INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

to be addressed. Unlike with psychological interventions for younger children, older
children would have to be given coping mechanisms that could fit in further with their
busier schedules and more complex social lives. Also, two months of intervention may
already represent a large percentage of the memory of a five-year old. This is not the case
with an eleven or twelve year old who will need more consistent therapy that is able to
address traumatic incidents that have been repressed for a long amount of time.
I spent a little bit of time with Lindela, and while his temperament did not stand out
to me, I noticed that he often spent less time with the other children. He would seldom
participate in group activities like study time or a group walk to church on Sunday. He
did later appear at church, but he did not walk over with the rest of the teenage boys. He
had a slight tendency to scowl, although I gave cautious interpretations to facial
expressions because of their heightened subjectivity. He put much of his creative energy
into drawing, primarily cars, graffiti letterings, and political cartoons.
This sort of scenario was perhaps the motivation for one of the newer courses that
appeared in Nancy’s plans. To be incorporated with the other psychological wellbeing
sessions was one simply titled “Why Am I At Christ Church?” When I asked many of the
children a similar question, I would only get a portion of the story, like “a social worker
picked me up,” or a response that skirted the question, “I came here when I was five.” In
general, many of the kids were skilled at avoiding direct answers to questions, which
made the prospect of such a course in development all the more interesting.
Also in Nancy’s plans were courses regarding discipline. It appeared that this was a
more recent area of emphasis within the center’s activities. “More fair, firm, and
consistent structure needs to be placed in the ways in which the children behave. Those
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