Pondok Hayat

Pondok Hayat is a facility for single expectant mothers. It is a Christian organization and is funded by donations and a church. There are about 35 children ranging from 0-4 yrs. The staff is made up of paid, volunteer, and there is help from the mothers who have had their child or are still living there.

The mothers usually arrive at the facility when they are 6 months pregnant. Pondok Hayat will accept any woman of any age or religion for any reason. After they give birth they usually stay for an additional 2 months. If the mother decides to keep her baby rather than give it up for adoption, it is during this time they will be able to have support for raising a child.

The students at this placement are speding two hours with the preschool children (2-4yrs) every morning. They have attempted to introduce a structured play schedule to suit their learning needs. It has been noticed that these children do much better with additional supervision as there are 3 practicum students to 6 children at any given time. Normally there is only one teacher to 6 VERY active children!

The caregivers also requested lessons in Baby massage, hygiene, and growth and development. These teaching sessions were kept informal and conversational and the caregivers appeared to benefit greatly.

The mothers requested to have stretch and relaxation session as well as a time for questions and answers. The students also enjoyed themselves durning this time with the mothers and caregivers and learned just as much from the mothers and caregivers surrounding the cultural piece as they did teach.

Over all this placement was an excellent experience and a lasting relationship was formed!