Heartbreaking…. Part 4
A few weeks ago when we were on our way to the Care Worker training in Race Course, Blessings pulled over the car near the Kitwe market and upon stopping Towela saw a young boy she knew from one of our other communities. The boy was invited to join us for the day. Blessings bought him something to eat and drink and a change of clothes. This boys story was a mystery to me at the time, but I enjoyed his kind smiles and sweet demeanor. At the end of the long day Blessings took the boy home and I often wondered about “Patrick” as the days passed by. At the end of last week we visited the community where 10 year old Patrick lives and our first stop was his home. I saw the wide smile cross his face as we drew close, but his shyness had still not entirely left him. Moments later we were joined by his 4 year old brother Lance and together we all sat beneath a tree in their yard. Lance stayed silent throughout the visit, although he was willing to sit close by. Throughout the time we were there I was learning little bits of Patrick’s story. Things like,his father had died, his mother was a maid who worked 12 hours a day, and his 13 year old brother had left home and was living with family in a neighboring community. What was evident was that Patrick and Lance spent all their days completely alone and there was far more to this story than I knew. Later that afternoon, I asked Towela about the day Patrick was found in the Kitwe market, was I right in assuming he had run away from home? With asking one question all answers were provided and this is his story: Over the course of time it was noticed that Patrick’s older brother was not same sweet boy he used to be. He began hanging out with the wrong kind of people and doing things he shouldn’t. Then one day their mother became furious with the first born who had been getting into trouble. She took her anger out on 4 year old Lance, who received a beating with a chain, the evidence was still visible the day we visited him. The oldest ran one direction in fear of the beating he may also receive. Patrick didn’t know where his brother had gone, but was afraid to be at home without him so he too left choosing to go to the city and live in the dangerous market of Kitwe. I myself have been in that vast market, but not without protection close by. Its not safe for Sara and I to walk through those cramped rows of vendors, and yet this young boy chose to live there all by himself rather than at home. He felt more safe amongst complete strangers than he did with his mother. For an entire week he went without food or a change of clothes. He slept when and if he could in the mud and garbage. He was vulnerable to any adult who saw him as a source of income… Things could have gone much worse if God hadn’t stepped in. Not only was he discovered and returned home, but the Care Workers in his community are taking great strides to ensure his and Lance’s safety. They are also taking the time to wash his clothes so that he can go to school, and making sure he arrives at the feeding point every day for food. They have had many conversations with his mother to make sure she knows that what she did will never happen again. These boys have people watching out for them, who love them and who will fight for them. Patrick is one of the sweetest boys I’ve met. The fact that he has spent so much time living in fear and in situations that no child should ever be a part of crushes a part of me. But I know that he has a voice, and he’s not alone.
I'm a Canadian girl currently travelling the world.... This is what I see, experience and know. These are the thoughts running through my mind and hopes I'm willing to share.
