Concerned Citizens
Best is only seven years old, but is asked by
her caretakers to fill impossibly heavy containers from the dip well in her
compound of ZamTan. “I see her with the
heavy containers and I ask her: ‘How will you manage?’” says concerned Child Support Specialist member Imelda. “She is very shy and says
she has no choice. If she doesn’t fetch
the water for the family then she won’t get anything to eat. And they send her during meal time so she
isn’t even in the house when their own children eat!” A double orphan living with relatives, Best’s
story is not unique. Often, orphans kept
by extended family members are treated unfairly. The CSS members know they can’t change her
situation easily, but they hope that by attending the CSS groups, her self-esteem
will be strengthened and she will find a place where she feels loved. “We want to do some classes for caregivers in
our community on how to treat orphans,” Angela reports. And they are doing just that!
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