Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
Foster parent Mrs. Monica Gilbert with adopted daughter Shanay at their home in St. Andrew.
Lovelette Brooks, News Editor
"Shanay adds joy to the household. We love her, she loves us, and the bond with the family could not be stronger," says a smiling Monica Gilbert, an accounting clerk, as she shares her joy with The Sunday Gleaner in the comfort of her living room.
Bright-eyed and energetic, Shanay, like a typical five-year-old not wanting to be left out, settles herself between two oversized cushions and declares that she loves Discovery Kids channel and Sponge Bob cartoons.
The Gilberts, parents of two boys, decided in 2005 to foster a baby girl for Christmas, a programme they heard about by way of a friend. After contacting the Child Development Agency, they received a letter to take to Marigold's Home for Children in St. Andrew, and this is where the story begins.
"When I went in with the letter, the officer in charge seemed to have made her selection quickly. She just went inside and brought Shanay out. She was not Shanay then; she was given the name of the officer who registered her when she was brought there, abandoned at birth. We later called her Shanay because my 10-year-old son is Sean," Gilbert offers.
Shy at first
This was Shanay Gayle's first Christmas away from Marigold's. "She was shy when I picked her up. I took her to my office and she would not talk to anyone. However, when we went home and she saw the doll I bought her, she opened up. She took the doll and asked, 'Is this for me?' She was expressive about everything I bought her - the pink sneakers, the pretty 'girly' dresses - but moreso, the pair of earrings," Mrs. Gilbert recounts, sharing how much Shanay cried when she could not wear them on her return to Marigold.
It was a very good Christmas, the Gilberts recall, but the trauma for Mrs. Gilbert was taking Shanay back. "We all cried, but decided that we would always go to see her. Since that day, my husband or myself would go every week. Sometimes I had to park way down the road and ask one of the workers to collect stuff I had for her, I could not bear to hear her crying for her 'Mommy'. You know that's me, and it always tears me apart," says Mrs. Gilbert.
Since then, Shanay has spent every holiday with the Gilberts and eventually, never returned after one such visit. The Gilberts, who lost their eldest son, Curtis, to a car accident last year, have filed for adoption and are anxiously waiting for the court proceedings to be completed.
"During the period of bereavement, Shanay brought so much comfort. It seems God was preparing us for her. She goes everywhere with me. I was able to get a one-entry U.S. visa for her and we went to New York and New Jersey last summer. She no longer wakes up in the night and screams, so I know that she is well-adjusted and happy," Gilbert says of her daughter, who loves to sing.
Like the Gilberts, 50-year-old attorney-at-law Marlene Wisdom (not her real name) has been fostering children during the holidays. She is motivated by the bold step her sister took two years ago to adopt a baby from birth.
"It was such a nice experience, I really wanted to get involved," she tells The Sunday Gleaner.
So, each year, she extends her family circle to embrace one or two children from the Stony Hill SOS Village. "I enjoy having them over every holiday, even making preparations for them brings much satisfaction," she admits.
Prompt response
Wisdom says she was impressed with the quick response from the CDA. They "responded promptly" to her request and even had an officer visit her home on a Saturday to do the necessary checks.
"Last year, I told them I wanted two children for Christmas, so we got Ricardo who was eight years old, and Cheryl, who was 10 years, and they made the holiday special.
"We went to early church, had breakfast when we got back home, we opened gifts, and the rest of the day was spent playing games. Well, Ricardo, who loves to climb, spent a lot of time discovering all the places he could jump from. It was funny just watching him and making sure he was safe," she relates.
Wisdom is involved in a number of charities geared towards helping children, and volunteers to teach reading at the SOS. "My experience is that in the areas of academics, especially reading, children perform when they know that someone is interested in them and cares," states Wisdom.
She is also associated with one in particular, which has an educational programme for boys at risk, helping them both professionally and financially. Her firm belief is that "no child should be left in a children's home at Christmas. All should be with a family."
Lovellette.brooks@gleanerjm.com
Programme successful, says CDA
The 'raising', 'growing' or taking care of a relative's, neighbour's or even a stranger's child is an inter-generational, time-honoured tradition in Jamaica, and the Child Development Agency (CDA) has been using this as a cornerstone to encourage foster care for children in state-run homes.
While the call for families to foster care children is ongoing, the programme takes on a new energy during holidays, especially at Christmastime.
"The programme has been very successful. Last year, we were overwhelmed with requests. Over 235 children went out for Christmas in one region alone. This year, the results are similar," Carol Brown, children's officer for the southeast region, states.
"All of last week, we have been sending children out, and we have more to do on Monday, Christmas Eve. Most of the requests come from Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine.
"Some of the children go home with relatives, but the majority are being fostered by non-family members, which is very good," Brown remarks.
Foster care is defined by the CDA as the act of rearing a child who is not one's biological or adopted child. It requires one to love, care and share with someone else's child, in the same way one is expected to do for their biological child.
Simple process
The process of short-term fostering is simple. An application must be sent to the CDA. This may take the form of a letter to the agency or the completion of an application form available on the agency's website.
"After reviewing the application, an officer from the CDA will visit the applicant's home to ensure there's adequate accommodation, that there are provisions to meet the needs of the child, that the child will be safe, and that the person can properly care for the child. The person must be working," Carol explains.
The applicant is then given a letter to take to one of the homes and the staff in residence makes the selection. The child returns to the home on the date agreed on by officials at the CDA and the applicant.
"We have a vibrant foster-care programme in place and the children look forward to going out. It is therapy for them and gives them the opportunity to function within a family setting.
"Over the years, our foster carers have played an extremely important role in supporting some of the most disadvantaged children and enabling their successful transition into independent, adult life," says the CDA officer.
Lovellette.brooks@gleanerjm.com
