Wongani
It was a routine follow up visit. Wongani had been “home” in the bush for several months and it was time to check on his progress.
He had returned to the village as a healthy little 14 month old baby. But the Wongani who greeted us this day was a crying infant with skinny limbs, reddened hair, and empty eyes.
His 10 year old sister had been pulled from school by her father to care for the family, consisting of 5 other siblings and dad. Only a child herself, she cooked and cared for the entire family, including her older brother. Being the oldest girl, her father had decided this was her responsibility.
The “house” was of mud with a cement floor. No water or electricity came to this dwelling – just the hot African breeze. Water had to be carried from a tap in the center of the village. Wongani was carried on his sister’s back most of the time because he was getting too weak to walk. She fed him nsima (white maize flour porridge) once a day, with dirty water to drink. Starving is a painful and miserable process, and clearly, Wongani was starving.
On our return trip to the nursery it was decided that we had to take Wongoni back. He was only 15 months old, which means he was still young enough to avoid permanent damage from his period of deprivation. We had one crib open at the nursery. So we contacted Social Welfare and they agreed to let us readmit him. A few days later we went back to the village and brought Wongani “home” to the Nursery. Dad was nowhere to be found on either visit.
Wongani has gained 5 pounds since he came back to us. That’s a lot for a 20 month old. He’s thriving. He smiles, he laughs, he plays- especially “peek a boo”. He loves to eat. And his smile would crack the hardest heart.
However, he has stopped speaking. No words come out now, whereas when he was discharged, he had been developing language. We trust speech will come back with time, but admit we are worried.
Wongani has only 4 more months to remain here with us. At age 2, children must be placed elsewhere. The father will not agree to have him fostered but is more than willing to have him sent to an orphanage. Therefore, we have contacted a nearby orphanage, Rafiki, (www.rafiki-foundation.org) and are waiting to see if they will accept him. Rafiki’s admission policy usually requires that neither parent be alive, because sometimes after a few years, the parent will change his mind and want the child back. It can be heartbreaking.
So we’re working on finding Wongani a home. An important part of that effort is prayer work. That’s where you come in. Please pray that God will open a bright path to the future for this healthy, happy 20 month old named Wongani
He had returned to the village as a healthy little 14 month old baby. But the Wongani who greeted us this day was a crying infant with skinny limbs, reddened hair, and empty eyes.
His 10 year old sister had been pulled from school by her father to care for the family, consisting of 5 other siblings and dad. Only a child herself, she cooked and cared for the entire family, including her older brother. Being the oldest girl, her father had decided this was her responsibility.
The “house” was of mud with a cement floor. No water or electricity came to this dwelling – just the hot African breeze. Water had to be carried from a tap in the center of the village. Wongani was carried on his sister’s back most of the time because he was getting too weak to walk. She fed him nsima (white maize flour porridge) once a day, with dirty water to drink. Starving is a painful and miserable process, and clearly, Wongani was starving.
On our return trip to the nursery it was decided that we had to take Wongoni back. He was only 15 months old, which means he was still young enough to avoid permanent damage from his period of deprivation. We had one crib open at the nursery. So we contacted Social Welfare and they agreed to let us readmit him. A few days later we went back to the village and brought Wongani “home” to the Nursery. Dad was nowhere to be found on either visit.
Wongani has gained 5 pounds since he came back to us. That’s a lot for a 20 month old. He’s thriving. He smiles, he laughs, he plays- especially “peek a boo”. He loves to eat. And his smile would crack the hardest heart.
However, he has stopped speaking. No words come out now, whereas when he was discharged, he had been developing language. We trust speech will come back with time, but admit we are worried.
Wongani has only 4 more months to remain here with us. At age 2, children must be placed elsewhere. The father will not agree to have him fostered but is more than willing to have him sent to an orphanage. Therefore, we have contacted a nearby orphanage, Rafiki, (www.rafiki-foundation.org) and are waiting to see if they will accept him. Rafiki’s admission policy usually requires that neither parent be alive, because sometimes after a few years, the parent will change his mind and want the child back. It can be heartbreaking.
So we’re working on finding Wongani a home. An important part of that effort is prayer work. That’s where you come in. Please pray that God will open a bright path to the future for this healthy, happy 20 month old named Wongani
posted by Paul and Darlene Heller at 11:29 AM
1 Comments:
I think your blog is really interesting ... especially this post :)
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