People sometimes ask us what life is like inside Tabitha Home. They imagine something in between a dormitory and a classroom, a place that is organised and purposeful but perhaps a little sterile. What they find when they visit is usually a surprise.
Life here is loud. It is full of arguments about whose turn it is to do what chore, and full of laughter that breaks out for no obvious reason in the middle of lunch. It is a child practicing a song in the corridor at seven in the morning, and another child telling them to please stop. It is the smell of rice cooking, and the sound of a lesson being reviewed at a table in the corner of the courtyard.
It is, in the truest sense, a home.
More than sixty children live at Tabitha Home. They range from very young children who have only recently come into our care, to young adults preparing to finish university and step out into independence. Every age brings its own set of needs, and every day brings its own small emergencies and its own small victories.
Mornings begin with devotion. We believe that grounding the day in something bigger than the immediate tasks ahead matters, especially for children who have come from backgrounds where stability was not guaranteed. After devotion, the younger children head to school. The older ones may have lessons at home, or they may be preparing for exams, or meeting with a key worker to talk through how things are going.
Afternoons are where the texture of life really shows. There are home lessons and homework sessions. There are chores, because every child contributes to the running of the home, and this is not optional. There are friendship groups forming and occasionally falling out and reforming. There is a child who has discovered a love for reading sitting quietly in a corner, and another who has discovered a talent for drama performing an unrequested scene in the middle of the sitting room.
Evenings bring family meetings when they are scheduled, or movie nights, or games. Birthdays are celebrated with real celebrations, not small acknowledgements. Every child at Tabitha Home knows that their birthday is a big deal, because we want every child to know that they are a big deal.
What we are trying to do, at the most fundamental level, is give children a normal life. Not a perfect one, because no life is perfect. But a normal one, with structure and warmth and people who show up for them consistently, who hold boundaries clearly, and who celebrate them genuinely.
When children leave Tabitha Home, whether to return to family or to step into independence as young adults, we want them to carry this with them: the knowledge of what a home feels like, so they can build one of their own.
To support the children of Tabitha Home, visit www.tabithahome.org.
