Neglected Boy

My new friend is a nurse who volunteers at a different child care center in Lesotho, not Beautiful Gate. Sometimes she gets new kids in who are extremely malnourished and she and her husband will take them home and care for them until they are out of danger. They have also done this with very sick children. I admire their strength in taking these children to their home and nursing them back to health. After they have helped them, they have to give them back to the child care center where they have to hope the kids will get the food and care they need to thrive. Sometimes, the kids are too far gone and they don’t make it, so my friend always sends her husband in first thing in the morning to check if the child has made it through the night (I understand why she does this, but poor guy). They have beautiful hearts and are doing such a great job caring for the least of these.

A couple days ago, she and I were on a walk around Ha Thetsane (Our neighborhood). She began to tell me about a brand new boy who was brought to her child care center (and who is now staying at their house). This little boy is 2 years and 8 months old and he weighs 5.5 kg (around 11 pounds). I think that is about what my kids weighed within the first 3 months of their lives. HE IS OVER 2 YEARS OLD!!!! How sad that he has suffered so greatly at such a young and innocent age. His head is normal size and he has lots of teeth which is good, but his stomach is swollen from starvation and his legs and arms are so skinny with absolutely no muscle tone. When she held him and fed him a little milk, she was worried that he might be too far gone, but then she kissed him and he actually kissed her back and tried to give her a little smile.

Praise God that he has the will to live and to fight despite the neglect he has suffered for years. He was staying with the tribal chief in his village and why it took them so long to respond to his needs, we will never understand. Please pray that God can restore his health and protect him from the possible side effects of poor nutrition in the early stages of life. We already know how much God loves him because he has provided this couple to care for him and nurse him back to health. Pray for the Basotho people to look after and care for not only their own children but also those in their community. Please pray that God will convict them that if they cannot care for these children, that they will find someone who can and will. The neglect is heart breaking and shocking and I pray their eyes will be open to what they are doing to these precious blessings from God. Thank you for your prayers for him and all the other orphans and neglected children in Lesotho and around the world!
Anita