FATUMA

Fatuma was brought to Vumilia in August 2007. She was the only child in her family. After the death of her parents, she was left in the custody of her bed-ridden HIV+ grandmother and two alcoholic uncles. Fatuma learned to look after herself and cared for her grandmother by going around in the village asking for food to eat. She cooked for and fed her grandmother.
Neighbors in the local church learned about the situation. They tried to help, but when they brought food to the house Fatuma’s uncles would eat it or sell it to get money to buy alcohol. The neighbors decided to feed her from their houses. Her uncles stopped her from going to the neighbors’ houses and when they found her at the neighbors she was beaten.

Rose Moon and Ham Wanjala, a Vumilia social worker, went to rescue the girl in July 2007 after the community elders alerted us of the situation. We found Fatuma feeding her ailing grandmother with two cooked bananas that she had prepared for her. The grandmother was very weak and sick and asked, “Please take the child, I’m dying and there’s nobody to take care of her.”

She had no clothes except what she was wearing. Rose explained to Fatuma that she was going to a safe home. she whispered in Rose’s ear,  “Let’s go quickly before my uncles come back to the house.”  She began screaming and saying that she wanted to sit on Rose’s lap because her uncles might come and snatch her. She sat on the floor of the car and not on the seat because the uncles might see her through the window while the car is was moving and come and take her. They drove the hour back to the Vumilia home.  At the gate, Fatuma got out quickly and asked that the gate be closed and never opened, in case her uncles might come and take her.

At first it was so hard for Fatuma to understand that her uncles would never come to take her. When the gate was open to let people in she would start crying. Today Fatuma is a very different girl. She is so happy to be in the home and in school. She has taken on a leadership role by making sure that other children wash their hands before eating. When there is a disagreement among other children she will always try to solve it. Her poor grandmother passed away in April 2008.