The Children of the Shanty Town

It was early days in my Charity work, and I entered a shanty town at ten a.m. I was struck by how deserted the clay streets seemed to be, only a stray dog and a chicken wandered up and down the dusty streets. It was later I learned that everyone who was able was out working at whatever small job they could get in order to try to have food for their families to eat at the end of the day. Some of the shanty town residents were so desperate that they went to the rubbish dumps to try to find small pieces of cloth or thrown away items that they could recycle or sell for money, even a few cents. They were known as ragpickers, and they were prey to much illness especially skin diseases, due to the work they did.

Anyhow, learning these facts was still in the future, and I entered the shanty house I had been asked by a concerned resident to visit. Nothing could have prepared me for the site that met my eyes. Here lay a gaunt little ten year old girl on a group of rags on the ground. She had huge eyes, and looked numbly at the door when I came in. When she saw me, her eyes lit up with hope. She had heard I was coming. 'Thank you for coming', this little girl gasped. 'What is it, my child,' I asked gently. 'What is wrong? Why did you send me the message?' And this little lady, left at home while her parents tried to earn money to feed her, just gestured at her leg. She had sepsis of the leg which had poisoned the tissue, leaving a huge abscess in place. The abscess was so large she could not lift the leg.

I organised drainage and care of the abscess, liased with a local nurse and health care advisor to visit her on a regular basis and do dressings. Then I left plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit for her, and fresh milk to be brought daily for her to eat and drink. This I received through the kind benefaction of a local shopkeeper who had concern for impoverished children and the disadvantaged. Within three weeks the little one recovered sufficiently well to go back to the education she was thankfully receiving nearby. I never saw her again after that, but I have never forgotten her expression which lit her beautiful face when she saw me. It was hope in the midst of utter agony and despair. And I realised that for this one child who did receive help, there are so many who look in vain for hope. Please let this blog inspire you to help someone in need near you. We - each of us - have the power to make a difference in someone's life - for the better.

*Photograph taken by Catherine Nicolette - please feel free to use copyright free for any worthy purpose