(This is really just a tip of the iceberg.
I don't have photos of all of it, nor could I handle
sharing all of it today... too many tears.)
I am guilty....
Out of respect for the boys,
and my great love for them...
I don't tend to post photos (nor take them) of
the true sadness that is the Kolfe campus.
I show you the happy side, the joy,
the sacrifice, the love...
but in truth... there is more to the story.
Kolfe is a run-down, beat-up, falling apart...
Government Orphanage.
That means, there is no official outside funding.
(Except Gladney Adoption Agency
... more on them later)
Yes, Kolfe is gaining momentum
from people in the U.S.
to help, and even a non-profit
who is on again,
off again in their support...
but the boys have nicknamed themselves
the "Forgotten Boys" for a reason.
Kolfe is a rough place to live...
a place with broken windows,
beds that either don't exist,
or are barely holding together,
lack of adequate food, clothing,
education supplies... you name it,
they are learning to live without it...
The filth, broken glass and trash are everywhere.
268 boys living and surviving together on a campus
that wouldn't be suitable for our dog.
Trying to eek out a life,
that is void of anyone other than each other
to care about their well being.
While I was there in February,
the boys were washing their clothes...
while standing in raw sewage.
The pipes had broken,
they tried to fix it themselves, and for days,
(before Gladney rescued us all)
the sewage flowed freely.
My driver refused to stay anywhere near it,
and begged me to leave.
"You shouldn't be here smelling this."
I stayed... he stayed across the street,
a phone call away from the sight and smell.
This is a common site on the new street kids.
I won't even begin to guess as to what that is.
Abraham... a newbie...
The night before, he had come up to me
and simply said, "OWWWWWW"
as he pointed to his foot.
My heart broke as he pulled off his shoe,
and literally peeled off his sock,
ripping it from his flesh.
The boys and I cleaned his wound,
wrapped his foot,
(actually, I burst into tears
when he began screaming...
I had to have the boys take over while
I tried to simply hold him.)
and called a local friend of mine,
who agreed to bring in a "helper"
the following day to have a look
(can't call her by her title, since she had to
be off the clock while at Kolfe!)
The good news is that he is now on meds 3 xs a day
and should be seeing some improvement!
This is a photo from a few years back
of the sleeping conditions.
I would like to reassure you that things are much better...
in some ways they are...
 |
| photo courtesy of C. Gingerich |
In other ways... things are still the same.
The 96 new children are primarily
sleeping on the floor.
And no, the kid on the far left, is not trying to
make a fashion statement with his pants.
Even without the location of the bed, (floor or frame)
sleeping at Kolfe has its challenges.
They are used to it,
but I would not stand for a moment for RATS
to crawl on my children while they slumber.
Nor, would I want them roused from their bed
by stick wielding police officers who seek to beat first,
and ask questions second.
They are lucky to have shoes...
and wear them much longer than
you and I would. Out of necessity.
The tears of orphans run inside.
If your kid were to graffiti on a wall of your home...
Would they have need to write THAT???
"The boys say the way new boys are greeted is
"welcome to Sona".
Sona is the prison from one of the seasons
of the TV series Prison Break...
a prison run by the inmates....
not too far off from real life."
~ A quote from a friend who has physically adopted two Kolfe boys.
Some of the boys couldn't take it.
Kolfe was too challenging for them,
(lack of food, clothing, etc...)
they felt they could do BETTER on the streets.
We ran into a few of them on our way to the Merkato
on Thursday. My heart broke at the mere possibility
that life on the streets could be better than Kolfe.
Washing hands at Kolfe usually means
SOAP and water.
They normally have no soap.
When I visit, they ask me for sanitizer
(they love the smelly kind)
or "Mom, you have soft cloths?"
(sanitizing wipes)
Their lack of soap means their hands
aren't truly clean before eating.
They also don't seem to have cups to drink with.
(Some of the older boys showed me that they cup
their hands under the faucet for drinks...
when I complained that I never saw them drinking.)
From my first trip... the littles picking up trash.
I literally fought the tears when I stepped onto
the campus last month. It is bad...
the somewhat nice campus I left has
been stuffed to overflowing with boys now.
The new boys have changed Kolfe drastically.
New windows are now broken, there is trash,
and yuck everywhere.
The boys need clothes, shoes,
(still, even after purchasing 96 pair)
and something to do with their days.
There is a new version of idleness that has come
with the addition of these boys.
96 kids... who arrived too late in the year
to be registered for school.
They will have to wait until September.
They have nothing to do...
This is what the boys eat at Kolfe.
(Except for two meals a week when they
get some yummy pasta. Sarcasm!!!)
Growing boys... with little to nourish them.
Yes, the injera is rich in iron,
but growing boys need something
closer to this next photo.
This is what they ate at the restaurants with me.
Notice a difference?
Meat and fruit are rarities at Kolfe.
Reserved for special occasions,
or the kindness of visitors.
These were the lucky ones..
they had shoes when I came.
Although, not great shoes, or in good shape,
but at least they HAD some.
Clothes that weren't falling apart, however
was a whole 'nother story.
We hope to fix this, at least somewhat, in August 2011.
So, here's what you can do...
Donate to
Gladney (click on "Gladney")
on Kolfe's behalf.
(be sure to put in the notes or memo that the money is for Kolfe)
Gladney adopts out of Kolfe, but more importantly...
they care about the boys. All the boys,
even the older ones.
The provide medical care when the boys are
very sick, and in need of help.
They pay for schooling when needed,
transportation to the private and the public schools,
they provide graduation clothing,
so that kids like Emnatu, don't stick out
like a sore thumb on graduation day.
WHY???
Because they care!!!
There are countless other things
that Gladney does for Kolfe...
and they are willing to do so much more with
funding from people like you and me.
(This post has begun to be updated... it was originally written in 2011)
Do something to help...
because I met them,
they have names,
they have stories,
they have needs...
and together, WE can HELP!!!
