Music as Therapy for Orphans

As I am sure you know, I am a South African.

I live in a country that is so unique and yet so diverse. We have eleven official languages with eleven distinct cultures. I live and work amongst the Setswana speaking tribe. One thing about this people group that always amazes me is the sense of rhythm that the children from the village display. They can be walking down the road with nothing but the sound of goats bleating in the background and spontaneously start dancing to an inner beat, an inner sound that they seem to be born with. It's beautiful to watch. Recently I again witnessed this natural born rhythm, this time in the children who attend the Helping Hands preschool.

Marisa Covert is a music therapist by occupation. She has given a year of her life to work with us at Helping Hands. Watching her work with our pre-school children the other day was such a joy. Their little faces could barely contain the smiles that stretched all the way around from ear to ear. The excitement was palpable as, out of a tin, she hauled instruments small enough for their chubby fingers. I watched in amazement as the children sat quietly listening to the beat of the song Marisa played on her guitar. One by one they started playing their castanets, shakers, triangles and other instruments. This was not the clanging of children making a lot of noise. This was a symphony of sound. There it was! That natural rhythm I had witnessed so often before. Three and four year olds that could hear a beat that emanates from deep within their African heart.

These children come from severely disadvantaged homes, some are orphans and most of the others are vulnerable in some way. What a privilege to be able to bring music at a formal level to them. Who knows what seeds of greatness are being planted.

Marisa provides music and music therapy to most of our Helping Hands children's programs. Apart from working at the pre-school she works at our after school Learning Centers as well. She will soon be adding value to our Orphan Intervention Program where we help children deal with grief after losing a loved one. Added to this busy schedule, Helping Hands will be making Marisa's expertise available to two rural schools where she will spend time giving one-on-one therapy to children in need.

With kind regards,

Michelle Tessendorf