She Will Be Dead By Morning

    Early on Sunday morning we learned some of the staff had made a rushed trip to the lakeside side, historic community of Nkhotokoto north and east of us. The trading center is located over a hundred miles away from Lumbadzi. It seemed there was a family of twelve children who were in a severe situation after the death of both of their parents. Someone had called Mtendere to come quickly. All day we waited for the return to learn the status of the children.

   That night the car arrived at Blessing, and inside were three children, three of the twelve. Three who were in the worst condition. It was believed the others would be able to survive for the time being on their own. But it was the youngest that was nearest death. Little Jannet. Only a little over a year old Jannet was down to a weight of only 7 kilograms (Could that actually mean she weighted less than 2 lbs?). The medical people decided it was too late for Jannet. She would not survive the night. The other two children were taken to one of the houses at Mtendere and Jannet over was given to the care of the medical staff. We went to bed that night convinced that with the morning sun we would be making preparations for a funeral. It seems so unfair. A tiny baby. There was nothing she had done to cause this. Her mother had died when we she just a few months old and her father had died just one week later. No matter how hard they tried the older children could not find enough food for the family.

The sun arose around 5:40 AM and we were up and on the way down to the hospital to find out the status of the baby’s condition. To our complete surprise Jannet was still alive. She had survived the night. What a fighter. During that day and the days to come the staff from Mtendere and the hospital gave Jannet special attention. She not only survived but started to improve. In a single week she reached a weight of 8.5 kilograms. In three weeks she was up to 10.5. Although it was some time before Jannet would respond to anyone within a few months she would smile and seek the attention of some of the staff members at the compound. Soon Jannet became the center of attention and the other children often competed with who was going to care for Jannet.

Today Jannet continues to make progress at her home at Mtendere. Two of her siblings are still residents of the village and all three are proving to be a great asset to the community. The little girl who was expected to be dead by morning is alive and well and is now nearing 5 years of age.

Pictures

The first picture is of Jannet in tne early weeks after her arrival at Mtendere. The second picture is of her nearly two years after her arrival.