0:00:17 > 0:00:21This is the story of Don and Christine MacDonald
0:00:21 > 0:00:23from the Isle of Lewis.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27A former Holyrood civil servant and a Glasgow-trained gynaecologist.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31A couple who went to the southern African republic of Zambia
0:00:31 > 0:00:35for a bit of a change - and got more than they bargained for.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Much, much more.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40CHILDREN SHOUTING
0:00:44 > 0:00:47They got a family. And a farm.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And on that farm...were Don and Christine,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54their two biological children, Sarah and Rachel,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58their adopted children, Nico, Memory and Lucky,
0:00:58 > 0:01:02up to 30 foster children rescued from the streets of Lusaka,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05staff, helpers and farm animals.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Not forgetting a very large turkey.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13I'd always wanted more siblings. And I got it.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16There's nothing like this in Zambia.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18It was the right thing to do.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21But not, perhaps, the easiest thing to do.
0:01:21 > 0:01:27People just don't understand the idea of having 27 children.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Creating one of the most unusual families in the world
0:01:30 > 0:01:33has come close to breaking this Scottish couple.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Our instinctive reaction was to say, "Well, you know, look,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39"we've given it our best shot. We can't do this any more."
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Yet it's given dozens of Zambian street children
0:01:43 > 0:01:45the chance of a home and an education.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Our cameras have been visiting Don and Christine over the course of
0:01:49 > 0:01:52four years, covering the highs and the lows
0:01:52 > 0:01:55of their extraordinary endeavour, and asking the question -
0:01:55 > 0:01:58with a family this large and diverse,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00can you ever simply be Mum and Dad?
0:02:09 > 0:02:12The family lives in a small, self-sufficient farm holding
0:02:12 > 0:02:16on the outskirts of the Zambian capital, Lusaka.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19And the name? Well, that wasn't difficult.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Old MacDonald's Farm was born.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25In some ways it is a little bit appropriate because the number
0:02:25 > 0:02:27of people just keeps growing and growing and growing.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29We arrived in Zambia with just four of us,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33and then it's kind of...seems to increase exponentially,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38until you reach a point where we keep adding in people and people.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42You've got all the animals as well, adding in the pigs and the goats,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and it just seems to keep snowballing.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47I'm not sure where it stops.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48# Ee-eye, ee-eye, oh...#
0:02:50 > 0:02:53If those are parallel, this is also a right-angle.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Not Pythagoraf!
0:02:55 > 0:02:58From the moment they began taking in street children,
0:02:58 > 0:03:03Don and Christine's ideal was to operate as one big family.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06They've bonded together like brothers.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09They treat our daughters like their sisters,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and they treat us as their parents,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and generally we just muck along together and get on reasonably well,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18the way most families do.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21But most families are not recruited from the roadsides
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and squalid street markets of Lusaka.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26MacDonald!
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Although Don doesn't actively seek children out on the street,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32he's still an easily recognised figure.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46And most fathers down the market aren't besieged by youngsters
0:03:46 > 0:03:49desperate to be their next son.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52There are tens of thousands of street children in Zambia.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56They may be abused, neglected, orphaned,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00glue and alcohol-addicted or simply attracted to the thrill of begging.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02However they got there,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Old MacDonald's Farm is now renowned as a way out.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17It's devastating, because what can you do, you know?
0:04:17 > 0:04:21You're just turning your back on these kids.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Probably nobody else is going to help them,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25so what are they going to do?
0:04:25 > 0:04:30Those Don HAS been able to take in often bring the mental scars
0:04:30 > 0:04:34and behavioural problems of a traumatised childhood.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Not many people understand why he's doing it.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Not even, at times, himself.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44To be honest, I think... I think I'm mad sometimes.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46There are some days when I look at what's going on
0:04:46 > 0:04:50and I just think, "How on Earth did we end up in this situation?"
0:04:50 > 0:04:51So how did they?
