Teddy and Leticia

Teddy

A couple of weeks ago we welcomed baby Teddy to GSF (in Uganda, Teddy is a girls name). Teddy is 3 months old and came to us as she is malnourished and is needing care that her grandmother can no longer provide for her. Her mother is very young and left Teddy with her grandmother to care for her. The grandmother has been trying hard to care for Teddy even going to the lengths of breastfeeding her (the grandmother is 75 years old) as she didn't have enough money to buy formula. Teddy came to us weighing 3.5kgs which is the weight of a newborn baby so we are hoping to build her up and make her very chubby! Teddy's grandmother came to visit her on Tuesday and it is wonderful to hear that she longs to continue a relationship with this sweet girl.

Leticia

Last week Leticia's mother carried her to the gate of GSF and asked to come in as she had heard that she might be able to get some help here. Leticia is 9 months old and when weighed by the Social Worker and Nurse Claire only weighed 3 kgs (that's less than the average weight of a new born baby). Claire told me that they weighed her three times as they didn't believe the reading on the scales! Leticia was taken to the nearest hospital and admitted and treated for malnutrition.

A few days ago Leticia's mother returned to GSF with Leticia and the hospital discharge papers and it was on this occasion that I got to meet them. I picked up Leticia and couldn't believe how under nourished she was. I could feel all of her bones and could visibly see all of her ribs. She literally felt like a 'bag of bones'. It's hard to describe what holding her felt like as she was so fragile but then in contrast her head felt heavy and strong on top of this tiny frame. GSF plan to admit Leticia and her mother to the new babies home which opens this month. This will enable her mother to remain with her while Leticia grows stronger and her mother learns some new skills and is supported in caring for her.

Please continue to pray for Teddy and her grandmother, Leticia and her mother and all of the families that GSF have dealings with each week from the surrounding communities. Today I read a scary statistic that 1 in 4 households in Uganda is caring for at least one orphan. In a society where the average annual income is only £250 that adds a huge burden on those families.