Parenting seven gentlemen at SOS Montego Bay

Garfield calls all the children inside. It is almost dinner time and they have been out playing tennis all afternoon after doing their homework. There are six young men in total at House 14: Ben and Marcus are 18, Tim* 17, John and James 16 and Chad 15. Garfield, 24, says he almost feels like a big brother. “I have been here as their caregiver for three years, one month and five days,” he says while he takes dry clothes from the dry rack.

After dinner, he has finally time to sit down while the young men’s laughter and chatting coming from their rooms defeat the silent night at SOS Children’s Villages Barrett Town, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He never thought he could be a caregiver; he applied for the position of security officer.

When Garfield came to this SOS family he found that the children in the house were defensive and had violent reactions to matters, but there has been a lot of improvement during the last few years. Garfield shares that sometimes part of his job is to be a referee in conflicts and at other times he has to sit them down and tell them how best to resolve their problems. “You have to be there for them, you are in the house as a caregiver and as a mediator within conflicts. I should be their first point of contact. And they understand that, they bring more situations to me and a level of trust has been built and they know they can talk to me about things that concern them.”

Although he admits it is sometimes challenging, as a young man himself he is able to interact with them on the same level. If they have a bad day and the ‘communication is off’, he takes them down to the tennis court and tries to turn the day around for them. “You can’t take things too personally, dealing with children requires a lot of serenity and a good attitude.”

Garfield lost his mother when he was seven years old and remembers those were really tough days. With this resource and the tools given by SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica, day by day, he helps the young men in Barrett Town to overcome their challenges. “I help them going from boys to becoming gentlemen,” he says proudly.

The young man admits he loves his job as a male caregiver, “I see purpose. Being here and being able to have an impact on the young men and the children in the organisation is a privilege. Playing tennis with them, having dinner together and just enjoying each other’s company makes the journey worthwhile.”

*Names changed to protect the privacy of the child.