0:04:51 > 0:04:55It was certainly never part of the game-plan.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Don and Christine both grew up on the island of Lewis
0:04:59 > 0:05:03in the Outer Hebrides, but only met as students at Glasgow University.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05So it was love at first sight?
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Er, maybe not first sight. Maybe.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10THEY LAUGH
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Yeah, I thought you were all right.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Well, she finally got round to proposing...
0:05:15 > 0:05:17THEY LAUGH
0:05:17 > 0:05:19..and we got married in 1987.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Life was comfortable for Don.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Nice home in Edinburgh, clever doctor wife,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30two young daughters and a solid establishment job
0:05:30 > 0:05:33as Private Secretary to Scotland's soon-to-become First Minister,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Jack McConnell.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38But it didn't add up to quite enough.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41When I finished up with Jack and, you know, went back
0:05:41 > 0:05:45into the mainstream of the Civil Service I thought, really,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I'm not sure this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53And one day, reading The Scotsman, I saw a job advertising
0:05:53 > 0:05:57a job advert for accountants in Africa.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01The job included managing the finances of Zambian Airways.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Don had been helping to run Scotland.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06He thought he could offer some tips for a struggling airline.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08One of the directors said to me,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11"If you think you're so clever, why don't you try running it?"
0:06:11 > 0:06:14And being a shallow sort of an individual, I thought to myself,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I've always really wanted to be called a chief executive,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19so let's go for it!
0:06:19 > 0:06:22We thought we had nothing to lose!
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Before they knew it, the MacDonalds found themselves
0:06:24 > 0:06:28living in Africa, with Don running an airline.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31They set up home in expatriate luxury right next door
0:06:31 > 0:06:32to the Parliament.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Straight ahead here is the side gate to the Parliament,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37and this is the house we used to live in.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Big swimming pool in it as well.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Well, it certainly beat Edinburgh.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50But just down the road, the Zambian capital wore a different face.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55We're coming into Garden Compound, isn't it? This is Garden Compound.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01We were seeing the children on the street corners and thinking,
0:07:01 > 0:07:06you know, I'm spending... In one shopping spree, I'm spending more
0:07:06 > 0:07:09than those children and their families will see in a year.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12You know, you're reaching a level where it's just not right.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17We were living a very comfortable expat lifestyle and driving in
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and out of the shopping centre where we saw these little ragged children,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22we hit on the idea, you know,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I thought, I'm driving past every day anyway, why don't I go into
0:07:25 > 0:07:28the shopping centre, park, buy some food and actually distribute it?
0:07:28 > 0:07:31The problem with that is that you can't just throw the food
0:07:31 > 0:07:33through the window of the car and drive off,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36because there'd be a scrum on the street and somebody would get killed.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39So you have to park and you have to start handing it out,
0:07:39 > 0:07:40making sure that everybody gets.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44And that interaction is quite deadly because you get to know them
0:07:44 > 0:07:48as a human being, individual human beings rather than just
0:07:48 > 0:07:51sort of street kids who are "one size fits all".
0:07:53 > 0:07:56It led to one encounter which would change Don
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and Christine's lives forever.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02I met a little boy there who was about 14 at the time,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05a little boy called William, who was very, very intelligent
0:08:05 > 0:08:08and spoke very good English and would translate for me
0:08:08 > 0:08:11whenever there was any language difficulties,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and I remember one day stopping at the traffic lights on the way back
0:08:14 > 0:08:17from work and seeing one of his friends who came and told me
0:08:17 > 0:08:21that William was sick. They thought he had malaria or something.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25So they took him to hospital and... To the local government hospital.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28I said, "No problem," this was on a Friday.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30I said, "I'll go and see him this weekend."
0:08:30 > 0:08:32And Saturday, I was too busy
0:08:32 > 0:08:34and on Sunday, I went to church in the morning,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38went again in the afternoon, and forgot all about going to see him.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42And on Sunday evening I thought, "I've forgotten to go and see Willie.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45"Never mind, I'll go on Monday on the way back from work."
0:08:45 > 0:08:48So on Monday I stopped off and I called one of his friends.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50I said, "Let's go and see William".
