God keeps growing my family!

It is a while ago I wrote a blog. It is not always easy for me to find time to sit down and write a story. There are 10 children currently living with me and they definitely keep me busy! Beside them there are another 150 children in the home-based care program. Every Wednesday a professional trainer is teaching around 40 parents/guardians of children admitted in my program about Farming God’s way. The trainer is sponsored by Stand as one ministry from Canada and I’m very thankful for this opportunity. The people learn different farming techniques so they can increase harvest and eventually become sustainable again. In the previous years I have been trying to teach some families myself however due to a lack of time and limited knowledge I’m very happy a professional trainer is doing this job now.
While I’m writing this story I’m in the hospital again. Mika was admitted last week with cerebral malaria. During the day we went to the hospital and were send home with medication. During the night however his situation became critic. I rushed to the hospital and he got admitted immediately. That night he convulsed several times, I watched him all night. He was put on oxygen and stayed unconscious for another two days. Right now he is recovering and doing much better however still sleeping most part of the day. I praise the Lord He took care for little Mika because things could have gone much worse.
In the last few months a lot of things changed in my family.
Esinta lived with me for 7 months. Her mother died when she was 1 year old and she was diagnosed with TB. I assisted the family caring her back to health. She is now living with her father.
Another 5 children joined my family!

Eneless and Jonas are sister and brother and were living 5 hours walking distance away from Nkhoma hospital. The area were they were living is very rural and healthcare is not easy accessible. Both were born HIV positive however only started on medication after several years. The mother who became HIV positive somewhere before getting pregnant of Eneless delivered both children in the village and was therefore never tested. About one year ago she became very sick and was found HIV positive. The HIV was already very advanced and February of 2016 she died at home in the village. A week before the grandmother of Eneless and Jonas died. The 12 years old sister continued taking care for her little sister and brother however couldn’t manage. On top of that the village decided that they did not wanted these children because they are HIV positive. They had no place to go so I decided to take them into my house.  On arrival in my house they were very sick. They were immediately admitted in the hospital and diagnosed with stage 4 HIV, Tuberculosis and severe malnutrition. Both are greatly improving at the moment. 

On the picture Eneless when she arrived in my house and Eneless after 3 months staying with me.

Mika joined our family several months ago. He was born to a mother who is mentally unsound. The grandmother was taking care for him however couldn’t manage anymore because of the severe status of the mother. She is very aggressive and difficult to take care for. She was beating Mika. Mika is currently 9 months old. He is a very handsome and happy boy. Please pray for a good recovery so he can come back home soon.

Joshua is the smallest in our family. His mother died during childbirth at the traditional healer leaving 9 children. The grandmother was trying to take care for all children however couldn’t manage. The father who is very supportive is currently taking care for 2 children and the grandmother for 6 children. The youngest one is in the Africare house and will start living with his father when he is around 8 months old.
Zenet also joined our family a while ago. She is a girl of 11 years old. She is coming from a very poor family. Her brother died earlier this year because of severe malnutrition. Zenet was living with her grandmother because her other remarried another husband. This husband had no interest in Zenet so she was abandoned from the family. He grandmother kept her at home very sick. For months she was not able to walk or do anything. When I got her out of the village she was immediately admitted in the hospital and given a blood transfusion. Her hb was only 4. She also had severe malnutrition. Zenet is a very energetic girl and is currently discovering a whole new world now she is able to go to school.

Love,

Nicole