With the additional money raised I asked Mama Tesha to identify 5 orphans who need food, so I could bring them 20 kg bags of beans and corn. A couple of the families she named had taken in additional children, because the children had lost both parents, and a couple were single parents who could not afford to buy food.
I was thankful to the families who have graciously volunteered to feed these extra mouths and still support their own families. One set of parents had 5 children of their own and were raising two young orphans, which is a large financial burden on them. Another woman, Mama Jesca, whose husband died of HIV 2 years ago, also has HIV and has been in and out the hospital this past year. Her two girls are pictured outside of their small home with one bed for all of them to sleep. Mama Jesca is not able to work due to her condition and Mama Tesha thinks that it won't be long until these two girls are also double orphans. Mama Tesha has paid the doctors at the hospital to administer blood transfusions for the mother in the last month to keep her alive (corruption another battle in Africa). It just broke my heart to think of the future of these two girls.
This afternoon we also finished handing out some of the mosquito nets to some of the kids in the neighborhood and going into these homes again was just humbling. Numerous children and parents were HIV positive in devastating conditions, with a small mattress, no running water or electricity. It was just kind of a common trend for her to tell me this person is sick and that person has this condition. We didn't have to walk more than 20 feet from her front door.... It was something I am having a hard time grasping and there is so much you want to do or say and this is what they deal with day in and day out.
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