This precious little girl is Tendo Victoria, and we would love to share with you her story.
On Sunday afternoon, we found out a baby had been dropped into a pit latrine, and she was a little girl who had jut been born that morning. They are not sure how long she was in there, but thankfully someone passing by eventually heard her cries and called the police. Joseph was called and went immediately to meet them and take the baby to the hospital. When she arrived there, she had maggots coming out of her ears, her umbilical cord was still attached, and they had to pump a lot of poop and insects out of her stomach from the latrine. Despite that, the doctors and nurses were surprised at how healthy she seemed. Guardianship of her was given to Joseph & Sara, who named her Tendo (which means praise in Luganda) Victoria (because of the victory that she was still alive, despite all odds). We were so excited when Joseph came back to Rafiki and told us some of the details, and said that she would be arriving the next morning! They still needed to do some tests and keep her overnight. We started preparing all the clothes and diapers, and I felt prepared and excited to care for her and even to get up with her in the night for feeding and such. It seemed as though maybe this was one of the reasons God had planned for me to come here in the first place, and even though I hadn’t met her yet I knew I loved her already. The next morning, though, we heard from Auntie Sarah, who had stayed overnight with Tendo at the hospital. She said that the baby had passed away. I felt so overcome by grief and sorrow, and I still do not fully understand why God allowed it. We went to the hospital, and prayed over baby Tendo. Then, we took her to the mortuary and as we were leaving the nurse asked who wanted to carry her in the car. I heard someone else’s voice say from my mouth, “I will”. The drive felt so surreal, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done to take her in the mortuary, lay her on the table, and walk away. At the same time, though, I feel like God revealed something so important to me today. What the world threw away, he rescued and cherished and took to be with Him. Instead of letting her die in that latrine, all alone without anyone even noticing, He chose for her to be surrounded by people who were showing love to her and recognizing her life. Even in her one day here on earth, God used her to show his incredible, redeeming love. I will never forget Tendo, or this experience, and I plan to share her story for the rest of my life.
--Amanda Weber, Rafiki Volunteer
Last week on Sunday, I was informed of a baby girl who had been dropped into a pit latrine. (a small hole in the ground used as a toilet) I felt so horrible and heart broken to hear this. All day my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of this little baby. She was a day old and had been abandoned and thrown away as if she were nothing more than trash. The police contacted Joseph about her. She was going to stay the night in the hospital and the next morning we were going to meet baby Tendo Victoria, and welcome her into the Rafiki family! Immediately I felt that this was God’s will that Tendo come to live at this home. Rafiki has been preparing to receive a different baby for some time, but she has never showed up. I thought how amazing it was that God had prepared us for a baby, but not the one we expected! Tendo was a welcome and unexpected surprise! I was feeling both anxious and excited to meet her!
The next morning, everything changed. We heard the news in the morning that Tendo had passed away. I felt in shock, numb, unable to process. One minute we were so excited to receive the newest member of our family, and the next, we found out we would never even get a chance to meet her. The morning was rushed, as we were all frazzled, shaken up, and in a hurry to get to the hospital to pick up Tendo’s body and bring it where it could be ready for burial. Upon hearing about her death, I felt so far removed from the situation. But I knew as soon as I saw her lying there, I would never be the same. I was right. When we walked into the hospital and I saw her tiny, 6 – pound body laying covered up on the bed, I began to cry. And cry. I felt like it was endless tears. When I looked at her little, lifeless face, I just started to cry more. I can’t explain the pain of this loss. I was prepared to love this child, yet I never had the oppurtunity to know her. Though I did not know her, the pain of the loss was, and still is, so strong. I do not know what it is to lose; to suffer. But that day I experienced a small part of that. I am changed. I am wrecked for a good, normal life. I am in the middle of a broken world. These orphaned, abandoned, broken children are no longer statistics. They are names, faces, and personalities. They are people who I love. My heart hurt so much to be weighed down with the loss of this precious life. I will never forget Tendo. And I pray one day I will meet her in Heaven, this time, to see her smile. Despite the pain, I thank God that He allowed me to be here, and to love and appreciate Tendo at the end of her short life. She is not forgotten. I struggle to see the big picture or plan beyond this, but I do know that God’s will is sovereign. He see’s us through, and has been here comforting us all through the last several days. He is evidently still at work, even through the pain.
--Niomi Klassen, Rafiki Volunteer
In the midst of our grief on Monday over the loss of Tendo, God brought joy to Rafiki in the form of this sweet girl. That same day, we went to serve at Sanyu Babies home (as was previously planned). It was difficult, but very good to continue to serve God even in our sorrow, and be surrounded by so much life. And there was a lot of it - 50 babies is crazy, in the best possible way! When we were done there, we heard from Joseph that he had gotten a call from a different police station about a young girl who had been abandoned. We went there to meet him, met Janat, and brought her home to Rafiki with us! It is amazing how quickly it all happened and I believe that God had intended for this to be her home all along. She is around 1 1/2 years old, and her mom is assumed by the police to be a commercial sex worker and mentally ill. She was recently checked into a treatment facility and determined to be unable to care for her daughter, while the father is unknown, so the police requested that Janat be cared for by Rafiki.
She is adjusting so well here already, and is getting along great with all the other kids. We have all noticed that she is a completely different girl than the one we drove home from the police station Monday (see first picture). She has an infectious laugh and such a sweet spirit; the first time I handed her a doll, she gave it lots of kisses.
Yesterday we took her to the clinic to get tested and examined by a doctor, and found out that she is HIV negative! Apart from the fact that she isn’t walking yet, he said that she is a healthy, normal child. It was a tough experience for me, because I had to hold her down while the doctor drew blood (and he had to poke her many times, as her veins weren’t very visible), but I was glad to be there for her through it and am so thrilled to hear that she is healthy. I feel really lucky to get to know this beautiful girl, and that I was able to be here for her first few days in her new home!
--Amanda Weber, Rafiki Volunteer
After saying a heart wrenching good bye to Tendo, we went to the Sanyu Babies Home, as originally planned. It was surprisingly refreshing and so happy to see all these living, and healthy babies around us. We were able to play with the babies, feed them, change them, and love them. They were so sweet and cuddly! There was one precious baby boy, Jeremiah, who I really wanted to take home with me! I think after the loss of Tendo, it was a blessing to be able to hold and love some babies. While at Sanyu, Godfrey got a call from Joseph. The police contacted him about another young girl who was in need of a home, so off we went to police to pick her up. Her name is Janet, and she is about 1 and a half years old. Her mother is mentally ill, and I take it that the father is out of the picture. Janet is really the most beautiful little girl I’ve ever seen. Joseph signed the papers right away, and immediately we took Janet back with us to Rafiki. I held her on my lap most of the way, and she cried the whole time. It felt so horrible to not be able to do anything to comfort her. I felt so helpless and lost. I wanted so bad to love her, but there was nothing I could do to comfort her. When we got back to Rafiki, she did much better. She is a very healthy little girl, and after a few days she already seems comfortable and at home. She loves the kids, and they love her. She is now a part of the family. That day, we lost, and we gained. I felt that it was too much, too overwhelming to experience all in one day. But yet, I am thankful that Tendo is in Jesus’ arms, and I am thankful that God has brought Janet to a loving home and a new family. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. It was the hardest day since I have been here, and it was also one of the hardest days of my life so far. It was a challenging, tragic, and horrible day that God is going to use for His glory. The following days, my heart has simply hurt, but through it all is when I need to lean on Jesus more and more. He is teaching me so much! Good has already come from this situation. Tendo’s story is changing lives!
--Niomi Klassen, Rafiki Volunteer
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