When I was reading Kalavati's story, I had to stop and think
what it would have been like to make my son, at the age of 8 work beside me as
a day laborer just so that we might have the possibility of two meals a
day. Imagine a childhood that doesn't
include being a child, imagine a child having to assume adult responsibilities in
order to survive.
Then I finished reading the story. This young girl's life was totally disrupted
when her father started suffering from mental illness. That's bad enough in
anyone's life, but from out western perspective,
it gets a little strange. "One day
someone performed witchcraft on him, causing him to become mentally
disturbed".
A
mentally ill father who eventually disappears for over a year, and when he is
found is still obviously ill, not enough money for food let alone medical care
for Dad and education for the children, and a host of other problems eventually
lead Kavati's mom to seek work in a nearby big city. (Actually the neighbors
made the decision for her, since the ill husband was often violent, she was
forced to relocate). She worked long hours and young Kalavati worked beside
her, but even that wasn't enough to ensure 2 meals a day.
The day
came when Mom had had enough and decided that death was the only alternative: she
was planning on taking her own life. But
about this time some Bridge of Hope members started visiting the family. Even
when told that this family didn't believe in God, they kept going back, and their
gentle presence made a difference. They were able to help the mom find a job,
they helped find medical treatment for the dad, and finally Kalavati is allowed
to be a child again. She is enrolled in a Bridge of Hope school, and now when
she works alongside her mom, it's because she wants to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment