Yeyoni

Yeyoni is 14 years old and she is absolutely amazing. She is so witty, smart and speaks probably the best Swahili of all the children. She loves to sing and to clap. Actually the word “loves” would be an understatement seeing as how there is rarely a moment in time when Yeyoni isn’t singing. 

I am not sure exactly how long Yeyoni was missing from school but I think for at least two months. There were several occasions when people went to her house and her parents would always say, “She is sick” “It is too cold” or “We will send her Monday.” Last Wednesday, Oliwier and Hussan went to Yeyoni’s house and she was at home by herself. She told Hussan that she really wanted to come to school but that no one would ever get her ready and send her and that she would cry and cry to her mom but it didn’t work. They told her that they would come back the next day. On Thursday, myself, one other volunteer (Chloe) and Hussan went to Yenyoni’s again in the afternoon to see if her parents would be home.

Yeyoni and her family are Massai and live in a traditional Massai house. They have a rectangular hut with three rooms in it and a single room round hut. Both are made of sticks, mud and straw. When we arrived to Yeyoni’s house on Thursday there was no one around. Hussan walked around the houses calling her mothers name and then hers. He heard noises coming out of the single room round hut and it sounded like Yeyoni. The hut was padlocked and she was inside of it. 

We stood there for a bit because Hussan was pretty angry and wanted to see if someone would come home so he could talk to them. Not too long after an older woman walked into the gate. This woman did not speak much Swahili as most Massai do not. Instead they speak their own Massai language. She was able to tell Hussan that the parents of Yeyoni could not care for her that day so they locked her in the hut. She did not know how long they had been gone for or when they would be coming back. She told Hussan that when Yeyoni is left alone she goes to the neighbors yard asking for food and water. Her parents are embarrassed of her disability and believe that it is of the devil, so this is why they locked her up. So she could not embarrass them.

I left that day trying as hard as I could not to cry. I was so incredibly livid.. and when I think about it now, I still am. It is frustrating me that a mental and physical disability is still seen as impure here and not just genetics and sometimes bad luck. People do not understand that children with special needs can go to school, learn, and live a productive life. This is why parents often will kill a baby or a child with disabilities in Africa.

The next morning as soon as we got to school the three of us left again for Yeyoni’s. We figured that maybe since it was early morning that her parents would still be home. And they were. Hussan talked for a long time to her parents as we sat there and got to see with our own eyes, Yeyoni for the first time. She was very timid and was sitting up against a wall. I am not sure if Hussan confronted them about locking Yeyoni in the hut the day before but they told him that it had been too cold lately to send Yeyoni to school. He told them that we wanted to take Yeyoni with us to school that day. They said it would take too long to get her ready and that they would send her on Monday. Hussan lied and told them that we had a special program planned just for today and Yeyoni needed to be there. They finally gave in and the mother got up to go get a bucket of water to wash and dress Yeyoni. As soon as Yeyoni was told she was going to school, she jumped up and started yelling, laughing, jumping in circles and singing. 

He mother washed her and dressed her in a nice dress and jacket. She looked like a completely different child. On the walk back to school Chloe held one of her hands as I held the other. She told Hussan, “These teachers much love me that hold my hand, because they came to find me.” She also told him, “My parents will just have to cry today because I am going to school and they cannot lock me in the hut” and “I am wearing my most beautiful gown, I might as well go into town today!” 

On our walk back a woman passing us started to talk to Yeyoni. This woman told Hussan that she was Yeyoni’s aunt and they her real mother ran away from the family because of Yeyoni’s disability. The woman we had met at the house was Yeyoni’s step mother. 

We got to school after the morning singing was finished, which is Yeyoni’s favorite thing to do. But, thank God, at least we had her at school. She was so excited to see everyone! When we were playing outside, Yeyoni sat on the concrete by Chloe and myself. Chloe didn’t want her parents to have any excuse not to send her to school so she bought her a sweater and scarf at the second hand shop run by the school. As we were sitting there Katie (a volunteer) and I started singing “Skinna marinki dinki do” to some of the kids and next thing we know Yeyoni is singing “I love you in the morning and in the afternoon!” She picked up a whole line after hearing it once. We were pretty amazed. 

We are 99% sure that Yeyoni is abused at home. Aside from her being locked in a round hut that is 4 foot by 4 foot all day... she flinches back every time someone reaches for her and starts blinking rapidly. We aren’t quite sure what to do about this. 

Since Thursday, Hussan has went every morning to get Yeyoni for school, and she hasn’t worn her new sweater back to school yet. We are hoping it wasn’t given to another child or sold by her parents. Even though Yeyoni is 14 years old and speaks amazing Swahili, she is still in my “little class.” We are not sure if she knows her numbers or colors. Today we painted toilet paper rolls to make into birds and she did great with that. She also helped me tape all of the painted papers onto the rolls. It breaks my heart that every time I reach out to her she still recoils. I usually end up holding her after every time. It is horrible that it has to be an instant reflex for her and I wish anything that I could change it. 

Yeyoni wearing her new sweater and scarf. She was singing of course!

This is just one of the 30+ stories of the lives of my children. You want to move heaven and earth to make life better and easier for these children, but the hard truth is that... I can love on them and hold them and kiss them while they are at school, but then we have to send them back to their lives at the end of the day. I worry about many of the children at the school. 

We still have heard no news of Elisha. I will try to encourage Mary again tomorrow to try and contact his mother to see if he is feeling better or if he has even been taken to the doctor. 

One of our older boys came to school today with a black eye. Apparently, two other children threw rocks at him yesterday as he was walking home from school. His parents reported it to the police and then took him to the hospital which is considered incredible parenting here is Tanzania. 



One of our other boys Johnny, is autistic and the other day as he was running down the road towards home in front of the school jeep, he had sticks thrown at him by little children. It is very hard to sit and watch my kids being bullied for what they have no control over.

Zainabu on the left is four and is always either crying or cheesing it up. Joely is one of my deaf boys I am working with. LOVE him. 

Joely pushing Oliwier on the swings

Samwely is my other deaf student. 

Elise and Lucy. The photo is dark but Lucy's face is priceless.