We were told this past Thursday that since there had been no power during the day, that there would for sure be power at the school on Thursday. I should have know better than that.
I woke up, got ready, and went to school. By 10 AM Joeli was still not at school so I asked Mary if there was someone she could call to get ahold of his mother. When trying to contact her we usually call the neighbor’s phone but the neighbor was not answering. Finally, I asked Mary if I could pay Hussan, the school driver, to take me to Joeli’s house to pick him up. He said yes and we got in the car and headed down to the main road.
Before we got there we met Joeli and his mother who were walking up to the school. They hopped into the car and I had Hussan head towards the TVE volunteer house. I had worked it out with Michael, our TVE driver, to take us to the testing earlier that morning.
We showed up at the school and walked up to the office. Michael talked to the principal in Swahili and I knew before I even asked that the power was NOT on. We were there for no more than ten minutes.
On the way back Michael was talking to Joeli’s mother and translating for me. She said thank you very much and she was sorry and felt bad that it kept not working out. I told her “Hamna Shida,” no worries. If anything I was frustrated for Joeli and his mother for giving them the hope that he could get a hearing test.. and it keep failing.
As Michael and I were driving them to their house, which is far away from the school, about an hour walk.... she was telling him that they had walked to the school that morning and that was why they had been late. He was so shocked that they had walked all the way to the school from their home and told her this. He asked her why they had walked. She said that she did it because she loves her son, and if there is anyway that I can help him, she will do everything in her power to get him that help. She also said that she did not have the money to pay the dala driver, so they had started walking to anywhere they needed to go. Michael translated all of this to me and it took all I had not to start crying in front of his Joeli’s mom.
I asked Michael if he thought Joeli’s mother would be insulted if I were to give her some money for the dala rides to and from school. He said no, that she would be thankful. We stopped the car outside of their house and I asked him to translate for me that we would try and go again next week as soon as we heard there was power and that I wanted to give her some money for the dala fares so that they would not have to walk. I only gave her what I had on me which was 10,000 Tsh, about 6$, but if used for the dala’s it would be enough fare money for a month. She started talking in Swahili and told me, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, God bless you, God bless you, Thank you.” All the while I was still trying my hardest not to cry.
We said goodbye and started to drive away. I rolled down my window because when I turned my head to look out of it there were at least twenty children standing in a group touching my window and staring at me. The area is remote enough that I bet they rarely see “Mzungu’s.” As we were driving away Michael started talking about what a great boy Joeli is and that he hopes we can get everything worked out.
The tears finally came then and I told him how much I love Joeli and wish I could do anything for him that would be helpful, but that I feel completely helpless. I feel like nothing I do and no effort I make will make his and his mother’s situation change. I have two weeks left and I feel like the time is sand rushing between my fingers. I feel hopeless and I feel useless. I just want it to work out, I want him to have the opportunities that he should be entitled to in life. More than anything I want him to succeed. He is a happy and smart boy and he deserves the world, I just can’t give it to him. I want to be able to give it to him.
Michael tried to explain to me that even the attention and effort I was giving them is more than they would have hoped for. I am pretty sure that Joeli and his mother live alone, many of my children at the school have only one parent or no parents due to their disabilities and being left behind. Michael was saying that so many people here feel alone and hopeless and that there is no one that cares about them. That by me caring, even if nothing came from my efforts, I was letting them know that they were not alone. I understood what he was saying... but it is hard. And it breaks my heart.
This was Friday, today is Monday... the power is still not on. Please pray for Joeli and this situation. <3
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