Try Again : Part 2 : Tears On The Cement Floor

The 3 boys knew that they have been caught red handed. They knew no amount of excuses will get them out of the situation. They knew the effort we put in to ensure that each child stays clean from drugs and substance abuse and they knew they breached a major rule.

When i arrived at the home that evening, the children were having their usual activity and as I stood there at the corner of the room. Seeing the 3 boys, sadness just filled my heart. I knew it was important to discipline them, but yet i know it was hard for these kids to be absolutely cleaned from drugs. But working with street kids, we know that a clear line must be drawn in order for the kids to learn the difference between right and wrong.

As i stood there, the 3 boys held their heads down in shame. We spent some time to use this incident to educate the rest of the kid and each of the offenders were given 6 strokes of the cane. My heart ached each time a stoke landed on these kids and I had to stop a couple of times to hold back my tears.

The 3 boys took the punishment bravely and tried to pretend it did not hurt that much. They just bravely took the punishment and went back to their seats.

Now here is the turning point, after the punishment, I took the 3 boys outside and sat them down. I explained to them why drug use was harmful and how the whole episode disappointed the staff and me. - people who loved them deeply.

I told them of the high hopes I had in them, dreams that they can live to their fullest and crumble their lives under drugs. They knew I loved them and wanted the best for their lives. As they sat there, they realised that they have let down the people who really loved them. That was more painful than the physical punishment they received.

Drops of tears rolled down each of their faces and dripped on the cement floor. As I hugged and prayed for the boys, they broke into tears and they were just sobbing, knowing that they have failed yet again..

 So there we spent the next half and hour and a boy with his whole face red and in tears spoke up for the first time...