IT’S UNBELIEVABLE
AND…IT’S TRULY HAPPENING

WARNING:  THIS MESSAGE CONTAINS PHOTOS THAT MIGHT BE DISTURBING TO SOME PEOPLE.

Once again, while visiting the hospitals we confronted things that we still have a hard time believing.  A 10-year-old girl was living with her uncle and his wife.  Why she was not living with her own parents was not exactly clear and we still don’t know.  Was it a divorce, a death or have they simply split up? For now the only thing we do know is that she had been living with that uncle since she was about 3. His first wife left and he remarried about three or four years ago. His new wife was apparently not very fond of her new husband’s niece.

The story of this little girl is similar to that of Aurore in Quebec.  We cannot even begin to imagine what she has endured, but the latest episode was absolutely horrible. Once the stepmother finished torturing her with a burning knife, she told her to go to the nearby shop to buy flour.  The child tried, but collapsed in the middle of the street where neighbours discovered her and were compelled to call the police.  The child was admitted to Secetoure Hospital where  Doctor Malulu works.  As I mentioned last week, Dr. Malulu collaborates with the Karibu Foundation and so he alerted us to this case.

It is very difficult to comprehend what leads people to commit such incredible acts of violence. With every additional case we encounter, our conviction that a Centre like ours is of great need here in Mwanza is re-enforced once again; our determination and will to see this project through grows even stronger.  Abuse is now so common here that it has become part of the culture.  There is too much violent impulses inside people.  To pinpoint the one reason why this situation exists is simply impossible.  As mentioned previously, poverty & lack of education are major factors.  But it’s also a combination of circumstances that have spread over a long period of time and it’s part of the mentality.  I sometimes wish I could walk in their shoes for a while so I could better understand – maybe then we’d be a step ahead in finding solutions to all this behaviour.

I leave you with a few pictures of this last case hoping it will touch you as much as it touched us and so re-enforce your commitment to our mission which is to Eliminate All Domestic Child Torturing/Abuse.  I implore you to talk to your friends about the Karibu Foundation and the children we are helping, as well as those we are trying to reach. Although you cannot join me physically, please join me in making a difference by sending your contribution today!

We call upon your generosity in a different manner than other foundations.  We are calling upon you for a limited time only, because we are working toward making the Centre in Mwanza self-sufficient.  My personal goal is to ensure we do not have to keep relying on external donations within about 5 years.  It is our firm conviction that in the long-term, this problem must be resolved within Tanzanian borders.  What we do need right now – in a short- to medium time frame – is to implement the structures, train a competent team and work at having this whole project self-reliant.  After that is accomplished and sustainable,  we will choose another part of the world where children are also in great need and we will launch another mission.

Thank you all for your participation.  Your comments are welcome.

Donations  http://fondationkaribu.com/dons.asp?page=dons&lang=EN

Manon Fleury

A SAFE AND LOVING HOME FOR EVERY CHILD IS NOT A DREAM… IT IS OUR GOAL!