Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

4 Me Boxes

In this activity, you will:

 Get the group to reflect on their life experiences

Facilitator’s notes:

This activity could replace Activity 3, if time doesn’t permit you to do both, as it offers another

way for participants to reflect on their own lives. ‘Me Boxes’ also give the caregivers an opportunity

to think about their lives. The things they are happy about in their lives will be shown on the outside

of the box. These indicate their strengths and their positive qualities, which they are happy for all

to see. The things inside the boxes represent the difficult and painful issues and challenges that they

face or have faced in their lives.

Caring for the caregiver is about helping them deal with those issues inside the boxes. The facilitator’s

role is to encourage caregivers to share these issues, if they choose to. It is a valid counselling

technique to allow a person to talk about their painful experiences, and in sharing them, lessen their

weight. This process can be a healing one for caregivers. It may help them to think through their

challenges and move towards healing and the ability to cope. However, the emphasis of this activity

should be on the participants’ self-reflection, not necessarily on direct counselling to participants.

For this activity you will need:

 Enough cardboard boxes with lids for each participant

 Coloured crayons or markers

To facilitate this activity:

1 Hand out a box and some crayons to each participant. Tell them that the box represents their

life’s experiences. Explain that the things they are happy about in their lives will be shown on the

outside of the box (for example, their achievements). The things inside the boxes represent the

difficult issues and challenges that they face or have faced in their lives. They will decorate

their boxes creatively to depict their life experiences. Both the inside and the outside of the

box can be decorated with drawings, words, symbols, patterns, or in any other way participants

choose.

2 When participants are finished with their boxes, ask for volunteers to explain their boxes, especially

the insides (which represent their challenges). You should concentrate on giving participants the

chance to volunteer to talk about their challenges, but do not force responses. The main emphasis

of this activity should be on participants and caregivers giving expression to, and acknowledging to

themselves, their own life experiences.

Note: It is not your role, as the facilitator, to offer advice or to counsel participants during this

activity. You need to make it clear to participants that this activity is a self-reflection

exercise in which they will look at their own lives, past and present.

Activity 4

30 minutes

212 Unit 2, Module 2 Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children