Four Families Together Again

Four of our kids were reunited with their families in the past week, meaning that TTL was able to dramatically and positively alter the future of four kids who were either acutely ill or abandoned and in need of a caregiver (or both).

• Mpontseng, a sweet four year old girl who was extremely sick and malnourished when she came to us almost two months ago, returned home to two healthy grandparents and an extended family that was beyond excited to have her back.

• Kabelo, an orphaned baby boy who came to TTL when he was a few weeks old and stayed with us for the next six months, was taken in by a female relative that our outreach team worked for months to find.

• Lipuo, whose mother died recently and whose father is unable to care for her, was reunited with her grandmother and older brother.

• Tlholohelo, a hilarious baby girl who was initially in need of serious medical attention and nutritional support, returned home to her mother.
  

As with all the kids who transition out of the safehome back to their villages, we’ll keep a close eye on their progress with regular outreach visits. And new babies in need of support will inevitably fill in the spots vacated by the four who left.

In fact, when we dropped off Kabelo, it was with his grandfather and the grandfather’s young wife who were caring for at least eight other children of extended family members ranging from toddlers to pre-teens (they’ll be taking Kabelo to be cared for permanently by another family member in an even more remote village).

Among the group of kids living there was Kabelo’s three year old sister, whom we immediately noticed was malnourished and in need of medical attention. While it was undeniably disheartening and somewhat alarming to drop off one healthy baby in a household where another is clearly not thriving, it was also a relief to know that we could now help another child in need.

She’ll likely be coming to the safehome temporarily within the next few days. We’ll do what we can to boost her weight and overall health before returning her to her family, better off not only because of an enhanced health state but also because the long term outreach support from TTL will hopefully allow her to continue thriving. That’s the ideal outcome, at least, and the one we’ll do our best to achieve.