Edith's Story - an inspirational woman

EDITH

13 years ago, Edith gave birth to Derrick. After two days she took him to the doctor and found out he suffered from Cerebral Palsy (click). This condition is caused by abnormal brain development and affects a person's ability to move, maintain balance and posture and control muscles. A few facts:

• CP is more common among boys than girls.
• CP is more common among Black children than White children. 
• Most (77%) of the children identified with CP have spastic CP. This means their muscles are stiff and, as a result, their movements can appear awkward.
• Many of the children with CP also have at least one co-occurring condition—41% have co-occurring epilepsy and almost 7% have co-occurring autism spectrum disorder.

In this society, people with disabilities are viewed as worthless, and often disowned, tied up in a yard, beaten, or just abandoned. Edith found it hard when her friends and even family gave up on her, after telling her that Derrick was bewitched and even to pray that he would die! 

Edith took Derrick to exercise sessions for parents and children in similar situations. She was eventually asked if she would join and work with the charity when they noticed her love for her disabled child. She began working in the community, visiting parents with disabled children, encouraging and teaching them about the exercises. She noticed that many children were abandoned by their parents, left in the village with the old grandparents so they didn't have to be seen in public with the "burden" child. The children she met were very sick and malnourished as well as having a disability, some even locked in a house with no food - to die of hunger.

Edith felt God was calling her to look after many children in the community herself as these older people could not cope with the necessary work. However she kept telling herself it would be too hard and did not take the idea any further..

In 2006 she had a road accident and fractured her spinal cord and pelvis. She was told she would never walk again and would be wheelchair bound for life. She experienced herself what it was like to have a disability. She then decided she was being disobedient to God and what she was being called to do, and prayed for healing, promising that if He gave her the ability to walk again she would start taking care of disabled children. Soon after this, she was moving around holding onto walls and then using crutches... eventually she was walking again!

Some volunteers found Edith with five disabled children plus Derrick in a small room, and decided to help her by giving money for rent, buying mattresses and other basic needs.

Since then, Edith has experienced different acts of support, including lots of help from HopeBuilders International, and a few years ago, she had a large home built on a big plot of land and Home of Hope expanded to what now holds 35 children!

Thanks to Edith's huge heart for children with disabilities, all of these children have been rescued from their lives of no self worth and are now properly looked after day and night by staff, given therapy and exercises to help them learn to walk, are fed well and loved.

This is why I am passionate about helping Home of Hope to improve the lives of the children more, meeting more of the needs of the home and the children. (Post to follow)