Michele Fuji and Caroline Cardosi met as Village Volunteers in late August 2008 when they traveled from Seattle to Sister Freda’s Orphanage, a Village Volunteer partner in Kenya. Upon arrival, they found themselves quickly and equally enamored with two children in Sister Freda’s care.
The younger child, Emmanuel, was brought to Sister Freda by his elderly grandmother who had no means to support him. Emmanuel’s mother died shortly after giving birth. At four months of age, weighing a mere 2.5 kg (about 5 lbs.), Emmanuel was malnourished, dehydrated and likely suffered from pneumonia. Caroline says, “Although he was very sick, Emmanuel was very happy and curious
baby, always smiling and looking around.”
When Michele first held him, she recalls, “I was so cautious because he was so tiny, but he smiled.” Over the course of two months, Emmanuel improved greatly.
Michele said, “He drank milk and ate porridge and soon his belly became so big that we had to tell the nurses not to feed him as much. And then he started to grow, started to fill out. The loose skin that was hanging and wrinkly started to disappear and his face began to change. He became chubby! His grandmother came to visit almost twice a week and she would say ‘asante sana’ (thank you very much) to everyone at the clinic. ”
The older child, Boaz, is eighteen years old and has never been able to walk or talk. He suffers from a severe form of cerebral palsy that struck when he was a baby. His father left the family, unable to accept his son, and his mother struggles alone to feed and care for all of her children. Facing such hardships, his mother brought Boaz to Sister Freda’s Medical Centre where he has been a permanent patient since December 2007. Through it all, Boaz remains an exceptionally happy boy. Caroline says, “You can always hear him laughing even from outside the hospital.” Michele agrees, “His laughter is contagious; just ask anyone who has met him.”
Michele and Caroline, upon seeing his crib, assembled a large bed donated by a previous volunteer so that Boaz could fully stretch out. They took him outside in his wheelchair and supported him on each side so Boaz could walk up and down the halls kicking a ball to gain strength. Michele also searched for images of walkers on her Blackberry and found one that would be easy to make. “We went to a welder and I showed him the photo on my phone. He said no problem! In 3 days the frame was completed.” When Boaz was first placed in the walker, Michele says, “He loved every minute of it.
Boaz wasn’t the only one who loved it. According to Caroline, “Boaz’s mother came to visit him one day when we were there. She was incredibly grateful for the care and attention Boaz was receiving. The next week, she showed up at the hospital with a chicken to give Michele and me as a gift. It was a huge honor.”
Emmanuel and Boaz have overcome tremendous hurdles with the help of Sister Freda, her staff, Caroline and Michele, and yet there is still a long road ahead. When Michele returned home, Emmanuel was still in need of a Kenyan family of his own. Boaz will need continued stretching therapy in order to fully utilize his new walker and he will never be self sufficient.
To help support these boys and other children like them, please donate to Village Volunteers and note “Sister Freda’s” in the memo line. Pulling together, we all can make a tremendous difference.