Kids will be kids

In between Christmas and New Years, at the suggestion of one of my fellow Canadians here in Suriname, instead of exchanging Christmas gifts with each other, we used the money to buy some much-needed supplies (diapers and underwear) for kids at a place called Claudia A. I was thrilled with the idea, having brought colouring books and paint sets and stickers with me from Canada with the intention of taking them to an orphanage here so this was perfect as far as I was concerned.

Claudia A is a home for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and women whose families have rejected them upon discovering they were HIV positive. There are also a few women and orphans from the neighbourhood who are not HIV positive, but who simply cannot care for themselves or their children and have no place else to go.

Claudia A is named after a young drug-addicted HIV positive woman who dreamed of changing her life and improving the lives of others. She inspired the creation of Claudia A. Tragically she was killed in an accident before she could see her dream become a reality in 1999. Claudia A began as a drop-in centre where people with HIV/AIDS could come for support, a meal, a bath, and a place to come during the day when no one else wanted them. Eventually it evolved into a home for women and children impacted by HIV/AIDS. Today about 7 women and 24 children all of varying ages call Claudia A home.

Their home is a crowded one. As we walked through the house we saw rooms with six-beds to a room bunks that were stacked 3 high. And they say Claudia A is less crowded than most orphanages…I can’t imagine! After a quick walk through the house we were lead into the backyard to meet the kids. It was nothing more than a couple old swingsets and a gravel patch. And this is where some 20 children spend their day! If you saw it, you might cry, and I might have too if it weren’t for the kids. Because I know now that no matter where you go or what you have in life, kids will be kids no matter what.

These kids, they just wanted someone new to play with, to hug, to climb on and show off to…and yes, to bring them presents…we got asked a lot if we brought presents. So here are the kids of Claudia A. As usual, many thanks to Berwyn, our personal photographer for capturing the spirit of all these great kids.







This is where they play. An old swingset and a gravel yard.


This little monkey wouldn't leave me alone. And a monkey she was. She would climb to the top of the swingset and JUMP at me. I thought it was awefully trusting of her that I would catch her...thankfully every time I did! And she always gave me lots of hugs and kisses when I did.


All this little one wanted was for Corina to pick her up...as you can see she got her way!!


And this little one wouldn't leave Julie alone either! Note the laundry basket behind the other little girl...there's a baby in there. The newest addition to Claudia A. She and her mother had nowhere else to go.


When kids attack! I learned the hard way, if you get down on the ground, be prepared to get piled on. Notice that no matter where I go, kids want to play with my hair!


Despite what I thought was a sad, sad thing, these kids were all smiles. Perhaps it's because even though the place is crowded and the yard has no grass to play on, it's still better than where they were....hard to believe that is even possible.