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The United Methodist Church in Mission By Glenn and Darla Rowley and their eight-year-old daughter, Chayla, United Methodist missionaries in Dakar, Senegal Badara, a two-year-old boy from Lambaye, came into our lives during the summer of 1997. His mother--who was only 14 when her first child, Khadim, was born and 16 when she had Badara--had abandoned both both little boys a year earlier, leaving them with their father. Badara's father, Sidy, was without work. The rains came late in 1997 and were not sufficient for planting crops. Thus the villagers of Lambaye had very little food available to them. Many of their children were suffering from kwashiorkor (severe protein malnutrition). Badara was one of these unfortunate children. Without a mother's breast milk and a father's income to purchase food, Badara had little to eat. When Badara's father and aunt brought him to us, he looked like a frail human skeleton with skin stretched taut over his too tiny frame. He had no hair. Sores covered his head and body. Since he could no longer walk, his 18-year-old aunt, Astou, had to carry him. Badara cried pitifully each time anyone attempted to move his brittle, emaciated body. He was suffering not only from bronchitis and lack of food but also from the absence of a mother's loving care. Darla treated Badara's sores, his kwashiorkor, and his bronchitis. Then, every week or so, Badara's family brought him back to our house for more medical care and for food supplements such as milk powder, Gofio (high protein grain-based powder), and fresh fruits. Darla also talked to Sidy about being both father and mother to his children. Badara needed his father's love, presence, and parental care more than ever.
Three months later Badara was well on the road to recovery. We found it hard to believe that this was the same sick and starving boy Darla had cared for over the summer. Sidy had very carefully followed the instructions Darla gave him for his small son's care. If Badara had remained in Lambaye another week without medical care, he would have been just another under-five mortality statistic in Senegal. Now, Badara's eyes sparkle when Darla offers him a banana. Glenn, Chandra (away in school), Darla, and Chayla |
