This is going to be a little short, but it is something that needs to be said.
There are four children, all siblings, that are dropped off near the leper colony each day because their parents need to go to work all day. Their ages range from about six years to eight months, give or take. There are three girls and one boy, the boy being the youngest.
The first thing we noticed, is that they are extremely filthy, covered head to foot with dirt and grime. Their clothes, I don’t know when they were washed last.
Only recently have they been coming over when we are around. It takes a lot of perseverance to get them to the point where they will play with us. But when they do, it is worth it. Running around with smiles on their faces, they are behaving how children should behave. The older two girls seemed to have fun being chased around and given piggy back rides. They also enjoyed coloring and blowing up balloons.
They seemed so…..free.
The younger girl hasn’t joined in yet, but with gentle encouragement and coaxing, I’m sure she will come around. But perhaps the saddest problem concerns the little boy.
I don’t know what happens in their family life, but I do know that it isn’t good. The baby is pretty much unresponsive to both us and his siblings. I haven’t heard him make any sort of noise yet. When we were last at the leper colony, Michelle had the chance to hold him. He looked so peaceful as he slept in her arms – sleep he desperately needed.
So this is the prayer request – the Asha House has been trying to get them for quite some time now. The problem is that they are not in the financial position to do this, and the children’s parents have not given their consent. Victor-sir has been talking to the parents for a while now, and we thought they were going to let the children go to the Asha House this past weekend, but it fell through.
For which reason, I do not know.
