She fell through the compound gate and collapsed on the ground. It had taken her last bit of strength to reach our offices. The other children screamed and our teacher Vedaste came running. He scooped her up and although apprehensive to begin with (if she died in his arms the community would hold him responsible) he ran to the local hospital. The doctor told him “you better pray she’s unconscious and very very sick”. We prayed and prayed and prayed for dear Greta, her body was fighting an extremely bad strain of Malaria and she hadn’t eaten anything for 5 days. Another staff member went to find her mother but she was on the streets begging for money to try and pay her husbands hospital bills (in Burundi you aren’t allowed to be released from hospital until your bills are paid). The other smaller children had been left in the place where the family were squatting. As the day wore on Greta began to respond to treatment.
We eventually tracked down her mum, through sobbing tears she told us that she had said goodbye to her daughter that morning, She knew her daughter would be dead by evening. As part of our child sponsorship program we cover children’s medical expenses but Gretas mum is struggling with her mental health and didn’t remember this. It is by the grace of God that Greta reached us that day, we are a 20 minute walk from where she lives. She has no memory of how she got there she just kept telling us “I knew I had to get to YADA I knew you would help me”.
YADA covered the costs of Gretas medical care and fed her and her family until they regained their strength. We are so thankful that Greta is still with us and for the opportunity to help save her life. But there are children and families in this community who we aren’t reaching and they don’t have the ending that Greta did.
It is due to covering these medical costs and the rising inflation within the country that we have increased our child sponsership tp £10 per month. If you have previously sponsored a child and are able to continue or would like to start sponsoring a child please use the link below
http://www.iteams.org.uk/project/child-sponsorship-bujumbura
Very thankful that we were able to give school material again in September and continue with soap distribution for the families in the community.