Masha (a nickname for Mariya) came to stay with our family for each June visit from 2006 to 2009 – so four visits in total. She is the same age as my daughter and I also have 2 sons – one older and one younger – so she fitted in well and usually found someone to play with when she was with us. The way the visit works is that the children spend from 8.30 ‘til 4.30 each weekday with their group in Burley, so the host family doesn’t have their child the whole time.
This worked well for us as it fitted in with my own childrens’ school day quite neatly. Hosting a child is not like having a good friend to stay – there are different challenges and highpoints! We found food and language could be a problem, and sometimes it was hard to make Masha feel as “included” as we would have liked. The bonuses were forming a close friendship, seeing her grow up into a healthy and ambitious young woman, whose English improved amazingly over the four years and whose life we really feel has improved directly as a result of our actions. We can give these children a chance to feel special and valued and “worth something” – that is an incredible gift!
