J is a little boy born to Zimbabwean parents in New Zealand. He has escaped the curse of the green passport. He is a citizen of a country that works and provides its people with an enabling environment for their well-being and all-round development. His parents having worked hard to escape the grip of the failed state that is their land of birth, will do anything to ensure that their child leads a fulfilling life. Unlike babies in Zimbabwe who do not have access to decent healthcare, J's health practitioner comes to see him in the comfort of his home weekly. High quality healthcare comes to him, for free. At only three months old he has been exposed to a wealth of musical influences from around the world, signed up for swimming lessons, a reading program for babies - the ECD jury is still out on whether this is a good idea or not- and hopes are high that he will one day cause the hairs on the backs of our necks to stand as he does the haka with the All Blacks.The boy is poised for success. Things are very much looking up for J. The external conditions all seem to be in place - adoring and devoted parents and at least one aunt (yours truly) in his whose heart he has permanently embedded himself. But a human being is a highly complex organism. What will it really take to mould the infant into a happy, healthy boy and eventually a grounded, stand-up man who can hold his own in the world? In part 2 I will explore this idea and introduce you to W a little girl about to be born to Zimbabwean parents in Cape Town.
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