Ketiwe

A while ago we heard a shocking story, about a little girl that was saved by Bobbi Bear. She was beaten in the head with a shoe and sold for $ 30 and a goat. Fortunately, she was picked up by Bobbi Bear, where her injury was treated, and where she is fed and surrounded with love. The people at Bobbi Bear give her as much attention as possible and help her cope with her trauma.

Michel Groenenstijn, Uthando founder, met her during his last working visit and was deeply impressed:

'I look at her, the girl of 5 - five - that was sold for 190 Rand and a goat. 15 pounds and a goat. Her previous owner was an old man that had abused her twice a day for years. It was only during the third transaction that she was picked up by Bobbi Bear. And even though I have shaken her hand, have picked her up, have hugged her, and have seen the huge scar where her skull was crushed with a metal pipe, the story doesn't really get to me. Even when I hear someone talk, in the background, about how she couldn't walk when she came here because of her injuries, I can only feel a sort of distant pity. A sort of rational feeling of 'jesus, this is bad'.

But how on earth could you ever comprehend such a thing? What do you picture? I'd wish it would get through to me and that I could sit down and cry my eyes out, but I just can't bend my head around it. I can only stand here, looking at her while my mind wanders to what I can do about it.

I'm standing here with this tiny and broken creature in my arms, and the only thing I can think of is where I'm going to get that 3000 pounds to finish things here, to continue helping the fraction of 50 such creatures that they take in each month. What a shitty feeling.

Every moment of doubt, of frustration and mindless anger about the pointlessness of what we - Uthando, Be More, volunteers - do here has been wiped away. Just now I realize again that I have no choice at all, that I can't for the life of me imagine not doing something about this. If it's not the story that gets through to me, then it fortunately is the will to go on, to stop whining and to see every child that I, or someone else, can hold here, as a success.

The perpetrators have been caught and, while awaiting trial, been put behind bars. The little girl now realizes that Bobbi Bear will protect her and feels safe. Slowly but surely, her head starts to heal; she is starting to eat more now and she can sleep again at night - without nightmares. According to the Bobbi Bear volunteers, seeing her smile is priceless.