Listen very carefully while I tell you about the story of Joseph…. Thus started the puppet show that kicked off our Children’s focus day last November. Josep was a poor puppet who was homeless and all alone.
Many people walked by him but didn’t help him. The first passerby was too concerned with going shopping for his new coat to think about Josep. Mr and Mrs Bunny were too rich and too happy to think about him. The young tough guy even kicked him because he thought he smelled bad. But at the end of the puppet show, somebody came to help Josep: Hartkin brought him a blanket and gave him perhaps the most important thing: respect and human kindness in the form of a hug. The children’s theme for the day – in keeping with the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion – was indeed to learn about homelessness… and do something practical about it. All afternoon, 40 children aged between 6 and 12 years were helped by STC volunteers to make cards, prepare gift packages containing hygiene products and socks, bake cookies and learn a few songs. Accompanied by volunteers, they then showed practical kindness by going out to homeless people at Clos Ste Thérèse, Missionaries of Charity as well as South and Central stations to given their gifts. The children put into practice the ideas of respect and human dignity which they had discussed during the puppet show. During the debriefing time with the children it was clear that they thought visiting the homeless was the best part of the afternoon, even though through the eyes of the adults facing this harsh reality was perhaps the hardest. The other projects of the day included: Games and arts and crafts with the children at Victor du Pré (a home for abused women and their children); Games and arts and crafts with the children at Foyer Selah (center for asylum seekers); Cleaning our headquarters, Epée; Cleaning two local parks; Painting the toilettes at Foyer des Jeunes; and Visiting a group of asylum seekers (men, women and children) in North station
