A new initiative started at the beginning of the year with the aim of training a group of teenage boys with disabilities in practical skills. By learning to repair wheelchairs, make candleholders from leftover planks, and build outdoor furniture from old pallets, the boys have had fantastic opportunities to develop skills that can be helpful at home with their families and also open doors to jobs in practical fields in the future.
It is not only their practical knowledge that has grown—the feeling that they have “done something” has also strengthened their self-confidence in a positive way. Learning patience, being meticulous, and solving different kinds of problems are other areas in which we have seen encouraging development.
Over the past two weeks, they have been painting pieces of wood that later became a fence around a swing set. You should have been there yesterday when they assembled it all: “If you screw it in, I will hold it!” “Please hand me that yellow board over there!” “I’ll get the red one!” we could hear them shout, mixed with happy laughter and encouraging comments.
It was clear that they were proud of their work as we packed up to go home at the end of the day—and they should be! It seemed as if the rainbow itself had come to visit the otherwise dull-looking surroundings. What a beautiful sign of dignity and hope!
