All of our days are the same and yet different. They are full of kids and cu-cu’s just the names and circumstances keep changing. Tuesday we walked to town to do our errands and walked another hour to check on cu-cu Grace (87) and pop down the road to see Samuwel’s sister who he lives with and supports. She has AIDS and a 4 yr old daughter also infected. We had our backpacks full of food for both. As we walked we passed an old cu-cu physically crippled and unable to get around except like a crab as her legs were horribly burned in a fire. She was crying for help and some food….we felt lucky to have backpacks full so we gave her a loaf of bread and a packet of milk that we had bought for cu-cu Grace (we can buy more, later!) It was the first food she’d had in days. We told Cu-cu Grace about her and she knew of her and told us her story. She lost everything in the fire that disfigured her and she has a rich son in Nairobi who won’t help her at all. Unfortunately this is the Kenya we have come to know.
Samuwel was at home and after visiting and meeting his sister for the first time he walked back to town with us. He’s very quiet and private so it was a good time to get him to open up to us about his life and future dreams. Samuwel is our motorcycle mechanic and dreams of having his own shop. We then got a call that one of our kids (Elizabeth) was sick at school and to please come and get her. We spent the rest the day at the clinic and getting meds for her (two bacterial infections and bad sores in her mouth) beginning to worry that the school has bad water as these kids get sick more than any others in the program. We brought her home and got her to eat and rest. Our big girl Grace came to spend the night too and offered to do Elizabeth’s hair. So that lifted her spirits!
Wednesday was basically the same routine just a different sick child (Lucy) and cu-cu (Kagure). We brought Cu-cu food and rehydrates and found her in good form…always a big smile and a promise to come home with me to America where she will teach me the Kikuyu language and I can teach her English! On the way we stopped and took Lucy to get more medicine and her favorite treat “chips” along with big sister Miriam and little sister Sarah….these two are so darn cute but not a word comes out of their mouth…they just sit there with their big eyes and munch on their chips!! Once we got home it was one long string of visitors. Samuwel came with Peter, then cu-cu Mercy with woven bags and beaded jackets and Cu-cu Lucia for something I can’t even remember…we serve sandwiches and tea and they leave smiling.
