Nkosi was eventually moved from the place of safety and placed with a foster family with loving parents and a sister his age. He stayed with this family until his foster parents decided to separate. Not wanting to subject this little four year old to further rejection, the social worker requested that he be placed with Oasis Haven.
Before his arrival, Oasis Haven took great care to prepare the other children in the Family Home for the new arrival. Holding a “family meeting”, the houseparents and children talked about what a family is, what it looks like, and how it feels to belong to a family. They talked about the fact that there are many children who don’t have families and imagined what it might feel like to be all alone.
The children were then told about a little boy named Nkosi who didn’t have a family. Their response: “Please let him come and live with us!!!” And the conversation continued as follows:
“But what if Nkosi doesn’t have any toys?”
“He can use any of mine!”
“But where will Nkosi sleep?”
”Please let him sleep in my room!”
“But what if Nkosi feels scared or sad?”
“We’ll hug him and tell him that we love him!”
The children then decided that they wanted to make “Welcome Home” cards for their new little brother. The cards were full of such love, warmth, and pure excitement for the arrival of this precious little boy.
Today, Nkosi is a warm, caring and happy child. He enjoys his brothers and sisters immensely and has also had the opportunity to welcome new children into the family.
