Another mother mistreated
There is a young mother named Mama Eunice, who is married and has two children.
Both children attend our school and are sponsored by Denmark. When I recently came out to the school, Mama Eunice sat at a table in the dining room looking terrified. She had fled at night to the school, just wearing panties and a kanga around her since the husband had beaten her to pieces and taken a stranglehold on her. She had marks on her neck from his fingers and stripes on the cheek from his fingernails. It was obvious that she had suffered abuse. This is the second time he has been cruel to her and now she will not go back to him.
The man said she had been unfaithful to him and that the boy was not his son. He also said that he would kill both her and the boy. The big girl, Eunice, heard the parents’ quarreling and got up to find out what was happening. When the father saw her, he shouted: “What do you want?” The girl replied, “I am thirsty and want a drink.” This derived his attention and the mother was able to run out of the house.
Fortunately, he sent the children to school the next day, so we kept both mother and child. The authorities have denied him access to them. She has filed a police report so he cannot expect to get the children. The man is furious that the children would rather be with their mother.
We have promised to help her, so she will not be back with him again. We have previously brokered between them, but unfortunately without any success (e.g. because he has had relationships with other women).
Mama Eunice is a very competent woman. She said to me the other day: “I don’t mind working as a horse as long as I don’t have to return to my husband, because he is so evil.”
Tabitha
The last part of the distance was a small, red dirt road that twisted among the banana plantations. At the end of the very steep road was the house where they lived. House may be an exaggeration because Johnson and his uncle share a room of 7-8 m2. The room is at the end of a hen house and there is just one building. There is no ceiling in the room next to the hen house. The smell was tough and we thought, “How can they sleep in that stench?”
Johnson has no parents. When he was little his mother died and his father died in November of last year. Johnson is an only child and his uncle is the only relative left.
Besides these challenges, Johnson has a handicap. There was an accident in his home when he was little. The housemaid had put a pot on the fireplace and left it to go outside. Johnson just learned to crawl. He moved himself to the fireplace and crabbed the handle of the pot with both hands. On his left hand his little fingers melted away at the extreme heat and his right hand is very damaged as well.
Although he lost his fingers Johnson is a competent writer and has a beautiful handwriting. He retained his thumb and most of the index finger on his right hand so he can hold a pencil.
Johnson seems to be a nice boy and is a very good student. But after his father died there is no one to pay his tuition. Without school fees he cannot continue classes as the uncle can barely make ends meet. That was very evident when we visited their home.
We have met with Johnson and his uncle again to hear about Johnson’s wishes for the future. In faith we have sent him on to Secondary school. He will be 18 years in July and has two more years before he graduates. If anyone reading this would like to help support his education there is a need for DKK 6,000 per year for this.
