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 Pregnant mother of one, music teacher, doula-in-training and fundraiser - Central Coast resident, Christina Jones, is a multi-tasking mum who has at the heart of her busyness the essence of altruism. Philippa Macken spoke with Christina about her desire to make a difference to the lives of children living in the New Hope Children’s Centre in Kenya.
Thomas Jefferson, a shrewd man indeed, gave two very practical pieces of advice: ‘Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today’ and, ‘Never trouble another for what you can do yourself’. Christina Jones, Central Coast mother of one (and a half), seems to be the personification of these wise thoughts. If she could add one more line to this apt description of her outlook on life it would probably be, ‘Make hay while the sun shines’. “I can’t stop,” Christina admits, her hands resting on her belly, now six months pregnant with her second child, “I’ve always been like this.”
While most of us have fond honeymoon memories of lazing on the beach while sipping on Piña Coladas, Christina and her husband, Darren, embarked on an adventure of a different kind. Travelling through Africa, they camped in game parks and got closer than many of us would like to hyenas, lions and other sharp-toothed carnivores. Christina relished the experience but never expected it would change her life. “On the way to the game parks in Kenya we passed an orphanage housing 130 children,” says Christina. “The appalling conditions in which these children were living were mind-blowing. The infants’ bedroom reeked of urine because they simply did not have the resources to scrub the mattresses when children wet the beds. There was no running water at the time either.”
Even more incredible were the attitudes of the children residing there. “They were so happy,” says Christina. “It meant the world to them to simply have a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. In fact, when I asked them ‘why do you like it here?’ the most common response was, ‘because I get breakfast’.”
The more Christina learned about the plight of these children, the more strongly she felt unable to turn her back on them. “One little boy clung to Darren’s hand the entire time we were there,” she says. “We later learned that his entire family had been burned alive in front of him. Another boy had burns to 80 per cent of his body because his stepfather had thrown him onto hot coals for a slight misdemeanour. These children have faced more adversity in their young lives than we could ever imagine.” Christina and Darren made a promise to each other to help the orphans in whatever way they could.
Despite the birth of their son, moving countries (from the UK to Australia) and starting their own music school for young children, Christina is making good on this promise with a festival on the Central Coast this September called the Children’s Festival of Fun.
“It takes such a small amount of money to make a huge difference to the lives of these children,” says Christina. “Just 35 dollars pays for a bed with bedding for one child and every dollar generated from the Festival will go directly to the orphanage.” Christina has masterminded every aspect of the inaugural festival, including show bags, free entertainment, raffle prizes and stalls for hire where locals can sell their new and used child-related goods.
The question is, how does she do it all? “I’m not one to relax,” she laughs, “and I have to be told to stop. I’d work all night if Darren let me! People think I’m crazy, but it’s just how I am. When I lie in bed at night, my mind buzzes with everything I need to do. I love organising and I’m a great networker.”
Darren and Christina have designed their lives around spending maximum time together as a family and when it comes to living out their lofty values, they truly walk the walk.
“When our children are five or six years old, we plan to take them to the orphanage,” says Christina. “It’s impossible to fully appreciate how these children are living until you see it with your own eyes. We’re all so desensitised and I know the experience will help my own children understand how lucky they are to have all that they do. Seeing these children living in poverty puts your own life into perspective.”
It’s easy to see, from the brightness in her eyes and her ready smile that Christina is truly grateful for her own life, yet it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Before she became pregnant with her second child, Christina suffered a miscarriage and found it very difficult to fall pregnant again. “I took it hard,” says Christina. “We desperately wanted another child and for a while it felt like it would never happen.” Despite her own grief, Christina never lost sight of what she wanted to achieve, both personally and for the orphanage.
“I decided to study to become a doula so that I could provide emotional and practical support for women, before, during and after birth,” she says. “Pre-natal care is a subject close to my heart and I am also running ‘pre-natal stimulation’ classes, to help pregnant women and their partners bond with the unborn child through music, light and singing.”
We constantly hear the term ‘Super-Mum’ and it usually refers to a woman juggling a full-time career, young children and the running of a household. Christina redefines this phrase by devoting herself to her own family, a group of African children with no family at all, and her multitude of other interests and ventures. Few women have time for such enormous levels of altruism in their lives but Christina makes room.
Spending just an hour with Christina Jones was a breath of fresh air and an inspiration for me to look outside my own insular family and ask, ‘Is there something I can do to help?’ Whether rescuing an African orphanage or simply within our local communities, we can all ‘make room’ in our lives and look for ways to offer a helping hand.
“It makes me feel good,” says Christina. “I’m helping an organisation that desperately needs the funding.” Then she looks down at her own swelling belly and laughs, “I suppose I will have to take a short break after the baby arrives!”
How you can help:
The Children’s Festival of Fun will be held on Sunday 20th September, 2009 at The Hill Youth Centre, Kariong, on the Central Coast.
100% of the Festival’s profits will be donated to the New Hope Children’s Centre in Kenya. Stalls (pregnancy/baby or child related including second-hand goods) are available for a minimum donation of $15. At that price two stalls will pay for a bed and mattress for the orphanage while the proceeds from just one stall will pay for the bedding.
For more information about the Children’s Festival of Fun phone Christina on 02 4340 5880.
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