A Happy Home in Old Naledi

In January I started a part-time job with the U.S. Embassy. I'm the editor of the Kalahari Star - a newsletter that is distributed to the American Mission Community in Gaborone. It is distributed electronically every other Friday. I've added a section called "Get Involved" in which I highlight a different organization each issue and include information as to how Americans living here can get invlolved. Today's blog post is straight from today's Kalahari Star. I visited Old Naledi (the poorest village in Gaborone) on Wednesday. The couple of hours I spent at Happy Home were the most touching moments I've experienced in Africa!

Esther and David, Korean missionaries arrived to Botswana in 1996. After 5 years of living here, Esther had a change of heart. Rather than turning her head from the children begging at the BBS mall, she decided to help them. “I have no money to give you, but I can cook. We can meet back at this tree at 5:00 and I will have food.” Esther went home and prepared a meal for these children. As she promised, she met them at 5:00 with plenty of food.

This happened 10 years ago. Not a day has passed since, that Esther hasn’t prepared a meal for children at 5:00. But there is a big difference. That small group of 7 children has turned into a group of 300.

Esther will tell you that for so long she focused most of her time and energy on her own son. She wanted to make sure that he was exposed to music, art, sport, etc. so that he could have a bright future. However, when he returned to Korea to finish his schooling, Esther began to recognize a need for children in Botswana. In order for these children to experience a bright future, someone needed to expose them to the world, ultimately to help them reach their unique potential.

Esther and her husband, David, have done just that. In 2002 they created Happy Home for the children in the village of Old Naledi.

Children arrive to Happy Home after school around 2:30. Each day these children are offered a different activity. Mondays are devoted to music (recorder, xylophone, violin). Tuesdays the children practice English, Wednesdays are dedicated to art and math, Thursdays are for karate and math, while Friday is for sports. Before going home, Esther serves the children a hot dinner, one that she prepares in the morning while the children attend school. On Saturdays, David and Esther bring a group of the children to their own home where they bake, watch videos and just have fun.

While Esther and David have accomplished the unthinkable, they are incredibly humble. It is evident that this couple leads by their example. The children in Happy Home are polite, well behaved and extremely gracious. Thanks to the work of Esther and David, the children are not only confident, but talented. The art and music they create most certainly exude the happiness they find at Happy Home.
To find out how you can get involved with Happy Home, see page 11.



Esther has taught many of the children to play the violin!

The children playing "Amazing Grace" on their recorders.

You can look forward to more pics and videos...for Ian, Finn and I have decided to spend our Friday afternoons at Happy Home!