Mwambu

And... there is Mwambu

Mwambu (who I had previously called Youwabu) runs out of the door exuberantly in his cockeyed gate running, with his cockeyed smile grinning from ear to ear, then literally jumps in my arms and hugs and hugs, grunting his few words....all happiness and joy. Ah...all hardship is erased and every last sacrifice is worth it...for this boy is happy, happy, happy! Mwambu is the boy who was sitting behind the bush eating dirt in Bugogge village a couple of years ago. He was so cachectic and malnourished he looked like concentration camp victim pictures or famine pictures. His temples were sunken, his bones protuding even in his face, knobby kneed and limping to even stand with a boda belly of worms likely and kwashikor syndrome from malnourishment, naked save for a ragged piece of cloth that draped over his head barely reaching his chest. He looked at the ground ashamed and sad. He did not speak, only jibberish. His mother was mentally ill and only spoke jibberish and died and few years back and his father was killed, run over by a car while he was walking along the side of the road. I could not get him out of my mind, therefore, after exhausting all options sent him to live and rehabilitate at Tender Trust orphanage in Kitgum we support with medical care. He lived there about a year and improved, but not after being so hungry and animal like he grabbed at a plate of food his first meal with the other children and spilled hot porridge all over his head, lip and chest and burned himself badly. This healed as did many other scars. He also had never used a toilet and had dumping syndrome until his stomach was able to get used to food. Once Tender Mercies building was built a year later we brought him down from Kitgum with the mission team in Jan 2013. Four days he was with us traveling by the bus to Kalongo and through Mbale to Jinja and finally to Kayunga. It was a long four days and he tried the team at times. Since at Tender Mercies he has flourished with the other kids. They have taught him some words, played with him and settled him in at night like all the other kids. He goes to day school which in the beginning was quite a disruption. He is mentally disabled it appears so it is unclear what he can learn with reading and writing. Overall he has learned how to live joyfully, always helping out and hugging and laughing and smiling! Gretchen had me buy some basket balls on one of my shopping trips to Kampala and I was duped. When it was pumped up fully it was oblong and bounced off kilter, but that did not matter to Mwambu..he and Rachel played ball and laughed for hours. 10 year old Rachel has taken Mwambu under her wing and even wants to teach him letters and numbers. So, I bought some marker erase books for his to try. Regular books he might tear up and these can be reused. I hope he likes them! Mwambu, yes you are a child of God and deserving of love just as any other child or person....you matter and you are beautiful both inside with your sweet sweet heart and outside even with the scars cockeyed gait and cockeyed smile.  We love you!

I am amazed at how great Charles and Jackie are taking care of the kids!!  They all look healthy and transformed from starving wild village children to well behaved nice loving kids!  This could not have happened without all of the dedication of AIDSpirit support and unconditional love!  A wonderful testimony to loving one child at a time...

Nadine