Man is willed by the Creator as a relational being, as someone who is not sufficient unto himself but, rather, needs relationship, who is supposed to live with another and for another. Only in this relatedness to the other and for the other can he fulfill God’s will.
Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI)
We were blessed to be able to provide much needed additional food relief to the families of my Helping Orphans Pursue Education (HOPE) ministry this week. These families of the children HOPE supports with educational assistance continue to be severely impacted by the lockdowns imposed as a result of the coronavirus and are unable to earn money to eat. We were only able to distribute food this week due to the generosity of people who stepped up and helped financially with donations. The families were so appreciative of the food. Some had not eaten in days. Here is the story one of the families we helped.
Maira (*) is a cheerful and playful sixteen-year-old girl. She joined HOPE in 2012 when she was nine years old. As the family could not afford to pay for school, Maira had no formal education when HOPE began supporting her. She began first grade at an age several years older than the other students in her class. She is in now in eighth grade and was hoping to start secondary school next year, but that prospect has been jeopardized by the coronavirus.
Maira’s father died when she was only seven years old and her mother tragically passed away two years later. Both succumbed to HIV/AIDS complications. Maira is the last born of four children. After the death of their parents, the children were forced to live on their own in a mud house built by their parents.
Maira’s oldest brother got married several years ago and moved away, leaving Maira’s other brother, Aaron, to care for his siblings. Aaron, who was still a teenager at the time, became solely responsible for Maira and the oldest born, Hafsa, who is intellectually challenged. Aaron was force to drop out of school in eighth grade in order to work to support himself and his two siblings. As he has no trade skills, Aaron relies on casual jobs, such as carrying water with a handcart (there is no running water in the settlement where they live), to earn money for food. Sadly, he is only able to earn the equivalent of about $4 a week. This little money is all the three siblings have to live on.
An aunt had been helping the family financially where she could, but now is unable to do so as she herself is struggling to earn enough to feed her own family during the pandemic. Since the lockdowns were put in place, it has been very difficult for Aaron to find work. Most days the three siblings only eat one meal and some days they go without food completely.
To make matters worse, walls of their mud house have collapsed several times during heavy rains. The community has come together to help the family rebuild the damaged walls, but they desperately need a sturdier structure in which to live. Unfortunately, at this point in time, the family is struggling just to eat. Fixing the house remains just a dream.
We have attempted to provide financial assistance for Aaron to attend vocational school and learn a trade, so that he can earn more money for the family. However, this has proven to be impossible thus far as he is the primary source of income for the family and must work so that they can eat.
Aaron, Maira, and Hafsa are extremely grateful for the food provided by HOPE and the generous donors who make the food distribution possible. Maira was overjoyed when she saw the bag of food we gave the family and said that she is going to celebrate now that they have something to eat. She also said that she is praying that we will be able to give them more food next week as the food we gave them will only last about five days.
* Names have been changed to protect people’s privacy.
You can be a lifeline for this family and others like them. Even a small amount can make a huge difference in the lives of those who have nothing. Please consider helping. You can donate online at http://www.mklm.org/RTarro.
Mungu ni mwema. God is good.
