A Boy and His Family
Ganza was the exception. Normally, the orphanage only accepts newborns or infants less than 6 months old, usually after their mothers die in birth. It is a temporary home for babies; an emergency care home in order to give formula to babies who would otherwise die. Ganza’s mother died, but not in childbirth. She died when he was three and his little sister was 9 months old. They were too old for the orphanage, but they were starving. They were taken into the orphanage. Rachel took her first steps in the orphanage surrounded by mamas that cheered her on. She grew, but the sadness on her face was hard to ignore. Ganza loved playing with all his new friends, but he also missed his father and siblings. This year they were both taken home by their family. And we were excited to see his photo show up when we received the updates about the school children from our manager this summer. He now lives in the remote mountains in eastern DRC with his family and attends a small village school. Ganza is one of the many children with similar stories that we support. Families in desperate situations after the mother dies. An unspeakable tragedy in a place where often newborn death follows. A father hopes to remarry if he is lucky. But more often than not, if he doesn’t already have regular income, he will leave the surviving children with a relative and travel into other provinces to look for work. Sometimes months turn into years. A family in extreme poverty, often slips further into poverty. Hopefully, he will come back and have income and fetch his children from the orphanage. Perhaps a grandmother or uncle will come get them. Resources are extremely limited. School fees are less important than finding food. 25% of primary students in DRC do not attend school. 7 million children in DRC are out of school. Thankfully, because of the support of Reeds of Hope, Ganza is not one of them. Would you consider a one time donation today to send the children we support back to school this year.