0:08:50 > 0:08:53And he said to me, "Bwana, Willie died last night."
0:08:53 > 0:08:55And that was just...
0:08:55 > 0:08:58That was a terrible experience for me altogether.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And, you know, from what they said, it was as if...
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Well, maybe he died from cerebral malaria or meningitis.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09There was probably nothing much I could've done to have saved his life,
0:09:09 > 0:09:14but the fact remains that this kid died on his own with nobody around,
0:09:14 > 0:09:16and not even paracetamol for his pain,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19because I was too busy going to church
0:09:19 > 0:09:23to do what the man I was worshipping would have done
0:09:23 > 0:09:27if He had been in Lusaka in 2002.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30And that was a real wake-up call.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I think what we both felt was, you know, we didn't intend it to
0:09:33 > 0:09:38end up like this, but we must never let it happen again.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42And so the next kid who asked for help was actually Nicholas.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Nicolas or Nico - the first boy to join what became
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Old MacDonald's Farm.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52An orphan on the run from an abusive aunt, he had set up home
0:09:52 > 0:09:55at the traffic intersection where he begged for food.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22In December 2002, malnourished and covered in scabies,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Nico wandered into the expat neighbourhood.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44And then we heard this knock at the gate
0:10:44 > 0:10:46and this was Nico looking for help.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48I was about to say, "Look, kid, I'm too busy.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50"Go on, I'll see you on the street."
0:10:50 > 0:10:53And then I felt, and then I went to talk to Christine and she,
0:10:53 > 0:10:58you know, we knew, there was no way that we weren't going to take
0:10:58 > 0:11:01that risk again of a child dying because we hadn't got involved.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44But we were still trying to keep him a bit at arm's length.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47He was staying with the night watchman and the gardener,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50two young men who were sort of sharing a cottage,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53the servants' quarters on the premises. He was staying in there.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56And although we were feeding and clothing him,
0:11:56 > 0:11:58we weren't actually acting as Mum and Dad.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00We were talking about it after supper, Christine and I.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I was feeling guilty because I thought, Nicholas is getting
0:12:03 > 0:12:06more and more used to us, he's gone through abandonment in his life
0:12:06 > 0:12:10so often, and if we don't do something fairly quickly,
0:12:10 > 0:12:11then when we ask him to go,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14he's going to feel like he's been abandoned again.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17So we were having this kind of intellectual discussion about this,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21and Sarah overheard us and came out, and said very bluntly to us,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24"You can't send Nicholas to an orphanage. He's part of the family."
0:12:24 > 0:12:26And then we realised, cos it just kind of stripped away
0:12:26 > 0:12:30all the adult pretence and all the professional, middle-class
0:12:30 > 0:12:34religious whatever, you know, respectable...
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Mum and Dad had always taught us, me and Rachel,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43that you should do what's right, you should do what's good.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47You should try anyway, even if you don't make it, you should try.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50And I remember standing there hearing them say this
0:12:50 > 0:12:54and thinking, "Hang on a minute, you're not doing what you say,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56"You're not practising what you preach."
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Look, you can take this child or you don't need to.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04Nobody's forcing you. But don't pretend it's that you can't.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07If you're not going to take him, face the reality,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- it's that you won't. - You don't want to.
0:13:09 > 0:13:15And that was... When it's put like that to you from your daughter...
0:13:15 > 0:13:18People ask if I'd known what was going to come,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21if I'd still have done it, and I don't know.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24At the time, I was saying yes to Nico.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28I don't think any of us thought we'd have more than that.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29But it happened, so...
0:13:29 > 0:13:34So we just decided, well, yeah, so we started the legal process,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36he moved into the house, we had to foster him for six months
0:13:36 > 0:13:40under supervision, and then the adoption process went through.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43And I do remember, it was actually before the formal adoption
0:13:43 > 0:13:47was completed, but I do remember this day when there was a complete
0:13:47 > 0:13:50breakthrough, if you like, in terms of Nicholas feeling he belonged.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53It was when he stopped being polite,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56and he and Sarah had a blazing quarrel. You know.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59And that was sort of a landmark moment,
0:13:59 > 0:14:05because it indicated to us that he was sufficiently secure-feeling
0:14:05 > 0:14:08not to have to be on his best behaviour.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Someone to call Mum and Dad.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30From the beginning, that's what the MacDonalds were offering.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34And right from the word go, Nicholas pointed the way.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36I think if we'd had a bad experience with Nicholas,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38we'd probably never have gone any further.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41We'd just have said, "We tried that and it didn't work."
0:14:41 > 0:14:44But because things worked out so well,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48we had a lot more self-confidence in terms of when the next child asked
0:14:48 > 0:14:53for help to say, "Yeah, you can come along and share with Nicholas."
0:14:53 > 0:14:57And after that child, another. And another. And another.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The MacDonalds moved from their luxurious villa
0:15:00 > 0:15:03into a ramshackle farmhouse on the outskirts,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07where they could house more boys and grow their own food.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10We're really making it up on a daily basis, as we go along.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13If we had sat down and planned all of this
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and taken five years to get a centre set up,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19the fact of the matter is that those boys would be dead by now.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22You know, the average life... The average age of reaching
0:15:22 > 0:15:24the street in Zambia is 11 years old.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28And the average life expectancy once you're on the street is six years.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32So you know, if we'd taken six years to plan and organise this,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36the current group of boys we have, on average, wouldn't be there.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41As more boys poured in, beds had to be improvised.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Don and Christine even had children living in the garage.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48It was chaotic, but it felt like a real family.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Come on! It's been 7:20am.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52What are you doing in bed and beds not made?
0:15:54 > 0:15:56You have two minutes.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00From the beginning, the boys have helped out with the farm work
0:16:00 > 0:16:02during the holidays.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04The rest of the time, they go to school.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Don and Christine pay for the domestic upkeep
0:16:07 > 0:16:08from their own job earnings,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13but the boys' crucial education is sponsored by supporters back home.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15I have report cards for everybody!
0:16:15 > 0:16:17CHEERING
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Qualifications are a youngster's only chance of getting
0:16:20 > 0:16:22one of Zambia's scarce jobs.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29And the MacDonald children often come out top of the class.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32At basic school, 683.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35In fact, it's education that's drawn some of the boys
0:16:35 > 0:16:38to Old MacDonald's Farm in the first place.
0:16:38 > 0:16:39They're not all orphans.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Timo has a loving home in the city, which he visits often.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47But his mother can't afford to send him to school.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Because that's what the MacDonalds were offering you?
0:17:10 > 0:17:13- Was the chance of school?- Yeah.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- It wasn't because you were homeless and you needed a home?- No.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17You wanted school.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Parenthood on this scale is tiring, of course.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26What now? What else do we have to do?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28But especially at Christmas - fun.
0:17:31 > 0:17:32CHILDREN SHRIEK
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Chocolate!
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Oh, some people smell nice.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Have you been putting your perfume on already?
0:18:07 > 0:18:09To all the boys!
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Who didn't open their other one yet?
0:18:12 > 0:18:13Ah, you, you got the other one to open!
0:18:20 > 0:18:21LAUGHTER
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Here's another one for everybody!
0:18:23 > 0:18:26You, Sam Tumba, you're just a scavenger.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38But can you make a family like this without drowning out
0:18:38 > 0:18:40the children with the strongest claims?
