A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE AGAPE CHILDREN

THE AGAPE HOME---Providing love and care to abandoned or orphaned babies and children with, or at risk of, HIV/AIDS.

The day starts bright and early at the Agape Home, with the first of the children waking at about 5:30 am. All of the children are awake, bathed, fed and dressed for the day by 6:30 am. By then, the first of the two daily volunteer shifts has started, and so has the fun! On a typical day, the children play out front during the early morning hours. There are games, bike riding and general exploring in the area.

By 7:30 am the Agape van is loaded with the older children who attend the neighborhood public school. Accompanied by a healthy chorus of “good-byes” from the younger stay-at-home crowd, the children are at school until 4:00 PM each day.

By 8:30 am the children who attend the Agape preschool program are in their classroom building, and they begin their school day singing the Thai National Anthem, and giving thanks to God for the day and the opportunity to be together. The preschool children follow a learning plan, and their lessons cover a variety of subjects from math, Thai language, English, social sciences, art and craft, dramatic play, and even cooking! The Agape Home Child Developmental Manager, and the two teachers do the planning for the preschool program. The children also benefit from an exercise program, and field trips that are fun and chosen to reinforce the subjects studied in the classroom.

At the central home, the youngest Agape children are enjoying their own range of daily activities. Like the schedule developed for the preschool, the daily program in the home is designed to give the toddlers and small babies their own opportunity to learn more about the world around them. To enhance this, the children are separated into playgroups according to age and developmental level. Each baby/toddler group then also has specially planned activities including art and craft, dress up time, simple cooking lessons, music, exercise, and a weekly field trip to exciting locations like the train station, zoo, and park.

Because the children are sometimes sick, the daily routine is always subject to change and accommodation. For example, when any of the Agape children are in hospital, they are accompanied at all times by a nanny who provides most of the in hospital care. This includes overnight, so that no child is left alone when most in need. The children who are ill but able to stay at home to recover are exempted from any portion of the daily routine that is too taxing.

At the end of the day, the children are all reunited for the evening playtime which is mostly spent outside playing on some of the variety of play equipment and bicycles! The children are back inside by 6:15 PM for baths, pajamas, a bit of television (and homework for the older children), and bed by 7:00 PM. It is a full day to say the least, but one that we strive to balance with the right mixture of fun, learning, rest, and lots of love and care.