Eniya

This little girl is Eniya. I hesitate to share this photo of her because I don’t like it and we never intended for it to be taken. However, it is a great illustration of what goes on in the village where we’ve built our school, so here you go. Drink in this image while I tell you about her. 

Eniya is only three years old and has two siblings. Her mom sells cassava—which, if you don’t know, is a root that looks like a brown sweet potato and is a major source of calories for many people in developing countries. Hers is an honest living but it doesn’t provide for her three children, so she brought her youngest daughter to us for help. Because of donations from our generous partners, we have been able to feed Eniya a nutritious meal every day since last Christmas. She’s officially a member of our feeding program, and we will raise money for her every six months. She’s growing, learning, and playing. She’ll be four this December and we hope to enroll her in our preschool soon. 

Recently we got a call that Eniya was hurt. She was in the long drop (what they call an outhouse in Malawi—yes, really) at her home during a hard rain, and the whole structure fell in on her. The little hut was made of bricks stacked on top of each other but without mortar. Over time the rain water seeped into the cracks and around the base until it gave way and toppled down on Eniya. Her mother heard her cry and pulled her out from under the rubble. Her first instinct was to bring the child to Snoden. He rushed her to the hospital, where she was treated, and now she’s doing much better. 

As Snoden relayed the story to us, we asked what it would take to rebuild the long drop so it would be safe for the family to use. We asked him to get a photo of the damage. Something got lost in the translation, and he sent us this image. We usually ask Snoden to include a photo or video of the child we’re helping because we want everyone to know who these kids are; we want you to be connected. This time, however, we just wanted a picture of the structure, not of her in it.

It turns out Eniya’s mother rents her house, which is built the same shoddy way as the long drop. In order for them to be safe, we would have to rebuild the whole place from the ground up. Snoden, Eniya’s mom, and John and I all agree that a better idea is for Eniya’s family to come stay on our property in one of the classrooms until we find more suitable and long-term housing for them. They will rent our building for a reasonable price (this is an important arrangement to maintain dignity) while Snoden helps them find a more permanent home. In the meantime, we plan to build a rental house on our property to be used in emergency situations like this one, which come up more often than you might think. 

We’re pleased to be able to offer relief efforts like this one to the families of the children in our program. God continues to guide our steps as we develop a comprehensive plan to raise these kids up to be godly adults, able to care for themselves and others and to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Along the way we’re discovering all the surprising details involved in such an effort. It can be sad and sometimes overwhelming, but it’s never ever boring. Thank you for your interest in caring for these precious children. Stick with us and you’ll share in the blessing of watching them grow. We are thankful for your support and because of your involvement, one day, I suspect Eniya will say the same. 

If you would like to make a donation to help care for kids like Eniya, please follow the link to the Westworth Church. Your donation is tax deductible.