22 Mar Reflecting on Valentine’s Day Celebrations in Our Homes
At Children of Hope, our aunties and uncles share a unique, close bond with the children in our homes. From looking after the children when they first arrived at our homes, to sending them off to high school and college as grown young men and women, our aunties and uncles have been their parent-like figures and supported them through it all. They’ve overcome challenges together and celebrated every milestone with pride and joy. So naturally, when Valentine’s Day came around last month, the children wanted to share their appreciation and love for their aunties and uncles in a memorable way.
We feel blessed to watch our children grow into such caring, warm individuals who have so much love to give to everyone in our homes.
Card-Making Activity
Valentine’s Day at our homes was an unforgettable experience for the children and staff. The children went out of their way to surprise their aunties and uncles with love-filled cards and letters. With the help of two aunties, the children gathered together in a room and spent hours designing their cards and writing thoughtful letters.
The card-making session was a sight to behold. The children were running up and down, choosing their favorite colors, messages, papers, and designs. The excitement was infectious, and even the aunties helping them were caught up in the fun. The children were most excited about choosing an auntie/uncle and writing a special message to them. They were beaming with joy throughout the session. The younger children were equally involved in the card-making process and used some help from the older children and the two aunties to write their letters too. It was a heartwarming experience for both the children and staff, and it will be remembered for a long time to come.
Auntie Cecilia, our social worker, was one of the aunties helping the children organize the card-making session. When she read some of the letters and cards, she was very moved by the messages – they were touching and came straight from the heart. It’s heartwarming to watch the impact our homes and our aunties and uncles have had on the children’s lives. The simple act of making cards was filled with so much gratitude and love.
Aunties and Uncles are Showered with Love
Valentine’s Day was a very emotional day for our aunties and uncles as they received cards from the children. The fact that the cards were hand-written and addressed to them personally made it even more special. It was delightful to see the happiness on their faces as the messages were read aloud during the staff meeting. Our aunties and uncles were extremely touched, and some were even holding back tears of joy.
Our aunties and uncles were most excited about the cards being a surprise to them. They had no idea that the children had made these cards for them and were touched that they took the time and effort to create something so personal for each of the staff members. The cards are a shining reminder that our aunties and uncles are not only caregivers but parent-like figures to the children.
Uncle Moses, the housefather, said, “this was a great surprise to me – I was touched by the messages written by the children not only to me but the rest of my colleagues. Surely this makes us enjoy working for these wonderful children even more; I never expected this. God bless the children, this is the best Valentine’s day ever for me.”
Auntie Agnes, the housekeeper chimed in.
“For me, I was so touched; in fact, this is the only Card I have ever received to celebrate this day. This was so special to me especially coming from Zawadi who is one of my favorite kids; she is energetic and always happy. I think she took after me:)” she said amidst giggles and a wide smile on her face,” said auntie Agnes.
“I got a beautiful card from my beautiful girl, Grace Wanja. I normally take her with me to my home over Christmas and I see her as my own daughter. Receiving a card from her was too emotional for me; I did shed some tears of joy that day. I also read the message to my kids once I got home that day, they were so moved and this made my day. She has no idea how she blesses my family. God bless COH and the kids so much,” said auntie Caolyne, the house cook.
All in all, the Valentine’s Day surprise was a success and a beautiful reminder of the power of love and the impact that it can have on people’s lives. The handwritten cards were a wonderful addition and touched our aunties’ and uncles’ hearts profoundly. We feel so blessed to be able to share such a heartwarming celebration with you.
Thank you for being a part of our extended COH family. We are so grateful for your support and know that none of this would have been possible without you.