Real stories, real lives….

 

This is Zandy; she is a precious 22 year old girl, and this is her mother, a mere 43 years. They have lived in

Swaziland their whole life; they have never crossed the border. Zandy was raised in a modest house with her mother and five siblings. The first child came when Zandy’s mother was just 14 years old.
  Her father decided one day to have other wives as well, and so he married two more women and had many more children.
  He does not provide for any of them, in fact now all the wives and children live close, and he has move to another town.
  Zandy’s mother works very hard, cleaning 12 rooms a day for the most posh Hotel in

Swaziland.
  She is paid R400 (
Rand) a month, that is about $57.00 US.
  She is not only trying to provide for herself, but all the children abandon by her husband.

I tried to imagine what her life is like.
  First her husband cheats on her with not just one woman, but two.
  Then he proceeds to bail out completely, leaving her as the head of the house hold.
  I asked her why she is helping the children of the other wives.
  She just smiled, “because they need help”.
  It is much more common in this culture for those children to be rejected and despised.
  The voice of the Lord speaks louder to her than the voice of tradition. She is one remarkable woman.
  Our family has adopted her.
  Can you imagine working that hard
, and having so little to show for it?
  We collected clothing, blankets, shoes and food for the family.
  The kids and I drove up a mountain side to take these necessities to them.
  Our car would have never made it, so we ended up walking through the rocks and the mud. I have no idea how this family makes this journey everyday on foot.

We have committed to paying the school fees of the two youngest girls as well.
  I am drawn to these strong women that rise to the top, regardless of the battle….

I will share the rest of this story this week, this is just the beginning…