Last week in an area called Bushbuckridge, a community about 2 hours north of where we stay here in South Africa, I visited this house. Normally, Sarah (17 years old) stays here with five other younger orphans some of them siblings and others cousins. Sarah is the oldest and cares for the others who range from 15 years old to 4 years old. Tragically a few weeks back someone smashed the window, broke into the house and raped Sarah. Sarah has understandably now fled the house to stay with some relatives and is terrified to return. As horrific as this story is the consequences get worse. Sarah as care giver to the five other orphans receives their grants that the South African government give orphans. This money has gone with her so the five kids are left alone with no money. A kind relative has moved in with them to help care but things are getting desperate, they literally have nothing. The people Sarah is staying with are stopping any money going to these other five kids. What stays with me, as we sat and listened to their story, was the fear in the kind relatives eyes as she faced the reality that they had nothing to eat and she had no way of providing it. They were starving….
but….
There is some hope. And once again it comes in the form of the two careworker’s I was with. You see these local volunteers see this as their problem, the kids are their kids, Sarah is their daughter, the relative is their sister. So no magic wand was waved but the car workers phoned Sarah and left a kind message for her and will try to meet up with her. The aim is to see her back with the kids that need her.
So why didn’t I jump in and do something….I’ll save that story for my next update.
