Meet Kaita. He stays with his grandmother, Ester, in one of the poorest sections of town. Ester is our faithful cook at Family of Hope Services. She comes to the centre every day without fail to feed the hungry. We think Kaita is 3 years old, but can’t prove it since he has no birth certificate. He thinks he’s much older. Most days he is a mess with his latest meal crusted around his mouth and on his cheeks. Some days he comes to the centre wearing clothes much too small and second-hand Crocs that are abandoned shortly after his arrival. He is pure energy.
I’ve noticed something about him recently. Back in November as I left the centre one day he had fallen asleep next to our galvanized tin bicycle workshop and was lying face down on the hard soil. After the holiday break, Kaita has returned a little more mature. You won’t catch him sleeping now. Kaita has decided that it’s time he attended Kindergarten. So, there he sits each day amongst his 5 year old new friends, coloring or listening to his teacher read a story. He even gets in line for morning break where the kids receive a special nutrient-infused drink known as Morvite, although it isn’t long before he runs ahead of them all to the front of the line.
Kaita is the face of thousands of kids living in our community. His mother abandoned him. Shortly after that his father took his life. Kaita’s story is not unique, but something is different. He is loved. By his grandmother. By our staff. In him is the hope of the next generation, a generation that could stem the tide of unnecessary misery and death because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
In Namibia more than 21% of adults are HIV+ and more than 15,000 kids are positive. Most people believe that education is the key to stopping this crisis. It certainly is a start, but in and of itself is not the answer. The spread of HIV in Namibia is through heterosexual encounters, many of which bring about unwanted pregnancies in young girls. Babies having babies…HIV+ babies. Abstinence is the answer. It is God’s plan from the beginning – abstaining from sexual relations until marriage, having one life partner.
By teaching Kaita and thousands like him about a new life in Christ, Namibia can overcome the HIV/AIDS crisis. Kaita will learn that he is something special to God and if Jesus himself were walking the streets of Katutura He would scoop Kaita up in His arms and tell him how much he is loved. But Jesus is not walking the streets…or is He?
Those of us who know Christ as our Lord and Savior are His body. We walk the streets. We lift up the bowed heads. We tell them there is hope. We show Kaita how much he is loved.
“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.” I Corinthians 13:1, The Message
Kaita
Advertisement
