This has been a busy week. It is the first week Robin's girls are back in school, two new volunteers came two days ago, and we got a new baby.
Blessed has been sick most of the week, which sounds like an upper respiratory infection, and needs to rest. So I made my first lunch all by myself. It consisted of home made tortillas, ground beef, rice, passion fruit juice and cabbage with dressing. Everything I made from scratch, even the juice.
Then the two girls, one from Minnesota and the other from Sweden, arrived. They jumped right in. Now there are more people than babies.
Yesterday, happened very fast. When things happen they happen all at once. A young 15 year old mother was sitting outside Robin's compound. Robin had asked her if she needed assistance, but the girl answered no. So Robin sent Blessed and the girl and Blessed talked for a bit. Then her baby was brought in the house and the Local Chair woman was called to handle the sitaution. The teenager had been having a hard time caring for the child although it was not malnourished. She wants Acacia Tree to take it and adopt the boy out. The chair woman, who is sort of a social worker in a way, handles everything from land disputes between land owners and mothers wanting to give their child away. The LC knows Robin's work well and tried to get the story from the girl on who the father is and why she wants to give the child up. The girl was threatened with police if she was found to be lyign to us about the situation.
The next thing I know I was going with Blessed, the LC, the mother and baby on the back of a boda boda to her village on Lake Victoria. We arrived and the village descended on us to tell us what her story was and the hard times she has faced in the month since her delivery. However, the mother did not have the chart of immunization or health card so we waited and she still could not find it. So we left her and the baby in the village so she could return to Robin's the next day with the card.
We took boda bodas to the market where we were to find a woman who was a bit crazy. She lived in the market in a shack that was no wider than my outstreached arms. She and her baby did not sleep there but rather on a slab of concrete infront of a shop. The LC, Blessed, and I went to the Kitoro police post for the market to get them involved since anything could happen. Blessed stayed back with me and I quickly became a distraction and not helpful to the situation. I saw the baby from a distance but left the market just incase. Blessed came back a little bit after I arrived back at Robin's. The baby girl is very tiny amd malnourished. The mother had tried to straighten the baby's hair with a chemical straightner. The mother also doesn't want anyone to take the child, but for the well being of the child she may not have a choice. So we did not ge the child, but the police or the LC of the market might have to steal the child at night and bring the child to us. This sounds horrible but that is what the police suggested. The mother also should not know where Robin lives since there is a chance that the woman could come and attack the compound.
Then last night the teenage mother returned with her son and now Robin has John Mark in her care. He is a very healthy baby, but was going to be dumped in a known baby dumping ground if help was not available to her. She loves her son very much but saw no other alternative.
This was a very good experience for me. I really got to see how Blessed handles these sitauations and the protocol. I also saw that Muzungu's should not be involved in obtaining the babies because this can further antagonize the situation.
mzungu mzungu! So did you ever end up getting the baby from the market!? Did the woman try to find Robin's house!? Don't leave us hanging!
ReplyDeletemiss ya,
ash
We haven't yet and probably won't. So there really isn't anything to worry about, except there is a possibility to worry about elections though.
ReplyDelete