I have been working at the Kasisi Foundation since the very beginning. I remember myself sitting behind a desk, listing more kids for adoption. Each photo touched me very much; each gave me the feeling that no matter how difficult a situation one finds oneself in, one still has plenty of reasons to smile. In the end, the awkwardness came, that I have so much and yet I can’t always appreciate it.

And I try to put myself in the shoes of Musiwa, whose mum died in a fire while trying to shield her tiny son with her body. Or Steven, whose mum died because she didn’t bring with her to the clinic the rubber gloves needed to deliver a baby. She was sent home, gave birth to twins on the way, gave life but lost it herself. There’s also Peter Kenneth, whose mum gave him up to an orphanage because she didn’t have the means to raise him, or Divine, whose dad is unable to raise him on his own because he lost his beloved wife and boy’s mum after a long illness in Kasisi. And Angela, the little girl with Down’s syndrome whose mum abandoned her because the little one is ill; the child is joy in its purest form.

Being in Kasisi, I met all these kids. I talked to Steven, who is still suffering after the death of his brother Christopher. I lent my sunglasses to Kenneth, who immediately returned the favour with kisses and hugs. I cuddled almost 2-year-old Divine, who is suffering from hunger disease. The little boy had a fever at the time. He was so eager to smile at me and he did it as best he could. Every morning I was also greeted with a smile from Angela and her friends, who were more than happy to pose for photos.

I was so scared to fly to Kasisi. I was afraid that I would cry over the fate of each child, that my sensitivity would not allow me to hold back my tears. Today, I understand all this. Today I already know that in Kasisi you can only shed tears of happiness and emotion when a child, after you have hugged them, says to you: I love you.

I could finally see with my own eyes all those happy kids. They get tons of love at Kasisi. They are taken care of from A to Z. They know they are the most important thing here, and they are respectful of the sisters, aunties and other staff.

And such a thought comes at the end, that no matter what happens to you in life, the most important thing is to have someone next to you who loves you.

Thank you for being with our kids, for loving and supporting them. Stay with us and remember that Kasisi is also your HOME.

Agnieszka Gasińska