Being raised in environments where values are not only virtuous but a set way of life which ties in with century old traditions, which predominantly reinforces the importance and value of marriage and community; Children grow up with a true sense of belonging to a community, compassion and empathy for others not just in their immediate community but people in general.

Thus they know just as they can be sure that tomorrow no matter what the sun will rise, that they are never alone for in such communities the expression “it takes a village to raise a child” is a way of life. You can be sure that every adult who touches his/her life has an active parental role in that child’s life.

Should they have the misfortune to misbehave in their biological parent’s absence thinking they just might get away with it is a grave miscalculation on their part for you can be certain that this child will be disciplined without fault and before they can file a complaint to their parents one will be file on them by the disciplining adult which will surely result in additional punishment at their parental unit’s hand; Thus creating not only a stronger bond between parents within this community but most importantly with the children and adults of that community.

Therefore the loss of a parent though tragic (a fact which will never change), for anyone to experience, isn’t as devastating as that of a child in the Western culture who’ve only had such parental connection with their own biological parent, for if this child has the misfortune to be the only child or estranged from any other family member (aunts, uncles, grandparents etc) then surely this child will find him/herself on route to foster care. In contrast a whose grown up in a the sort of close nit community mentioned above, will surely find someone to take them in.

I cannot count the number of children my parents took in growing up; through these informal adoptions these children became siblings, and never had to find out what it was like to go without due to the loss of a parent and/or the inability of the widowed parent to care for them due to economic short comings.