Busisiwe

A baby's cry echoed down the halls and into my office today. Busisiwe, round and 8 months old, was abandoned by her mother and her father said he has no way to take care of her... so he brought her to Thandanani.
I served as a carseat to Busisiwe, her name meaning "Blessed" in Zulu. We brought her to the house of the Prince family, a local family that takes in these kids for a few months while permanent places are found for them at orphanages and children's homes. They currently have 6 boys and 6 girls, all HIV positive.  Busisiwe held on to my shirt and screamed bloody murder as the family took her in to check her over, only to notice the bandage on her arm. "What's this?" Apparently her mother had fallen why carrying the baby and had hurt [possibly broken] Busisiwe's arm. Tomorrow they are taking her to the hospital to check if she is HIV positive.
As soon as my hands were freed from the baby, they were instantly occupied by the hands of little girls who wanted to hold my hand. I also had little boys who were too macho to hold my hand, but holding on to my leg wasn't above them. I love that feeling. Maybe it is because I don't get the hugs and the hand-holding like I did in the States, but the feeling of a child just slipping their hand into yours without any hesitation is almost magical. It is great to know that the first impression that I give off to a child is that of comfort and friendship-- and as I child, it is natural for them to return the feeling. It is simple and natural love.
While I was there, I saw Musa! He looked so much healthier and was walking around with a smile on his face. This family does good work! The mom was also holding a toddler who they received this morning. When you lift up her shirt all you see is her skin stretched over her back bones. HIV positive and extremely malnourished, this little girl will need a lot of TLC but I know she can make it through. The mom to this girl actually came to Thandanani a few weeks ago with the baby, saying she wanted to go back to school... we never heard from her again and were happy to see her child in the arms of this family because a child in that family had already passed away due to malnutrition. I have seen them take an incredibly starved child and turn him into a happy and plump little boy... I am incredibly grateful for the work they do. I wish there were more people like them out there.