Runaway Wife

We had the chance a few weeks ago to visit a woman living in slum in Ongata Rongai. The visit was organized by the Beacon of Hope organization that undertakes the awesome task of AIDS testing and counseling in conjunction with AIC Diguna mission. The purpose of the visit was to assist the woman in any way she needed us to, as well as bringing her some supplies for her house. What we later discovered from the social worker who accompanied us was that she was not infected with the HIV/ AIDS virus, but had been relocated to keep her away from an abusive husband. She was the unfortunate victim of a car accident that badly affected her spine. She could not do any work, but could only walk and sleep although sitting down on a chair was a grueling event for her. Her children were away in school at the time but we got to see one of them later. She was on the verge of being kicked out of the one-roomed structure that she called home for her and her children due to delay in paying the 1000 shilling rent. We helped her with small household chores; there was not so much to do for 8 people visiting a woman living in a one-roomed house. We washed the dishes, cleaned up the house and shared the Word of God with her.

Back to the woman's estranged husband. He apparently was very abusive and unsupportive of his invalid wife. He would reportedly come to the house with food enough for only one person which he would prepare and eat as the wife and children watched. He was reportedly violent and she and the kids had to be relocated and kept from him for their own sake. She couldn't hold down a job due to her condition and her kids were still young, the eldest being a 13 year old girl.

We left the place with the desire to assist her as much as we could and proceeded to ask about the modalities with the Beacon of Hope social worker. The unfortunate reality was the red-tape around the whole process. One couldn't simply up and go to help out in the house. One had to be a registered and trained volunteer with the organization before they could be allowed to pay regular visits under the organization's umbrella.

I hope we meet again; it would be great to become a part of the family's life. The daughter is at a sensitive age and Diguna youth camps would probably do her well. I wonder how she is, now that the process of visiting is complicated. We wouldn't want to compromise her relationship with the organization which has been taking care of her so far. God give us wisdom and the heart to serve such people who go through things that we only hear about. The comforting fact is that God is the Father of the fatherless and the Husband of the widows (Ps. 68:5) and He sets the lonely in families (Ps. 68:6).