Grace – 11 years old. When Grace was born, she suffered from meningitis that left her severely physically disabled. She is wheelchair bound with only the use of her right arm and partial feeling above her waist. Because of this, she never attended school before the age of 9, and then only because her mother had heard about Rhoda’s good work. Her mother carried her to school every day on her back. Sadly her mother left the area after remarrying and took Grace with her. Despite our best efforts it took nearly 2 years to locate her. Grace was not in education during these 2 years. The construction of the Hostel has meant that Grace will now be able to return to school even though her parents live far away. When the trustees visited the Hostel in June 2008, Grace made a special journey to the school. We were touched by her sheer joy at being re-united with the other children.
Peter – 9 years old. Peter suffered from polio and measles when he was a baby and spent most of his life locked in a room no bigger than a cupboard without any human interaction and unable to speak or walk. Rhoda heard about this little boy being locked away and brought him to the school and in only a few months she had taught him how to speak and had given him the confidence to start using his legs. He is the most determined boy and he recently showed us how he could walk across the classroom. For Peter, the hostel will help him with his rehabilitation and allow him valuable interaction with other children; something that he has spent most of his life without.
Gabriel – 15 yrs old. Gabriel lives with his elderly grandmother after his mother left him, realising he was mentally disabled. Gabriel is rejected at home and the school is his world. Every day he walks nearly 5 kilometres to and from school. He is dependent upon the lunchtime meal to energise him, but the walk totally exhausts him. He is often very late because he is unable to walk quickly and as a result misses lessons. The hostel will provide a happy and stable environment for Gabriel and most importantly he won’t have to make the long daily journey.