When we returned to Hargeisa after being in Djibouti for three months and Kenya for four, we learned that chubby little Kadra had died. She was the baby we thought would make it. She was doing so well, and due to the language barrier, we weren’t even able to learn the cause of her death.
Another little creature, whose name I cannot remember also died. This was less of a surprise. She was so thin, and with all the babies and children in the orphanage, her mealtimes were often little more than a bottle propped up next to her on the crib. But she was too weak to suck and could not gain her strength.
So it was my great desire that little Moguay not fall victim to the same fate. We lived not far from the orphanage and it was easy to walk there. Working around the time spent at the newly built Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, I often stopped by to visit Moguay and to pick him up and feed him with a medicine dropper. He was weak and needed this attention. I also loved to just hold him and tell him he would make it and grow up to be a big strong guy.
Moguay was left at the gates of the hospital a couple of months earlier. (In this picture he was nine months old!!) His name means “does not know his father.” In the Somali culture, this is one of the worst things to befall someone because, as an orphan they can still lead a normal productive life once they leave the orphanage, but as someone who doesn’t know their family name, and therefore their clan, they don’t fit in anywhere in society.
Eventually the orphanage workers picked up on my concern for Moguay and started giving him more attention for his mealtimes, but he did not gain in strength. He continued to get sicker until one morning an orphanage worker came to our house early in the morning with him and urged me to take him to the hospital. We set off immediately and when we arrived, discovered that some doctors from the UK had come to volunteer for a short time. I could see that the doctor was flustered, not having seen such a sick baby before. She studied her notes about rehydration and tried to give instructions about boiling water to purify it and mixing it with sugar – his veins were too weak for an iv. She was frustrated that the nurses didn’t seem to understand and took their time in preparing the mixture. I just held Moguay. When the entire morning went by and the other staff came to get me for lunch, I finally handed Moguay over to one of the nurses, explaining to him what I was doing and that I would be back after lunch. As I turned to go, he started to go into convulsions and the head nurse whisked him over to the table and started CPR. I stood there in shock as she tried to revive him, such a little baby, such a little ribcage. When she saw that her efforts were in vain, she stopped, and calmly started to wash him, wrapping him in a clean white cloth. Then she handed him to me, laid her hand on my arm and said, “I’m sorry.”
I carried his body, heavier in death than it was in life and sat in the truck waiting for the driver to come. Tears streamed down my face, my chest constricted with grief that there was no more life in this baby. We drove to the orphanage and as soon as we pulled up, one of the older orphans came to the car and started pestering me about getting them a computer. I said, “Not now, Dowood.” He looked at me in astonishment and said, “Teacher! Are you cry?” With tears streaming down my face I nodded my head. He asked, “But why?” I choked out, “because Moguay died.” He said, “but …. don’t cry! It’s just an orphan!”
Later Dowood came over and spoke to another member of our team and said, “Other organizations give us food and materials, but now I know that you love us because you cried when Moguay died.”
I look at his picture now, his little face fraught with worry and hunger, and I still cry. I still get a lump in my throat because I know his story is just one of many. But I tell his story anyway because I want his name to mean “He is remembered.”
* This post originally appeared in my former blog, Perfect Welcome, and may contain some modifications or discrepancies in the names or comments.
Amelia says
oh what sadness, so sorry to hear this and yet you have obviously done such great work.
I came over to thank you kindly for your supportive comments on my latest blog post.
Amelia.xx
dusty earth mother says
That made me cry. I'm so grateful that someone who cared about Moguay was with him when he died.
Madelyn Reyneke says
Dear Jenny
The sad thing is that in Africa this is still happening, babies dying without reason or season.
Also that nine, ten year olds have to look after the syblings, because there parents died of Aids. They can no longer go to school.
Otherwise its the old people who have to look after the grandchildren. I have a friend who is 68, her husband and her have to look after 5 grandchildren from age 3 to age 16. Very sad all they have is there pension of megre 60 Euros each. I think the one child gets an allowance of 40 euros.
Lets try feeding our children on that for a month.It is such a sad story in Africa and yet it is not the only continent with this happening.
I wish all that money that gets wasted on bringing in new laws and wars in the 1st world could go to give these children a better life. Imagine how many of them would be better off and be able to study etc.
Love you lots
Mads
Anonymous says
Jenny,
I have tears in my eyes. I think one of the hardest things about being a parent is that knowing for all the love and care you give your children, there are many children out there without anyone. Thank you for what you did and for the children's lives you touched.
Abbey
Mrs.Mayhem says
Miss Welcome,
Thank you for sharing Moguay's story. I am so glad that you were able to show Moguay love during his short life. I wish I knew how to help children in similar situations.
Miss Welcome says
Mrs Mayhem – I wish I knew what to do too. This was just one year we spent.
Paradise Lost In Translation says
What a terribly tragic, & unbearablypoignant story. we have only worke din Sri Lanka & Albania where tehre is plenty of poverty but still not on the scale of manyparts of Afrcia. yet tsill I feel so helpless in the face of so much suffering. And always wish I cd be doing more. A lady I know who works with orphans in Mozambique has wise words in the face of the immensity of the problem.she says 'just deal with the one'. the one in front of you at that moment. the one brought across yr path. That's all w e can do sometimes. Thank you for visitng my blog. I have loved seeing yours , it's truly beautiful & I look forwrad very much to reading more.
Colleen says
I'm sure this story was difficult to share, but it serves as a powerful reminder that many of us have so much to be grateful for. As little as he was, Moguay was a beautiful boy who taught us a big lesson.