0:18:51 > 0:18:56Don and Christine's biological children, Sarah and Rachel,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58have had an extraordinary upbringing.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02- It must have had a huge impact.- Huge.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Personally, I think it's been for the better rather than the worse,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10but I guess in time they'll let me know about that.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14I mean, Rachel, our younger daughter, doesn't remember any other situation
0:19:14 > 0:19:18because she was only about a year and a half when Nicholas
0:19:18 > 0:19:23joined us and so she's always grown up with the other boys around.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25In fact, until she was about four,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29she thought that they were all her real brothers and in our family,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33the girls were white and boys were brown and that's just the way it was.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Sarah was obviously older.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38She was eight when we started and, you know,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42through her teenage years, the boys have always been around.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44And I guess we do worry sometimes
0:19:44 > 0:19:47whether it's had a negative impact on her.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Sometimes we are so caught up with what we're doing.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53I think it's the same in any family, it's the children who make
0:19:53 > 0:19:55more noise and are more demanding that will come looking for your
0:19:55 > 0:19:57attention and probably get more from you,
0:19:57 > 0:20:02whereas the ones that tend to be quieter and just get on with things
0:20:02 > 0:20:03maybe are left out
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and I don't know whether that's different in other families.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08I suspect it isn't.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10So it does make me think and say,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13"Well, could we have done things differently?"
0:20:13 > 0:20:17It's been difficult at times, there's no point in denying it.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20There's been days I wish it had never happened.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23What kind of days are these?
0:20:23 > 0:20:28Well, when we have issues with the boys, someone runs away,
0:20:28 > 0:20:33or there's a big fight or even something as simple as someone
0:20:33 > 0:20:35relapsing back on alcohol or glue.
0:20:35 > 0:20:41And it's always hard to see
0:20:41 > 0:20:44work that you've put in ruined,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48especially to see Mum and Dad getting ruined by it.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Cos every time something happens, it's another little bit out of them,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I think, and it's hard to see that.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56CHILD CRIES
0:20:58 > 0:21:01With kids to feed and care for, jobs at the surgery
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and the airport to hold down, a farm to run,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08power cuts to contend with, damaged youngsters to counsel,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12fights to resolve and always the next bill to pay,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14even a small family would struggle.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17When you have 30 mouths to feed,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22it's quite difficult to budget for that every month.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25I'm also worried about... I think we're likely to see
0:21:25 > 0:21:28an increase in the demands on what we can give,
0:21:28 > 0:21:33and that's a worry for me as well because I find it very hard
0:21:33 > 0:21:39to turn anybody away, and a sense of helplessness and frustration
0:21:39 > 0:21:44when you can't help those who desperately need it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:51So that all adds up to quite a burden weighing down on us.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53CHILDREN SHOUTING AND CRYING
0:21:56 > 0:21:59These have not been the only pressures.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03With 30 growing boys whose fighting skills were honed on the street,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05violence became commonplace.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13CHILD WAILS
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Older boys, like Nico, helped to guide the younger ones,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19as they struggled to adjust.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23But more and more, control had to become a feature of family life.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26We had a lot of physical behaviour problems where
0:22:26 > 0:22:30people were fighting amongst each other or not going to school,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34or stealing, running away, taking the car,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37smashing it into the wall down there, all these kind of things.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Just normal teenage behaviour.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41THEY LAUGH
0:22:41 > 0:22:43But there were 30 of them, you know.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Or taking knives out of the kitchen and then going after somebody
0:22:46 > 0:22:49cos the other person had got the iron in the morning
0:22:49 > 0:22:51and they were going to go and use it.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Or breaking a bottle over somebody's head,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and trying to smash the jagged end into their face.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Or taking stones and pushing somebody into the ground
0:22:58 > 0:23:00and shoving the stones and mud in...
0:23:00 > 0:23:03You can see they learned from their Scottish parents!
0:23:03 > 0:23:05THEY LAUGH
0:23:05 > 0:23:08They can laugh about it now.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11But trying to be loving parents while at the same time
0:23:11 > 0:23:15required to be police officers, security guards, law-makers,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19punishment dispensers and judges with the wisdom of Solomon is tough.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27A tradition on the farm at New Year is to declare
0:23:27 > 0:23:29your hopes for the year ahead.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30Yeah!
0:23:30 > 0:23:34As 2009 began, there was no doubt what the MacDonalds were hoping for.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46APPLAUSE
0:23:46 > 0:23:48That's up to you, isn't it?
