When we consider each child who comes to the centre, each local staff member who dedicates their time to weekly sessions, and even the wider community through the lens of inclusion for people with disabilities, we often speak in terms of growth. Growth beautifully describes the journey our children are on—developing skills physically, cognitively, socially, and in areas of identity and self-confidence. Our desire is to stimulate and encourage that process. Like the growth of a plant, it requires time, opportunity, and the right conditions.
It is fitting, then, that outside the centre there now stands a greenhouse. The metal frame was donated years ago, but we waited for the right time and opportunity. For months, the teen boys have been working alongside local staff and OpMercy team members to create the perfect environment for plants to thrive. Together, they erected the frame, installed doors and windows, painted, and covered it all in plastic. They then spent weeks digging garden beds and filling them with rich soil. At every stage, there was creative thinking, problem-solving, and hard work. Ideas were tested, discarded, modified, and implemented. This too is part of the growth process. A healthy environment for growth requires freedom for creativity and the possibility of failure in a safe space.
Finally, it was time to plant. Starting with small tomato and capsicum seedlings, they slowly filled the garden beds. Weeks later, these tiny plants are now beginning to bear fruit. As the teen boys return week after week, they witness the growth unfolding in the greenhouse they helped to build.
Our centre is much like that greenhouse. It has taken time and partnership to create a space that welcomes children with disabilities and gives them the opportunity to develop. Our hope is that, as we gather each week, we will also witness continual growth and fruit in the lives of the children..
