I walked towards the gate of Sunny’s new school this morning, behind the bars was an enclosed area for children to sit. My eyes found four children in wheelchairs. One little boy dangled bare feet from his chair, while another had his eyes closed and dribbled quietly in the corner of the schoolyard. I gulped and took a breath; this is now where my boy ‘belongs,’ the r....
My 8-year-old daughter has become a big advocate for kids that are excluded or mistreated by other kids. I am so proud of her, not just because of her compassion and kindness but because I know first hand what its like to be one of those kids, a misfit. I grew up in a trailer out in the sticks. This was definitely not cool. Where I grew up cool was living in a two-story house &....
My name is Denise Mwenedata and I was born in Rwanda in 1985. I am the fourth child of eight so our home was always full of people. I loved playing with my siblings. My parents were both teachers, and my dad became a headmaster when I was young. They encouraged my siblings and I to study hard. I always thought that I would be doctor when I grew up, but in April 1994 &hel....
On Sunday 9th February 2014, our home was ravaged by bushfire. It was a time of devastation and darkness. Losing everything isolates and irrevocably changes you. Coming to terms with the fact that everything was gone, all but the dress I was wearing when I fled the fire was confronting and surreal. I remember the day I went back and sat in the ashes, alone, thinking, “If I si....
Sunday morning. It is time to wake up. As soon as I get up I go and scan my face in the mirror. This ordinary object became my enemy about ten years ago. The first thing I notice are new pimples on my face. Although I despise what I see, I will pretend that I am fine. I can’t change the way it is so I decide to get on with the day. I get …....