0:23:48 > 0:23:52You're the ones who have to improve your behaviour, not me.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Now, Mum, what are you going to say?
0:23:57 > 0:24:02For 2009, I think I hope for what most of you guys hope for.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05That we stay together as a family
0:24:05 > 0:24:08and that you continue to improve your behaviour.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12You have improved a lot in the time you've been here.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14That you continue to work on the little things.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18APPLAUSE
0:24:18 > 0:24:19BANGING ON DRUMS
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Well, I don't know what I hope for.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48LAUGHTER AND CHATTER
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Too many worries, young man.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55Looking after all of you.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02We reached a point where I think we were finding it affecting us.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05ALL: Three, two, one...!
0:25:05 > 0:25:07CHEERING AND DRUMMING
0:25:18 > 0:25:23I have ongoing background depression anyway, I mean,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26I have a depressive illness that's been with me for most of my life,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and you know, when things kind of pile in and then Christine's getting
0:25:29 > 0:25:34sick, but to be honest, I think if you asked what it felt like,
0:25:34 > 0:25:39I think the real issue was, we just felt so completely tired.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41You kind of think, well,
0:25:41 > 0:25:47surely the guys can see that we're struggling, and step up to the mark.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51We certainly felt so worn down by it that our instinctive reaction
0:25:51 > 0:25:53was to say, "Look, we've given it our best shot.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55"We can't do this any more."
0:26:03 > 0:26:04SINGING
0:26:04 > 0:26:06And then, you know, we sort of look at each other
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and we take a deep breath and we kind of try
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and counsel each other and say it would be completely unfair
0:26:12 > 0:26:16to turn round and say, "We're closing down and you all have to go."
0:26:16 > 0:26:19We were both just so discouraged and I remember Thandi and Emmanuel
0:26:19 > 0:26:22coming in to see me in the kitchen and just putting
0:26:22 > 0:26:27their arms around me and saying, "Mum, you know you mustn't give up."
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Erm...and then you think, OK, if we do give up,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33if we say, "We've had enough, we're not going to do this any more,"
0:26:33 > 0:26:35then what is going to happen to everybody?
0:26:35 > 0:26:38We kind of called them all, had a bit of a summit up there
0:26:38 > 0:26:43and said, "You know, we were looking to you to help us out.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46"Some of you are, some of you are causing trouble
0:26:46 > 0:26:51"at a time when we feel particularly vulnerable and fragile.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55"And we don't think that's a fair or a nice way to behave.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59"So we're giving you warning now that we're going to be keeping an eye
0:26:59 > 0:27:02"on what's going on and we will be able to identify who is
0:27:02 > 0:27:07"misbehaving and if you don't change, you're going to have to leave."
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Eventually, with the boys now grown into young men,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Don and Christine decided they had to take action.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18They began to expel the worst offenders from the home.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21From, in effect, the family.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25I think the alternatives were either to carry on as if nothing was
0:27:25 > 0:27:28happening and then eventually have breakdowns ourselves. Mmm?
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Or the other extreme which was to say,
0:27:31 > 0:27:36"Right, out you all go, we tried and we can't manage."
0:27:36 > 0:27:39So, we avoided either of those extremes,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42but we also were able to give a very severe warning shot
0:27:42 > 0:27:48across the bows of the trouble-makers and they didn't take the warning.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00The ejection of persistent trouble-makers
0:28:00 > 0:28:02changed the family picture.
0:28:02 > 0:28:07It brought stability, but the more drastic approach to punishment
0:28:07 > 0:28:10came at a cost to the family ideal
0:28:10 > 0:28:12they had struggled so hard to realise.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Especially when it was Nico's turn to go.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Their first boy, their legally adopted son,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25had developed a taste for alcohol which made him violent.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30After failing to heed warnings, he was asked to leave.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Nico now lives in the Garden Compound,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36back with the same abusive aunt he ran away from as a child.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11So how many in the house in total?
0:29:14 > 0:29:19Nico accepts that he can no longer live at Old Macdonald's Farm.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Can you tell me what happened?
