Here are some of the stories that have stuck with us over the past
week:
Libby’s Story:
There is a story that really impacted me on my last day at
Mafambisa. When playing the parachute games with the children on the Kids day
at Mafambisa, I saw a little boy around the age of 1 standing on the edge of
the circle, not joining in with the game. I went over and tried to talk to him,
he came across as very shy and isolated. I picked him up so he could see what
was going on with the parachute. I took him with Me and Liz to set up the
finger paints, whilst doing this I put him on a chair, he didn’t move until I had
finished. Once again, I picked him up and sat down on the chair with him.
Within the space of fifteen minutes he was fast asleep in my arms, I took him
inside the church and lay him down on a mat to sleep whilst I helped the
children with finger paints.
One of the Hands people that had come with us, Dan, told me about
him and his story. Elton* is 18 months old, his Mum left him just before he
turned one to go to Johannesburg to work and live with another man. She only
comes back for one day a year, around Christmas to see her children and say
hello. That is all. He lives with his eighteen year old sister and her two
children without anyone else to care for them, they have no other family they
are in touch with.
Dan, however, is there for them. He visits their house once or
twice a week to make sure they are okay and are still safe. This gives Elton
hope for his later life. Without Hands at Work and all their supporters, Dan
wouldn’t be there to keep them safe.
That is Elton’s* story.
Millie’s story:
Obviously, over this past week of community visits I have faced a
lot of emotional challenges, however something that especially impacted me was
the story of Victoria*. She is a mother of four, who lives in a house that
lacks security and has lots of problems, such as leaking roofs and cracked,
broken windows. Since theft is prominent in her area, she and her family are at
risk of getting broken into and robbed. However, she can’t afford to fix these
problems herself, despite the inconvenience and danger they put her family in.
These living conditions are polar opposite to the ones that I have
grown up with, and I sincerely hope that she and her family remain safe at
home. For me, home is one of the places I feel safest. I cannot imagine the
idea of living somewhere that lacked basic security essentials, such as a door
that locks.
Luckily, the Hands at Work team are aware of this problem and plan
to provide Vicky with what she needs to ensure she and her family are safe at
home.
Georgia’s story:
A few days ago when we did the children's day I met a girl called
Teresa* she was a lovely girl she spoke really good English. Whilst we were
there me and Teresa* made two paintings for each other. I did a painting of me
and her with lovely messages and I did a painting with a flower on it with our
names on it, she did a picture of me and her, she put things like "I love
you Georgia," "good bye everyone." She also put "love you
so much my friend good bye Georgia.” When at the end we had to say good bye I
played one last game of catch, gave her a massive hug and finally I got on the
bus. I really didn’t want to leave but I was happy I left with some good
memories and she knows there is someone that cares about her.
Amelia’s story:
When it was community prayer on Friday we prayed with the care
workers and care givers, then we did home visits. I met this lovely lady called
Gogo Sierra*. She was so kind and welcoming. We needed Harmony* translating for
us that day. She had told us about her pain and suffering. A part of the story
got me when she started getting upset, she told us about when she lost her
husband around two years ago. The family had blamed her for his death and had
kicked her out from the house along with their kids. She was left stranded, nobody
to turn to in her hour of need. After a few weeks, she went to collect his
pension that was split between his ex-wife, current girlfriend and herself.
After trying to get her life back on track, she was hit by another emotional
obstacle, her daughter had been murdered. This, along with the grief of her
husband passing, had caused her to go back off track for the second time. She
had lost faith from the suffering and the pain, but Hand’s at Work had helped
her back on the path of God. She was left with more questions, but God, and the
frequent prayer meetings, had helped her find the answers that she was looking
for.
She started attending the care point, along with her
grandchildren. She is now doing well and has a long, tough journey, but has
stayed strong through it all. She now looks after three of her grandkids and
her other daughter is staying with her, plus her two kids. Some of the children
had been failing due to their loss, but she was determined to get them back on
track so that they have a great life. She aspires to go back to school and get
her old job as a teacher. She had said that the Maranatha workshops, that Hands
at Work run, helped her overcome her grief and become the strong woman she is
today.