My Girls' Stories

I know the pictures are big and the post is long, but this is a brief summary of my girls' lives. They almost all have nightmares (I didn't include that in each summary) and rarely do they receive 3 meals a day. They usually get lunch and dinner and sometimes just one of those meals (plain bread or porridge is considered a meal). If one or both of their parents have died, it most likely is from AIDS although none of them will say that was the cause of death.

Jeriah has 5 siblings and her older siblings frequently beat her. She also has bad dreams.

Another girl, Juliet, both of her parents passed away in 2007 most likely from AIDS. (They rarely will state this as the cause of death, because there is a stigma attached to AIDS/HIV) She lives with her grandparents and wants to be a doctor so that she can help the sick.

Falesi...Another 12 year old girl whose father died when she was 7. She stays with an aunt so that she can go to school. Her mother lives somewhere else and she rarely sees her mother or her other siblings. Her aunt and uncle do not treat her well. (verbal and physical abuse)

Martha lives with her mom and 5 siblings. Her father is mentally disturbed and lives somewhere else. She cried as she talked about her dad. She misses him very much. Sometimes they only have enough food for one meal a day, sometimes two.
















Anna lives with her mother and two siblings in a 2 room house. Her dad died in 2005. This girl has dreams of being choked and people giving her food in her sleep. Her grandmother verbally and physically abuses her.
















Kaluba has friends that steal from her. (Her family gets 3 meals a day, which is rare in Zambia) She has dreams of ghosts. She hopes to be a teacher some day.




















Another girl, Cynthia, her father died and she lives with her mom, aunt and younger sister. She has nosebleeds, malaria and headaches. She also has nightmares.
















Helen lives with her aunt and 2 younger siblings. She has two other siblings that live with her grandmother. Her dad passed away in May 2008, her mom in June 2008and an older sister passed away before her parents. Her youngest brother suffers from malnutrition. She has nightmares and her prayer is that her guardians would be there for her, that they wouldn't pass away like her parents.
















Queen has step-brothers that beat her. She has an uncle who passed away that frequently is in her dreams. He chokes her and beats her in her dreams.















Bridget lives with her grandmother. Her dad died and her mom is in prison. She has bad dreams about someone chasing her and it scares her. She stays awake at night sometimes because of these terrible dreams. She has a younger sister that lives with a different relative. She sometimes only gets one meal a day. Her grandmother is sick with malaria, so much of her time is spent caring for her grandmother.















Monica lives with her grandmother and her sisters. Her parents died when she was young. She doesn't remember a lot about them. Her mother died after injuries from a car accident and her dad died of malaria (most likely AIDS). Her grandmother is sick. She thinks about her mom a lot and it makes her very sad. This sweet girl wept as she told her story.












Mary (in the white shirt) said that all was well at home. She lives with her mom and dad and younger sister. Her dad works and she said that there is enough food. (Personal note, I think there's more to the story than she shared) More about Mary later.








This is sweet Clara. Her story is one that I received on Monday during our one-on-one time. I was prepared for "hard stories", but when these girls that don't even know you sit there and cry because their life is so hard, it's very difficult. I would just sit with them and cry sometimes and then I would struggle through my prayer for them, because my heart would just break for them. NO 12-16 year old child should have to endure the things these children have endured.

Here's Clara's story...Clara lives with her father and step-mom. Her mother passed away years ago. She has two biological brothers that live somewhere else. She lived with her brothers and aunt, but they said they couldn't afford everyone so she went back to live with her dad and step-mom. There is a lot of conflict with the step-mom. She verbally abuses her and deprives her of food. She has told her that they're planning to marry her off because she's a burden to the family. (she's 12 years old!) She was raped twice by an uncle. She went to an aunt for help and they went to the police. Clara's father paid off the police so that charges wouldn't be pressed against this man. (step-mom's brother) The father insists that Clara is lying and that she's not being abused by the step-mom or the uncle. This uncle comes and has lunch/dinner with the family every single day. This is very difficult for Clara to see this man.