Chelagat

Chelagat, originally uploaded by momentswithmichelle.

The little girl I have been sharing about (who was hospitalized for malnourishment) has really touched my heart. Her name is Chelagat which also happens to be my Kalenjin name. I checked in with our staff member, Mary, who knows the family. She agreed to help me meet them.

On Thurs last week we met at Mary’s home. The mom, Jeptoo, brought Chelagat and another daughter Jepkoech. The girls did not smile once during the entire visit. Mary told me that when she went to their home there was no food at all in the house. I also learned that Chelagat was actually not discharged from the hospital. The mom was worried about the cost and took her home early. The situation stayed in my mind. After telling William about the family we decided we needed to take action.
On Saturday William and I made the journey to their house. We carried a sack of food. And it was quite a journey!!! We walked and walked and walked and walked. Then we came to the log bridge. I had heard about the log bridge but never ventured out to that area before. I hear people talk about being afraid of crossing it. So I had always begged off from trips headed that way. But these kids really tugged on my heart. I wish I would have brought my camera. You may laugh at me but the only thing I carried was my phone and my umbrella. I passed both over to William before crossing. I was afraid that if I should fall in the river my camera would be ruined. But wow, I wish I had pictures of that trip!

I made it over the log bridge and then we walked and walked some more. When we finally arrived at the house the mom was nowhere to be seen. They are living in a very small mud hut with a grass roof. There are big holes in the roof. I imagine everyone inside is soaked when it rains. Mary was correct, there is no food in the house. The children were dressed in rags (mom had dressed them up for our previous visit). Several neighbors came in to greet us and all of them had alcohol on their breath. Through those interactions we learned that the mom doesn’t drink but that she is a local brewer. Mom finally showed up and her and William had a long chat in Kalenjin.

William and I have decided that we want to intervene for these children. There are five daughters and the three youngest are pretty sickly and malnourished. Jeptoo has agreed to bring the four younger children to the clinic on Tues. I told her that William and I will be covering the bill. I want them to each get a full exam. I want them all on multi-vitamins and to be de-wormed. I’m pretty sure the two youngest will need antibiotics for respiratory infections. I didn’t have a stethoscope or do a physical exam but I know that they are sick. Please pray with me that they will come