A picture of Florence :)

When I thought the situation was bad, and it just gets a whole lot worse...

So today, we had a meeting with Florence to tell her about my plan to buy her a property and build her a house. And she was ever so grateful, as she has been praying for years for her own land so she can leave her husband. And now I have arrived in Mongu and was luckily enough to meet her, and began thinking about building a house, not knowing she has been praying about it. Fate I say...

In the meeting we discussed that we want to build her a house, but we don't want her husband to be the person who signs for the land, and we don't want him to live there. Because she was telling us how he beats her, and sometimes so hard she cant walk. And that he cheats on her regularly in front of her, and has threatened to kill her. And he is verbally abusive to her as well, like he said to her over the weekend that he wishes for her to get hit by a car. He also doesn't help her get around at all, and his reason is that he gave her Precious and she is her eyes. Precious is 7, she has the right to be a child.

This man seriously disgusts me, and everyday I talk to her, the stories seem to be getting worse. I don't actually think he can be called a man in fact, because no man should treat a woman like this, and especially a blind woman.

So this makes me more inspired to get her out of the house. The police are actually trying to catch this man because there have been cases against him because of abuse. So the property will be Florence s, and he is not allowed to claim it or stay there.

I am so glad that I have been given the opportunity to get them a house and away from the husband/father. But in doing so, I need to raise the funds. PLEASE HELP!!

Land is R1600
House is R3200

So in total need to raise R4800.

If you are able to donate money then please contact me.
tarabeckham@live.co.za

Best News Ever:)

So Village of Hope builds houses every year for families that have children at the school who need houses, or live in broken down houses. I asked around to see if we could build a house for Precious's(daughter of Florence) family, as they don't have a house. They said they don't have any funds too build them a house. BUT, if I can raise the money, we will be able to build them a house. So they say it costs about R3200 to build a house! But normally the families have land, but I am not entirely sure if this family has land, which I will find out on Wednesday, when I visit again. So then I will know if I must raise funds to buy land as well. If you are interested in changing this families life, please will you contact me. Any donation is accepted :) Please, really this family needs this, and I would like to really do it for them. CHANGE A LIFE TODAY!

Seeing Florence again

So when I was working at the clinic on Thursday, I noticed them blind folding a lady to show her how her child feels being blind. So I straight away thought, that I should bring Florence into the clinic to talk to this lady. So I asked Lihana (Nurse at VOH Clinic) and she said that it was a great idea.

So Friday after school (11:30am) I went with Precious to her home again. When I got there her husband ( Please forgive me, I cannot remember his name) was making a hoe ( agricultural tool). I then asked him where Florence was, and he simply said, oh she is collecting firewood. All I could think of, why is a blind lady going to fetch wood on her own? Anyway, asked him a few questions and actually indicating out that he is from Angola, never went to school, and is illegally in Zambia. Hence this is his excuse for not working. 

Finally Florence arrived with wood on her head, I said hello to her, and she kept saying, "I didn't know you were coming" I told her that I wanted her to come to the clinic to talk to the caretaker of the blind child. She seemed excited to do it, but first she wanted to change, because she kept saying that she was dirty. 

We finally set off, and I asked her how she got blind, and she said to me her family did it. Which I am not entirely sure what that means, but that was her answer. We got to the clinic and she began discussing her life with the other lady. I am not sure what they were saying, as they were speaking in their local tongue, but they did chat for a long time. 

It was time to go home, and whilst we were walking back she told that she had no food for the weekend and she hadn't eaten today. I didn't know how to react, but I did offer to give her food. But she simply declined. It was hard for me to see her walk into the distance, and thinking that this weekend her family will go without food.

I asked another volunteer at VOH, if I could go to her on Saturday afternoon to go give them some food, and he said I wasn't allowed to because eventually they would become dependent on it. But It makes no sense to me, as I am here to help people, and I have found someone who I would do anything for, yet I am not allowed. Which questions my purpose, because are we really helping if I cannot feed a family for the weekend?

