My Children

I have spoken often of the Baby Creche, and of the children there who I love so dearly. Though some of the children there are only there for a few weeks or months before some member of their family comes to claim them, many have no hope of family ever coming to get them. They will live in an orphanage until they are adults, or if they are lucky, until they are adopted.
I wanted to take some time today to introduce you to some of these precious and beautiful children.

 
 
Madeline

Madeline is an active and precocious 5 year old. She is the oldest child at the Baby Creche. Madeline suffers from cerebral palsy. Hers is a mild case, but she struggles with her balance and still walks like a toddler. Her muscle tone is poor and she is very thin. She also appears to have learning disabilities, and does not attend school like other children her age. Schools here in Congo seem to have little to no facilities or inclination to teach children with disabilities, and it is unlikely that she will ever attend school. She can be bossy, even though she does no speak, and is somewhat of a big sister to the younger children, giving kisses and hugs when she is in a good mood. She craves attention and loves piggy back rides and blowing bubbles.


 
Dastan

Dastan is one of the older boys. He is a cheerful, strong willed boy with a cheeky grin. He loves to play in the sand, digging holes in the ground. He also loves snack time, and will begin picking up the toys when he sees us getting out the snacks (We do not give out snack until all of the toys have been picked up and put away).


 
Owen

Owen is a happy little boy with a beautiful smile. He is similar to Dastan in appearance, age, and temperament, though perhaps a bit more shy. He follows Dastan's lead and the two frequently get into trouble together.


 
Fabio

Fabio is quieter and more sober than Dastan and Owen. He prefers to play on his own, or sit quietly while you read to him from a book.



Berenger

Berenger is thought to be somewhere between two and three years old, but he is small and underweight due to malnourishment. Despite the efforts of the people on the infant feeding program, he is failing to put on weight, mostly due to the fact that he refuses to eat anything unfamiliar to him, including the snacks that we bring when we visit. His legs are stick thin and very weak, so that he cannot walk or crawl. Berenger is a very sober and withdrawn child. Despite our best efforts, it is very difficult to get him to smile. Once you have picked him up, you have committed yourself, because he is desperate for physical contact and will cry and scream if you make any attempt to put him down.

 
Sebastian

Sebastian is similar in age to Berenger and is also malnourished. Like Berenger he has failed to put on weight and frequently refuses food. He is not strong enough to crawl on his hands and knees, and has developed his own sort of floppy army-crawl style to get around. He is fiercely independent and will fight the older boys if they try to take his toy. His hips are double-jointed and he is often seen lying or sitting with his legs in the split position. He is easily distinguished by the discolored patches of skin on either side of his nose. 

Alexandre

In appearance, Alexandre could be Sebastian's twin brother, though they are not related. He is also malnourished and unable to walk. He can crawl, and uses that to his full advantage. He loves to eat, and will hopefully continue to gain weight over the next few months.

 
Demetri

Demetri is one of the younger boys at the Baby Creche. He is thought to be somewhere around a year old. He is not walking yet, but it will not take him much longer to master that skill. He is such a happy little boy and loves to clap his hands and do motions when you sing his favorite nursery song. He badly burned his face one day when he grabbed a bowl of boiling hot porridge from the table, splattering it all over himself, and now his face is permanently scarred.


Malkiat

My precious Malkiat. When we first arrived in Congo, Malkiat was fourteen months old and weighed only six pounds! He was placed on the infant feeding program, and recently has begun putting on weight. At twenty months old, he now weighs nearly ten pounds and looks almost chubby compared to when I first saw him. He could not roll over or even lift his head when we first arrived, but now he can sit up on his own, and hopefully he will soon be crawling. Malkiat is a people watcher, and likes to be held in such a way that he can watch what is going on around him.

These are the children who have such a tight hold on my heart. These are the children that I pray for every night. I hope that you will join me in praying for hopeful and bright futures for each and every one of them.