The Others

A little over a week ago I was just hanging out at the house one day with no real plans.  Harriet was using my computer and checking her email.  She had a message from Beth asking about some of the homeboyz that they sponsor.  Harriet helps to take care of the details of the sponsorship.  Beth asked Harriet if she’d checked on Brian lately.  Harriet decided to check on him right then.  She grabbed her phone and called Brian’s dad.  His father told Harriet he was sitting at the police station right then picking up Brian.  Brian got caught stealing and the people that caught him beat him up very badly and then dumped him at the police station.  His father didn’t know what to do with him and felt like he was too out of control for him.  He told Harriet that he thought he’d put him at “M”, the children rehabilitation center where SixtyFeet began their work.  Harriet told him to please not put him there and then she handed the phone to me, quickly trying to explain what was happening.  I talked to the police officer and begged him to give me some time to find a better place for Brian.  He told me that I had until the end of the day. 



Brian, looking much better after his beating

Brian is 11 years old ( or 12, we’re not sure), but has basically been on his own for years. His mother died, he’s the youngest child and his siblings are all out of the house and on their own. His father works and drinks and does not have time to care for him. So Brian often roams the streets. He sells most anything of value that he can get his hands on. He’s been known to steal. It’s part of his survival skills. The Howards put him in school last year, but that was a huge adjustment for him and he had no one making sure he got up each day and went to school. He got so discouraged that he was so far behind t he stopped going.

What was I going to do with this boy? I put out a plea on Facebook for any of my UG contacts. I made a few phone calls. Then I went and met with a couple of people. No luck. Of the places I contacted either they had no openings or they would not take on a “thief”. Finally Harriet and I met with the father. We asked him if he could please watch the boy for the weekend, while I tried to find a more long-term solution. We needed him to stay with him 24 hours a day so that he would not run away or get beat up again. He agreed and we went to pick him up from the police station. When I walked in the room, I saw a boy sitting there eating, and I almost didn’t recognize him. He was truly beaten beyond recognition. The crowd had removed their shoes and hit him repeatedly in the eyes with them. His eyes were nearly swollen shut. I immediately grabbed him, hugged him, and told him that I was there and was going to take care of him. I tried to hold back the tears, while the police officer explained everything and his father signed for his release.

Thankfully that night a friend of mine told me she’d found a place with an opening. The next day we went to check out “Peace for Children Africa”. The place seems to be a perfect fit. They’ll make sure he stays in school, they offer counseling and mentoring. They have extra-curricular activities like music, art and sports. And they help kids like Brian learn to make wise choices and to accept responsibility for themselves. I moved Brian in last Monday. He was not excited about going and pouted a bit when I left him. Thursday I stopped by to drop off sponsorship fees. I saw Brian briefly. He looked great. His eyes were healing up and he had a smile on his face. Then on Sunday, I saw him at church. This particular ministry sends kids to the church I attend each week. He was grinning from ear to ear and seemed to be doing so well. He told me about his new friends and was excited to be starting his new school this week.  Oh, how I wish I'd had my camera with me to get a picture of this happy boy.

Director of PCA, B's dad, Harriet, Me, Mercy, and our new friend

I don’t know what will happen with Brian. I don’t know if this ministry will be the thing to straighten out his life and really make a difference, but I do know that Brian has a chance. For some reason, God led Brian to meet some mzungus on the street last September. They took it on themselves to sponsor him for school. Ten days ago God led Harriet to call and check on him during his time of greatest need. I hate to think of where he would be right now if she had not called. I knew about “M” and knew enough to take swift action to not let him go there. God led me to the right person with the contact at the perfect ministry for this boy. But the worst thought about all of this… what about the others? What about the thousands of other kids living on the streets, stealing and scavenging for anything to survive? What about the hundreds of other kids dropped off at “rehabilitation centers” every day? What about the ones that do not have a mzungu sponsor that will fight for them? I’ve read that poverty, orphan care, homelessness, and abuse take on a whole new meaning when you have a name and a face to put with it. I know Brian. I’ve hugged his neck, laughed with him, played with him, eaten with him. I can read an article in the paper about kids getting shipped off somewhere and not being moved to action, but not when it’s our Brian. It almost makes me scared to get to know more of them. But I will because every child deserves a chance.

For more information on Peace for Children Africa and to donate to help more kids like Brian, check out their website... here.