Becoming a host
Most families who host children find the experience very rewarding. One of our longest serving host families - Jaz & Brian Boothman share some of their experiences with you here:
"Brian and I started to host children 7 years ago. We were accepted into the group and made to feel welcome by everyone. Not knowing what to expect we listened advice from the more experienced members. July 21st arrived and we went to meet the children and bring them home with us, I shall always remember 2 very small frail boys being introduced to us and thinking, What have we done. The language was different, they had been very sick and we were going to care for them! how would we manage? It was very easy, after a few days the children took the strain away and we realised they were just like any other children. They loved to play games and meeting the other children from the group was also good for them as they like to hear the other childrens experiences of their host familes. It was a wonderful month, full of laughter, of course we had worrying times, the boys got homesick and needed to see their mums. It was the first time either had been away from their family and they were a long way from home, phone calls home soon put an end to that problem. It was time for them to go home and we were very sad. We all stood in the airport crying, wondering if we would ever see the boys again. The month in England had done them good, both looked stronger and had put on some weight, was this going to be enough to help them recover and stay in remission. We promised ourselves we would try and get the boys back next year. We did! That was our first experience, we had return visits for 7 years and saw them both grow into happy strong young men of 16. both of them with an ambition and a zest for life. Both studying hard to achieve their goals. We phone each other regularly and hear the latest news about the family. We are considered part of their families by the boys and their parents and have a bond with them thai will never be broken. I feel we learned a lot from our hosting, trust kindness and the knowledge of a different culture from our own. We are lucky, most of us have never had the anguish of a child so sick that in desperation we send our babies thousands of miles, to complete strangers in hope it can help save their lives. We do make a difference and it is so worthwhile."
