VISUALIZING 147 MILLION ORPHANS (PART 2)

Some more shots for the 147 Million Orphans project. Part 1 is HERE.

So, this was another emotional day. We visited Michael's former orphanage. It was so emotional to see how the staff reacted to Michael's visit; as the hubby later told Michael, the orphanage staff lives for moments like what Michael gave them: to have a former orphan visit and show that he is now in a happy, stable, supportive family. Almost all exclaimed at how tall Michael had grown in the past two years ... yes, of course, I saw children looking as much as half their biological ages -- institutionalization, even when food is available, stunts development on so many levels. Here are some photos from our visit; the first is Michael with the orphanage director by where Michael slept for years...in a large room that contained perhaps a hundred boys:



Here's a shot of the babies' bedroom -- so many cribs, too many cribs!



Here's a shot of the orphanage director with a 13-year-old orphan. The director says she just turned 13, which means she's running out of time to be adopted. And "she's such a sweet, lovely girl who so longs for a family! Any family who adopts her will never regret their decision!" The director added, "I have so many in her position of wanting a family..."



The next shots are focused on orphaned toddlers. I am only showing four shots, but I actually took a lot with my Iphone as I was besieged with young uns clamoring to be seen. So I'd take their photograph, then show them their image on the Iphone -- for all, it seemed to make their day. Well, yes: most of us want to be ... seen, to have our selves acknowledged...









Michael hasn't discussed his feelings at having visited his former orphanage. No doubt, it's a lot to process ...