Eyes of an Orphan - Part II
Hungry and Thirsty

I lost count of how many days have passed since my mother’s death. It seems each day is the same – a living nightmare. Today I woke up and closed my eyes again, hoping I would just die so I could be with my mother. They took her away to bury her. Sometimes I sleep by her grave and pretend she is still with me.

I woke up so hungry this morning…I hate the empty feeling in my tummy. Sometimes my mother and I would spend days without eating, but it was never like this. The loneliness and the hunger together are too much to bear. I don’t know when I am going to eat again. Last time I got some bread, I didn’t eat all of it. I left some under my pillow to help me sleep, because I could only rest if I knew I had a meal for the next day. When I woke up, the ants had gotten it. I guess they were hungry too.

Today, when I was walking for fresh water, a man and a woman stopped me on the street. I was scared at first, and ashamed to be so dirty and alone. But there was something different about them. They didn’t avoid my eyes like everyone else. They saw the bugs crawling through my hair and noticed every cut on my arms and legs. I saw something in their eyes that I had never seen before. It looked like they cared.

They told me they were pastors at a Warm Blankets church orphan home. They said they could help me, that there were other children like me. They wanted me to live with them. I was afraid because I have heard horrible stories of girls going to live somewhere and we never saw them again. But their kind eyes made me trust them. So I followed them to their home, and when I got there, I couldn’t believe my eyes...I hope this isn’t a dream...

To be continued…

Eyes of an Orphan
Today I Watched My Mother Die

Today, I watched my mother die. As she breathed her last breath, I held mine. I don’t know what happened to her, she just got sick. I know it’s all my fault. She was so good to me and would never let anything happen to me. But then she got weak and wouldn’t eat. I must have done something wrong. She got so thin and was always sleeping. She barely noticed the flies that would land on her. Or maybe she did, but she had no strength to hit them away.

She wasn’t always like that. She was so strong, my mother. Before we had to come to this camp, she was so happy and she worked so hard. What happened? What did I do? She was a good mother.

And she was all I had.

Now I am alone. There are people everywhere, but none of them look me in the eye. They are afraid that if they do they will have to take care of me. I feel like everyone is avoiding me. I don’t want to have to move or stay with strangers. I don’t want to be a burden. What am I going to do? 

Orphan Rescue Operations rescues vulnerable girls like her. To help, click here.