-
Saviour’s story: A day in the life of an 8-year-old orphan. (1/3)
Photographs by Brenda Veldtman and Steve Heyes.
Saviour lives on Chibwe farm. She gets up before 7am to do her chores. Here she is keeping an eye out for snake tracks.
Then it is time to start preparing breakfast.
Nshima is on the menu this morning. The same as every morning.
While the food slowly cooks Saviour and her cousin Valencia grab a bucket and a jerry can and run off into the bush.
We find them half a kilometre away, collecting water from a nearby stream. It's filthy. We later learn that animals drink from the same water source.
Saviour struggles to lift the bucket onto her head.
But she manages and the girls head back home.
Aunt Vivian has finished preparing breakfast. Sorry dog, there won't be any left overs.
But it doesn't take long for the chickens to spot the water.
Saviour heads back into the bush for a quick wash.
Then the children begin the 7km walk to school as a cow from the community farm looks on.
Saviour picks some muchinga-chinga berries to snack on. It's just two months after the rainy season ended and the fruit is plentiful.
The children take a short rest by a stream. At the height of the five month rainy season it can become uncrossable.
Click here to see part 2 of the story.
Back to: Blog
3 comments
I would lvoe to help these children so so much. im very lucky to have a good life xxx
So many of us complain about so much yet we don’t actually realise how blessed we are.Saviour’s life is a lesson for us to appreciate what God has blessed us with,her life is a testimony somehow and someday God will reward her for her hardship and the strength she invested in her hard times.God bless you Saviour
Many of our rural communities are being marginalized, that is not having access to basic needs such as quality education, electricity and sanitation. Although we have kids like Saviour, whom have the pontetial of being future leaders, we are not investing in their education. Education is a vital tool for economic development and growth whether in urban or rural areas. We at Infinite Energy technologies have developed a Renewable Energy solution that can be used to distribute multi-media learning material off grid. Kids in the rural areas have the right to access quality education,technology,digital information and energy should not be a constrait when we can make use of alternative energy. I wish that one day our company will be successful and we’ll be able to assist kids like Saviour all over Africa in giving them a platform for a better education and a better future. Saviour my darling be strong as help is on the way…
Leave a Comment