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 The first time we saw Jeanne she was seven months old and weighed just 12 pounds. She had the saddest expression we had ever seen on a baby.
Jeanne was born to a couple who loved her dearly, but the happiness did not last long. When Jeanne was less than one month old, her father died. Grieving for her husband, Jeanne’s mother clung to her baby, carrying her on her back all day and sleeping with her at night. But Jeanne’s tragedy was just beginning.
One day her mother came down with malaria. Twenty-four hours later she was dead.
True to Zambia’s custom of extended family, Jeanne’s aunt took her into her family. With other children in the home, Jeanne did not get as much attention as she had from her mother, but her aunt fed her and sometimes she sang to her.
Then tragedy struck again. One morning her aunt had a bad headache. Before noon she had collapsed on the kitchen floor. By evening she had died.
Another relative, a widow, had compassion on Jeanne and took her home. But this woman earned her living working as a maid. So, during the day Jeanne had to be left with neighbors – first one, then another. Some mornings it seemed impossible to find anyone who would watch the baby.
Then one day, the widow unknowingly left the child with a woman who was an alcoholic. When Jeanne cried, her baby bottle was filled with beer. After that “meal” Jeanne didn’t cry for the rest of the day.
When the widow returned from work she found Jeanne drunk. Horrified, she knew she couldn’t continue to care for Jeanne and keep her job, and she certainly couldn’t quit working.
If a friend had not told her about the Bill and Bette Bryant Crisis Nursery, it is likely Jeanne would have been abandoned by the caring widow. Jeanne had became a serial orphan, having lost three mothers in just under 7 months.
Jeanne’s story does not end on this sad note. After recovering at the crisis nursery, Jeanne became a healthy, delightful little girl and is now growing up as God intended: in a family. Jeanne was adopted by a wonderful Zambian family.
Names and photos have been changed to protect the children. The stories are true.
We invite you to provide a safety net of prayer and provision for a child like Jeanne. MORE STORIES >> |
