I usually try to get these updates written on Tuesdays but sometimes I don’t make it. This is one of those times. Things have been so chaotic, both here and in Ghana, that I was waiting for things to resolve a bit. Not sure that they have but tomorrow’s already Friday and I didn’t want to put writing this off too much longer.
My friend John in Ghana has been working on several different things this week in his efforts to help some of the poorest of the poor in Accra and nearby areas. The main goal right now has to been the Naming Ceremony of Favour’s baby.
Favour is a Nigerian girl who was living homeless on the beach in Accra, pregnant and alone, until she came to John for help. Since then we have been doing what we can for her and after her baby was born John has been paying for a room for her and the baby and he has been providing what money he can for their food. Favour cannot nurse the baby so anything that he eats has to be purchased. More than once he has had to go hungry.
At any rate the Naming Ceremony is extremely important. We hadn’t had the funds to do the ceremony but we had finally arranged for it to be done last Sunday. That took most of our attention and extra funds but it should have been done back in November or December so it was well past time.
In the meantime a situation developed with Anabel and the place where she is staying. Anabel is the four year old orphan girl who has been staying at a children’s center after being abandoned by her mother. The fees to keep her there are usually due earlier in the month (these are separate from her schooling fees) and I thought this had been taken care of.
Due to some confusion it turns out that the fees weren’t paid. This is mostly my fault. I was distracted (my son has been very seriously ill) and I explained that I would handle the fees this week. I don’t know exactly what happened but the matron was unwilling to wait.
Over the weekend Anabel was removed from the shelter.
She wasn’t just thrown out on the street, which has been my nightmare from the beginning. John said that she had been given into the charge of a ‘careless girl.’
I’m not sure exactly how long Anabel was left with this girl, several days at least. But we managed to get it all straightened out and John was able to get Anabel back into the shelter. But it was all an unpleasant mess.
I’m both annoyed and upset that it happened at all. This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen, not only for the obvious reasons (I don’t want Anabel to become just another homeless orphan on the streets) but I don’t want her to feel vulnerable and unworthy, less than the other kids staying there and liable to be thrown out at any time. She has had enough trauma already.
it turns out that the Naming Ceremony hasn’t been done yet, either. They were unable to get everything arranged in time so it was postponed until this coming Sunday. Apparently it involves a pastor and two elders and people to stand as Favour’s relatives (she doesn’t have any relatives living there but some local Nigerians will stand in instead.) First is the ceremony then drinks and music and dancing and gifts for the children who attend, I think.
Anyway there were too many things to arrange and they had to put it off. A disappointment in a frustrating, difficult week.
But everyone is alive and hanging on, Anabel is back in the shelter and the Naming will be done. So that is all good.