The staff....

Of course, there are the nannies who are treated very well here. They have uniforms as do the cleaners. The ratio is 2 children to 1 nanny on days and evenings and one nanny to 4 kids on nights. I think there shifts are eight hours. They get three meals a day in the canteen prepared by three cooks. They are the primary caregivers for their charges and do everything for them. This is so the children will learn trust and how to bond.

There are a load of cleaners and they have a set routine and are assigned to different areas. There are two drivers I know of. One regular guy who runs a lot of errands and one on call for the likes of us who want a little tourist action from time to time. They have two vans and one car. They have a caretaker cum guard who lives in a little house at the entrance with his family and they also have 2 foster kids from here. There are several other workers I see around the grounds. Somebody shovels coal......the very polluting source of heat here. If I lived in china full time the particle count in the air would be areal concern. It is hard to miss in all the photographs. Some do yard work. I noticed their are residences in the backyard where staff live.

Their are two girls in the office doing secretarial stuff and there is Mona, the nurse and Rose the medical assistant. And of course, Robin and Dr Joyce who are the founders and directors of all the facilities Hope is now running. It is quite the organization.

The day starts early. You can hear the babies around 630 beginning to stir. Breakfast is at 7 sharp and then any nanny who has a concern goes to the clinic to see either Mona or Dr. Joyce. They are pretty astute at picking out the sickies.

Some of the older ones go to preschool in a little classroom off the playroom. They are taught in English and some speak it well. There is a schedule of who is coming and on what day. It is only for 1 1/2 hours.

There is lunch at 11 and then nap time until 1 or 2, then snack and then dinner at 5pm. In between they are taken for walks or outside weather permitting or just play and visit with whom ever is around. Volunteers or such.

Prep for bed is right after dinner and most are sleeping by 7ish although the occasional older kid is sometimes playing amongst the chattering nannies.

And so it goes. I haven't seen a birthday party. One of the kids is three on Thursday so we will see.

It is a very happening place and there is a sense of family here.