Babies in Kampala: Volunteering with Mercy Childcare Part 2
Oftentimes, Meggan’s experiences in volunteering with Mercy Childcare involves helping to rescue and take care of orphaned children. Here are just a few stories.
Meggan and her sons Gavin and Colin with some of the children from Mercy Childcare’s orphanage. Photo by Meggan Kimberley
Blessing in an Outhouse
A few years ago when Meggan was in Kampala with her sons Gavin and Colin, Mercy Childcare received a call from the local police saying there was a baby girl who was rescued from the bottom area of an Outhouse. Whether the mother gave birth to the baby there, or just threw the baby down in the hole, they didn’t know. Someone had heard a baby crying, and called the police. Once the police found the baby, they contacted Mercy Childcare. The charity then sent a team consisting of a social worker and a few volunteers to pick up the child and take her to their orphanage. Meggan’s son Gavin and Mary Akpovi were among the team who went and picked up the baby from the police station. From there, they took the child to the hospital. The hospitals are nothing like the ones here. For example, the maternity section is one big room. There are women in labor, women who have just had babies, women giving birth, and newborn babies being tended to. The poor baby girl unfortunately wasn’t in good condition, with maggots coming out of her ears, mouth, and other places. As the baby had no name, she was given one: Blessing. Thankfully, Blessing has since recovered from her ordeal. According to Mary, she’s thriving now.
Meggan waiting outside the hospital with a baby Mercy Childcare took in, who’s suffering from malnutrition. Photo by Meggan Kimberley
A Baby’s True Age
Another day, Meggan was a part of the team who were called to pick up a toddler and baby from the police station. The two children were being looked after a woman who was in the practice of performing Witchcraft or Black Magic. When the team arrived, both children looked to be fairly healthy at first glance. Meggan thought the baby was about 6 months old, because the child was so tiny. However, it turned out the baby was a year old. Malnutrition can mask the true age of young children, making them seem younger than they are. A lot of times the doctors or nurses will look at the teeth to determine the true age of the child. With the baby and toddler in tow, the team headed back to the orphanage. The trip was long, taking about 4 hours due to the atrocious traffic in Kampala. During that time, the team had no diapers, no baby formula, no nothing. Meggan held the baby. The child was quiet, not crying or anything, even though the clothes the child were swaddled in were soiled.
the slums in Kampala. Photo by Meggan Kimberley
Trying to Make a Baby Smile
One morning when volunteering with Mercy Childcare, Meggan and a group of women took 6 babies to the hospital for their well checkups, as the children were all malnutritioned.
Imagine: traveling to the hospital in an overcrowded van with no car seats, stuck in horrible traffic.
That was the drive.
Meggan looked after a little baby boy. While she was waiting to take him in for his checkup at the hospital, she tried to make him smile. The little boy wouldn't give her one, no matter what she did. The child was found in an abandoned shack, sitting in a baby seat on top of a table. His mother, having abandoned him, had walked out, locked the door, and left him there. It was thanks to one of the neighbors hearing him cry that he was rescued by the police and taken into the care of Mercy Childcare. They didn’t know how long he had been alone. It seems, at some point, babies come to the heartbreaking realization that crying gets them nowhere, and their needs will not be met.
Next week, we’ll be sharing even more stories of Meggan’s experiences volunteering with Mercy Childcare. You’ll read the story of a baby girl founder Pastor Wilfred Rugumba and his wife Vena adopted, as well as Meggan’s husband Chris using his skills as an electrician in his volunteer work.
More information on Mercy Childcare, or if you want to donate: https://www.mercychildcare.org
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