On the 15th of this month, six month old baby Tefo died in a fire that burnt down her family's little shack house. Tefo (along with her family) was one of our patients. This is such a tragic case and my heart aches for the suffering of this little one, in her life and in her death.

I have struggled with the issue of whether to write to you about this or not, mainly because I wish to honor Tefo and not exploit her very short life in any way. I have, however, decided to go ahead with the telling of her story because I feel it is important for you to understand. You need to know how so many, far too many, children live... and die. I am not including a photograph in this month's postcard but ask that you instead think of Tefo in whatever form you find appropriate.

Tefo was the youngest of five children. She was alone in the house when the tin shack caught alight and burnt to the ground almost within minutes. The circumstances of this fire is under investigation, but regardless of the outcome, Tefo will still have died in a most tragic way. I wish I could tell you that this is an isolated case but in our country many children die this way. It is winter and very cold. The little house was made of rusted corrugated iron sheets. The floor was plain dirt. The cold wind blew into this shack-house virtually unhindered. This is a typical home for thousands of children. A small fire made inside the shack to help warm it up or a candle that falls over rages out of control in no time at all, with horrible consequences.

We at Helping Hands are shocked at the loss of little Tefo and of course the more so because of the way in which we lost her. As I sat in the little shack house of the neighbours who had taken the family in and looked into their scarred eyes, I felt defeated. What do you say at a time like this? Nothing came to mind so I said nothing. We all just sat and said nothing and took comfort in the presence of one another.... fellow human beings in a world that at that moment seemed cold and bleak, like the winter outside. One of our village Pastors (Patrick) eventually took charge and asked the family and friends what was needed. We jumped into action - we found that we could do something. We bought blankets and food. We took clothing to the family (as everything they owned had burnt), we took the family to the Department of Social Services to apply for emergency funds to rebuild their shack. We did what we do every day - offered a helping hand.

I am so grateful that we were able to do something to help this family. I know that each person reading this letter would have done something to help if you were here. Even though you are not here in person, through your support, your presence has been felt. Thank you for making it possible for us to do what we could.

A few days ago, Tefo was buried. May she rest in peace.
 
With kind regards
Michelle Tessendorf