But I know that we cant come to Mongu, and give free handouts and so the people become dependent on us . But this family is so poor, the mother is blind and they are practically homeless. Sorry, but I think that this situation needs help, and we cant not help.

Anyway, going back to see Florence next week with Margaret. Which of course I am very excited about.

Florence

So on Thursday, I took a child who is in my class to the clinic, as she had a really bad cough. What happens normally, is that I take them to the clinic, if they need medication, then they are sent home with a note saying to the parents to come to VOH Clinic. When I took Precious, to the clinic, I realized that we couldn't give a note to this child, as her mom is blind. I didn't really know anything about this child's life, only that her mom was blind and that she was her guide.  So I explained to Precious, that she had to bring her mom, not knowing that this lady would honestly change my life. That afternoon, just before 2pm, I saw Precious with her mom. I never really had any confrontation with a blind person before, so I walked up to her and said "encha" (Hello in Losi) not knowing this lady is fluent in English. I then told Precious that I will go fetch her medicine, and the Mom, then started speaking English to me, which surprised me. When I got the medicine, I realised how difficult it was explaining to a 7 year old and her blind mother how to take the medicine and when. But then Annie (A lady from the clinic), came to my rescue, and got a simple way to take the medicine. They then left, Precious leading her mom, thinking I would probably never see the mother again. 

The next day, I was at the clinic in the morning, helping with the health checks, on all the kids at the school. It was actually my class’s turn, when I realized that Precious wasn't there. Margaret ( the teacher who I work  for) was a little annoyed, because the mom probably needed Precious to take her somewhere, and not let her go to school. About 10 minutes later, Precious arrived to the clinic with her Mom. When I saw Precious and her Mom, I suddenly got really excited that they had come, so I ran outside, and said hello, and reassured the mom that she had met me yesterday, which she knew anyway. She had come, as her baby boy (Njamba) was sick, and she believed Precious had Malaria. So I told Precious to go and join her class and I will look after her Mom, and get her a nurse. The nurses treated the son, and told the mom that Precious didn't have Malaria. The problem, was that now, Precious had to take her mom home, and probably wouldn't come back to school. I suddenly found myself offering to go home with them and walk back with Precious. 

So we began the journey, first was to concur this massive hill, which, every time I climb (I climb this hill on average 4 times a day) I think I am going to die. Precious's mom didn't realize that I was with them, but then heard my foot steps and asked her daughter who it was. When she realized that I was coming with, she was very happy and seemed to be really excited. And was thanking me for coming to visit her home. The walk was about 1km away from the clinic. And what surprised me the most, was that she would say to me " look to your right, can you see that house being built? that's....." She is blind, yet knows where everything is and knows where all the houses are. I was asking her lots of questions, learning that she has 3 children, is currently married to a man who does not work and does not help around the house, went blind at the age of 10. Went to the school for the blind until Grade 9, but then her mom had died, and became an orphan. And the whole time  I was thinking, was that I have no idea how she lives this difficult life.

We finally got to her house, which is so small, estimating around 1.5m by 2.5m. Her husband was sitting outside, I felt bad because he was so welcoming and kind, yet I already disliked him, because of what I had heard. She was so excited. She took me into the house, it was tiny. It had one bed, a blanket on the ground where the kids sleep, and a few clothes hanging from the roof and a few pots. They had a mosquito net, yet it was all torn. I just couldn't really imagine living like this. Then I learnt that this was someone else's house, but they are living in it, till the owners come back. And in fact they are actually homeless. And this just made me think about my life, I have everything in the world, and this lady in blind, homeless and has no money. How can I relate???

I then said I had to take Precious home, I said my goodbyes, kind of feeling emotional. And then she asked for my name, realizing that we both had never told each other our names. I finally learnt her name, Florence. I said goodbye, I told her I would visit again.