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| Antony and his Bibi |
Antony Salvatory Assenga, age twelve (we estimate but are
uncertain and have requested baptism papers which will verify his birth date). Oddo, my partner, was first made aware of
Antony’s situation by a fellow parishioner who had visited Antony’s village
near Moshi (about one hour east of Tumaini House) and crossed paths with he and
his grandmother. Oddo’s friend told him
of the boy’s plight and condition and Oddo wrote to me in Canada explaining
that, although we had agreed not to take any more children until all of ours
are sponsored this particular little boy was in desperate need of whatever help
we could provide and shared that he would go out to make a home visit and
inspection. We see a lot of sadness on
these home visits and Antony’s was no exception.
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| Antony's bedroom . . . |
Oddo reported back that Antony’s father became sick and
died of HIV in 2005 and his mother in 2008.
Antony was initially sent to live with his Aunt in Dar es Salaam but she
too, died in 2010 at which point Antony was returned to his Bibi and the home where
we would meet him.
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| Antony's father's grave . . . |
Born able to hear, Antony has suffered, for reasons unknown as yet, almost entire hearing loss. He is completely deaf in one ear (left) and partially deaf in the other and had been unable to receive the medical attention he needed. Nor could he attend school because there simply was no money. Debbie, Paul and family, you have changed this little boy’s entire life.
I was in the U.S. speaking at my sister’s church in Ohio,
the Springboro United Church and the Sunday school teacher, (Debbie) called me
in to ask some questions about Tumaini and share some of my experiences with
her teen class. She was moved to help us and after a
discussion with her family sent me an email enquiring about sponsorship support for a child. Oddo had updated me on Antony’s situation by
this time and I included him with two other children still requiring assistance
and Debbie chose Antony.
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| We outfitted Antony's cousins with new uniforms, paid school fees and supplied new clothing . . . |
By the time I first met this little boy last month, (he walked up to
greet me at Mass – someone must have explained who I was) Antony had been sent
to a specialist, assessed and begun treatment.
An infestation of chiggers (the same little darling mite whose eggs I
had brought home burrowed in my foot) acquired by having slept with the family goats
for security had cleared up and his ears were no longer seeping much. Hearing that Debbie and Paul had taken on sponsorship
support of Antony Oddo proceeded to locate a special school, near Moshi, which
teaches both the hearing impaired and hearing and should Antony continue to
improve (he told me his hearing is a bit better in his good ear) he will be
moved into regular school.
(It is 8:28 p.m. . and the children’s movie just ended and,
not wanting to go bed, several of them “dropped by”, knocked on my door for “ugs”,
“hugs”. Esther, Stephano, Angela and
Glory, Margaret and Martha all encouraged Liadi to rap on my door insisting
upon ugs before bed. What could I do? It was ugs all around!!)
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| Canadian volunteers Charlene, Rebecca, Meg and Diane see first hand the living conditions of the poor . . . |
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| A very dear young man . . . |
Antony is respectful and courteous and very friendly,
free with hugs and gentle. He is so
different from so many of the children I have met that I asked from whom he
learnt his gentleness. His Bibi told me
his Aunt, her daughter had taught him, but a neighbor explained that it too, was Bibi . . . he
has had good instructors.
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| Playing with a new toy in the car on the way home . . . his first self portrait . . . |
