There is so much poverty here I feel like I have to put on blinders or the heart breaking sights, the lives and conditions which I see people living would be too overwhelming and I could not exist here. Once we go into the gate of our compound there is peace and beauty, but just beyond those walls there is such poverty, so much evil and utter chaos! I need to just focus on the little area God has put me in and try to make a difference here. One such area is Alice. God literally plopped her down in our laps.
On the 11th of September this beautiful little girl sat in front of us at church. We could see how thin she was, her eyes were sunken in, her body was starving. She could barely keep her head up or stay awake. She was sitting on an older girls lap, who we assumed was her sister, maybe 10yrs old.
After church we sent the older girl to get her mother so we could figure out how to help Alice and get her to the hospital. Here we are waiting and drawing a crowd. Everyone always wants to know what's going on with the muzungus, white people.
Her little arms are the size of my pinky and ring finger put together.
We found out her momma had died in child birth with a younger sibling; leaving Alice an orphan being raised by her Ja Ja (grandma) It was her auntie who had brought her to church. So our next step was to get Alice to the hospital and get her into the malnutrition clinic.
Here we are getting Alice evaluated to see if she "qualifies" for the clinic, with the Ja Ja and a different Auntie, who also need evaluated for some different conditions.
After a whole day of tests, blood work, jumping through every hoop the "doctors" required we finally got back to the malnutrion clinic and the women who does the intake for the clinics says that Alice can't be admitted to the clinic because she has a cough. This is after a TB test and a chest X-ray. I see to the side a man with a stethoscope around his neck first I ask if he is a doctor and then proceed to explain what all we have done and can he help us? He proceeds to examine Alice. Through out the day he was the first "doctor" to examine her and listen to her lungs. We then found out because the ministry of health will not pay interns that all of the people we thought were doctors were actuall 4th year med students!!!! After examining Alice the real Doctor of course admitted her. When I went the next day they were releasing her! We were given the USAID packs of peanut butter. The first ingredient is (suger, the second hydrogenated oil and then peanut butter!)Not knowing how to manage this; families sell the packages or feed it to other kids in the family. Clearly they were not feeding Alice. My house help Beth agreed to take her in and the Ja Ja was fine with it. So, she comes to our house during the week, we love having her here. Here she is trying on some clothes I bought her.
Sporting her new hat! She is so proud of it!
Our friends son Joe Cheatwood came for a visit and Alice, having just inherited 4 brothers she plays a little rough, here she is playing with Joe.
Alice had a 2 week check up at the clinic and she has gained 4 POUNDS!!!!
Praise the Lord with us and keep her in your prayers.
