Two children went back to their homes...

Lazarus was brought In Amecet in April 2016. Both of his parents are HIV+ and the mother passed away when Lazarus was 5 months old. The father was struggling, so he asked us for help. We took Lazarus in Amecet and also checked how his HIV status was and that was good news, he is HIV free! He did well and gained, everybody loved the little man! We called to his home people, but only after several phone calls, the father and two family members came. He was not ready to take Lazarus back, he told us that he couldn't care for him, we should find a family for him.  We talked to him and asked him to go home and really think about it. And to talk with the relatives about Lazarus.

 Last week, Simon, our social worker, drove to the village where Lazarus came from. He found the home and the people were happy to see him. There was a lot of talking, but the outcome was so good: the father was now happy to welcome Lazarus back home, there were two ladies, neighbours and also relatives, who were willing to help him and there was a cow, who would provide the milk!!!

The next day they came to pick Lazarus! His father is holding him and after receiving a packet with clothes, mosquito net, some porridge flour, sugar and soap, they left happily back to the village!\

 It is sometimes very hard to trace the family, especially when children are "found". The boy on this picture was "found", we gave him the name Samuel, but the mother was found, two days later and we heard that he was called Joel, so we changed into Joel. The mother was living on and off on the streets and she didn't want the little boy, she refused to care for him and the police picked her up and now she is in the prisons. But.....the father was found, and he wanted his boy, he told us that his name was Tony.... But the father was a street boy and knew that he couldn't care for his child. That day the man, who brings us always the milk for the babies, passed by and heard us talking, we had a picture of the father and he said that it was a relative from him. He was very willing to help us and make us link up with the family of the father. Several talks were done  with the relatives and at the end the great grandmother of Joel/Tony came with an uncle to pick the child. We took them all to the Probation Office, so that everything was done proper, we picked the father somewhere from the streets and Joel/Tony went with his relatives to their village. He was welcome and they were very willing to care for the little man

Here is the family on the picture, left is our milkman, then the uncle and the great grandmother and the father with Joel/Tony. Also a story with a happy ending, it takes time and work and a lot of talking and searching, but the result is worth all of it!!!