learn to make and keep friends.

“Some of us already have seen the girls again,” Kenfer reports. “We visited their church and had lunch with them. Two members took some of the residents out for fun, and it’s in the future for other members to do the same.”—Cindy Dashnaw