In newsletter no. 38 (2019), Blessed Gérard’s Children’s Home tells the story of two sisters whose mother was seriously ill. A social worker was already supporting the family.
When their mother was admitted to the hospice, the two youngest children came to the Children’s Home. This enabled them to visit her as often as possible. After her death, the sisters stayed in the home’s care. Social worker Philani Mathonsi reports that he supported both girls through grief counselling, helping them ask questions and understand their mother’s death in a way appropriate to their age. The team wanted to give them safety, a sense of belonging and a good start for the years ahead.
The names used for the children in the newsletter are pseudonyms. The photographs show everyday scenes at the Children’s Home; they are not attributed to the individual children in this story.
Source: Newsletter no. 38 (2019), p. 10 and p. 22.