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Had they given you a warning before?
0:29:53 > 0:29:55How do you feel about this? Do you think it's fair?
0:30:03 > 0:30:05You're thinking, where did we go wrong?
0:30:05 > 0:30:07But there's no sense of, "This foolish boy,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10"he should be grateful for what we've done for him."
0:30:10 > 0:30:14It's just this sort of deep dread in your heart that, you know,
0:30:14 > 0:30:18this is our son and he's got this problem and what are we going to do?
0:30:18 > 0:30:23And the repeated sort of failures and the breaking down,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26and the problem and you just think, what are we going to do?
0:30:26 > 0:30:28And you absolutely feel helpless.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31Painful as the expulsions are,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35the tougher, rule-based approach has saved the MacDonalds' sanity
0:30:35 > 0:30:39and preserved a future for the other boys.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42But how many sons can you dismiss and still be a family?
0:30:45 > 0:30:48It doesn't help that the government has started imposing its own rules,
0:30:48 > 0:30:52which make it even more difficult to be a family.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54In the eyes of Social Services,
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Old MacDonald's Farm is just an institution.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01Mr Kapambwe works for the government's child protection unit.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03It's his duty to inspect the farm.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23Social Services demanded a new, separate dormitory.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27This means the boys no longer live in the same house as the MacDonalds.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31It seems everything conspires to make it more difficult to live
0:31:31 > 0:31:34like the family they want to be.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38We were told that it was... We were keeping the children
0:31:38 > 0:31:43in an inappropriate environment, and when we questioned what that meant,
0:31:43 > 0:31:47we were told, well, they're living with you as rich Europeans.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49They're never going to be able to fit into where they came from.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51I said, they came from the street.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54We hope they never have to fit in to where they came from again.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56The whole point is to stop them fitting in.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00And what we found is there are some people, very unimaginative,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03bureaucratic application of rules.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07The format of the accounts Mrs Kyumbo was advised to obtain...
0:32:07 > 0:32:11Like some of the boys who had to leave to maintain family order,
0:32:11 > 0:32:15the MacDonalds are in their own way struggling as individuals
0:32:15 > 0:32:18with rules created for the many.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Having had to register as a business,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23a charity and a childcare institution,
0:32:23 > 0:32:27they now meet every three months with a board of trustees.
0:32:27 > 0:32:32The difficulty with government anywhere in the world
0:32:32 > 0:32:38is that it functions on the premise, we need to protect the vulnerable.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42And it's very easy for children who are not yours
0:32:42 > 0:32:46to be abused in all kinds of ways.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50So what the state does is to come in with all forms of regulations
0:32:50 > 0:32:53and legislation and so on.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57And that then makes those who just want to follow their hearts,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59it makes them very frustrated.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06Being made to live like an institution has affected this
0:33:06 > 0:33:09couple's ability to be the parents they want to be.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12They believe it contributed to the behaviour that led to
0:33:12 > 0:33:14the expulsions.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17We both know in our hearts that those boys who were misbehaving
0:33:17 > 0:33:20would not have reached that level of misbehaviour
0:33:20 > 0:33:22if they had been in the house with us.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26It's because they were able to get away with it,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30and were feeling that sort of sense of separation from us,
0:33:30 > 0:33:35both in terms of being watched, but also emotional separation.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37But that must be extraordinarily frustrating.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40It is. Unbelievably frustrating.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Christine used the phrase there, we didn't fit into any of the boxes
0:33:43 > 0:33:45with what we're trying to do here.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48And that's exactly right - we don't fit into any of the boxes.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52But what are we doing trying to put children into boxes?
0:33:52 > 0:33:54This is what I can't get over.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57You know, we draw up these regulations and say it applies
0:33:57 > 0:34:01to the average child. There's no such a thing as an average child.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04They're all individuals. You have to treat them all differently.
0:34:04 > 0:34:05Any parent knows that.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09Well, any parent of more than one child knows that.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11That you can't just say one size fits all.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15And we're just regimenting and institutionalising these children
0:34:15 > 0:34:18and saying, you know, you've lost your family.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Well, that's tough luck. And now, you fit into this box.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23So have you become an institution then?
