Today when I went to Kabokweni, Elizabeth asked me to go with her to check on some children. She was told about them from the home based care workers & wanted to see for herself. After driving half way up the mountain on what were called roads, we finally parked the truck & hiked the rest of the way. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. When we first got to the house, my initial thought was that it wasn't too bad. The house was small, but looked like a nice little log-cabin type. When we went inside tho, it was quite obvious how hard things were. The home was maybe 10 x10, with a small area partitioned off. The floors were dirt & the only thing inside was a small shelf with oil & salt on it and a very thin mattress. The walls were covered in blue plastic. You could see 2 inch gaps all throughout the house.
The lady who lived there had a 6 yr. old, 2 yr. old & a 2 month old. The baby had recently been in the hospital. The mother told us that the husband had left while she was pregnant & she had delivered the baby in the home by herself. There was no food in the house or any blankets.
I have to say, it was pretty heart-wrenching to see this. And to not be able to do anything, well, it makes you feel so helpless. At the very least, I know the two older children will be able to eat at least 3 times a week. But for the rest of the time? And the mother with the newborn? And how will they stay warm on these nights when the temp is dropping into the 30's? How will I sleep tonight knowing they are struggling with no hope?
No comments:
Post a Comment