Broken Heart

Today I had one of the most deeply moving experiences I have had in my nine years in Kenya.  We attended the burial of the mother of one of our CGA students.  Celestine is a 7 year old in 1st grade.   Because her home is outside of CGA's jurisdiction, we didn't accept her the first couple of times that her mother applied for her to join.  Finally, her persistence paid off and after agreeing to find a place to stay closer to school, Celestine started in Nursery in 2010.  The mother loved her very much and saw the value of education.  Celestine lost her father when she was very young.  The man was a polygamist with 5 wives.  Mama Celestine was the youngest of the five wives.  Each of the others  had passed away previously.  She was the only one remaining until she succumbed to a long bout of illness.

Seven of our CGA staff and five students drove out to the home to comfort her during the funeral.  As soon as we arrived Celestine came running to the vehicle.  She hugged each of us as the tears flowed from her eyes; and seconds later there were also tears flowing from our eyes.  It is rare here to see people show emotion and affection like that, which I think is what touched our hearts so much.  I could feel her pain and tried to imagine what was going through her mind.  I am sure she was asking herself questions about where she would now be staying, who would take care of her, would she have to change schools and will she be separated from her other siblings. 


But for me, it was more than just Celestine.  I was thinking about more than 200 other orphans at CGA, realizing that each of them have gone through the same trauma in their young lives.  They have all lost people close to them and most of them have lost multiple parents/guardians.  I thought about Micah and Denis who a few months ago lost their guardian (their parents had died a few years ago).  I thought about Petty and Benjamin who lost their father last month.  I thought about Daisy and Victor who lost their father shortly before that (their mother passed away in 2004).  What would it be like at such a young age to face a life ahead without your father and mother?  The uncertainty and doubts would be overwhelming.  Even our older students, no matter how tall or mature they might be, have the same fears and insecurities as little Celestine.  Sometimes as we teach them in school, they all look so normal in their school uniforms.  It is easy to forget what these children have passed through in their lives and how much extra love and attention they need from us.  That is why CGA was founded and what our role is in this community.

As we sat down during the funeral and as we were escorted to the house for a meal, Celestine clung tightly to us.  She shifted from person to person, holding our hands or putting her arm around us.  When we sat back down after the meal, she came and sat on my lap.  She gently brushed the hair on my arms back and forth.  After a while she decided to take a blade of grass and began cleaning under my fingernails one by one.  I couldn't keep my eyes dry and I couldn't stop praying for her and all of our kids.  It was a great reminder of why I am here in Mbita.  I wander if I will ever leave this place.