24 hours

Yesterday we went to a slum, picked up a 4 year old girl and took her back to the childrens centre. Just like that. Her life has now changed forever. The slum is an entirely different situation to the north - the conditions are in many ways worse and often the children are in more danger. Here most of the children you meet have a mum or a dad, although often you would never know it from the condition they're in. Hopelessness, crime, poverty, prostitution & disease are the enemies here. Our newly arrived 4 year old has spent the last 2 months home alone caring for her 18 month old little sister because her mum was in hospital. Her father is dead. A neighbour dropped in occasionally to check on the kids.

 

I met my friend abdul (13) & had to tell him that I'd forgotten to bring him the football I promised last time.

 

On the way to the centre we bought a goat which I was please to be told we weren't taking with us in minibus. was an improvement on the chickens we had acquired on the way to the slum. I'd forgotten about them until I looked under a seat in the back for

 

I stayed at the centre last night & found that despite my ability to sleep through thunderstorms, a relatively quiet cry from a small child is enough to wake me. This was followed up with a day of looking after the 8 kids - great fun but very tiring. Somehow it makes life make sense.