0:34:23 > 0:34:27Well, I hope not. I refuse to be institutionalised.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Hey, Simba, you're feeding the rabbits?
0:34:31 > 0:34:35The irony is that this passionate champion of the individual has had
0:34:35 > 0:34:40to impose stern regulations in his own home to protect the majority.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44That's meant that some individuals, even the ones he loves most,
0:34:44 > 0:34:48have been left wondering who their family really is.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Has this experience left you feeling
0:34:50 > 0:34:52that you don't know where you belong?
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Right from the beginning, Nico has represented the family ideal
0:35:02 > 0:35:05that the MacDonalds have tried so hard to create
0:35:05 > 0:35:07out of their accidental orphanage.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Even when that ideal is under strain,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12keeping in touch is important.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Hello? Is that Nico? Dad here.
0:35:17 > 0:35:22It's a holiday on Monday and we are going to try and make a roast pig.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25So Mum told me to give you a phone to see whether
0:35:25 > 0:35:28you could come to church tomorrow and then stay overnight,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31so that you can help her get it organised because the last time
0:35:31 > 0:35:35we tried without you, it didn't even get started till about 12 hours.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40OK, see you then, son. Bye-bye.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Nico is coming home for the big feast.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Six years to the day since Don and Christine
0:35:49 > 0:35:51moved to Old MacDonald's Farm,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55there's a sense that the family is edging closer again.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58# Hallelujah, Hallelujah
0:35:58 > 0:36:01# Hallelujah, Hallelujah
0:36:01 > 0:36:02# Hallelujah, Hallelujah...#
0:36:10 > 0:36:12# You're my friend and you are...#
0:36:12 > 0:36:15He's going to have to have his own level of independence
0:36:15 > 0:36:16at some point anyway.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20And God willing, he'll have learned at that point to control
0:36:20 > 0:36:24his addiction and be able to function reasonably well.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26Last night, when you were all singing together,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30and he was standing beside you, you looked as if, the pair of you...
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Don't make me cry.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40# You alone are my strength My shield
0:36:40 > 0:36:47# To you alone may my sprit yield
0:36:47 > 0:36:55# You alone are my heart's desire
0:36:55 > 0:36:57# And I long...#
0:36:57 > 0:37:02I think he feels a little bit sort of, he's kind of messed up,
0:37:02 > 0:37:04and kind of separate from the others.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07# You alone are my strength... #
0:37:07 > 0:37:12We want to emphasise to him, you know, yes, you've messed up,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15but you're always welcome back.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Do you think you'd be able to come back here?
0:37:24 > 0:37:25- Because of the rules?- Yes.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33OK. Thanks very much, guys, well done.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34APPLAUSE
0:37:34 > 0:37:38# Courage, brother Do not stumble... #
0:37:40 > 0:37:44This family will no doubt continue to have its ups and downs,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47its triumphs and disasters, like any other.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Just on a larger scale.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52But here's the greatest triumph -
0:37:52 > 0:37:56that these two Scots have given every boy here a chance that other
0:37:56 > 0:37:58street children will never have -
0:37:58 > 0:38:01the chance to be part of a family.
0:38:01 > 0:38:06And it's given Don and Christine something they value deeply too.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08You know, when I look around,
0:38:08 > 0:38:13I think it's just such a blessing to be able to share life,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16share my life with, and my family with,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18such an amazing bunch of young people.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22And when I look around on evenings like this and yes, it's been
0:38:22 > 0:38:27a hard day and there's stuff to be done and still waiting to be done
0:38:27 > 0:38:31and problems are still there, but, you look around and you see
0:38:31 > 0:38:34all the love these guys have for each other,
0:38:34 > 0:38:36the love they show for us,
0:38:36 > 0:38:40and what we feel for them - I think I'm really very blessed.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46THEY SING AND CLAP IN TIME
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd