An orphaned child isn’t an easy child to care for. Extended family members seldom expect the challenges that accompany the arrival of such a child. When Grace’s parents died before she even began school, she and her twin brother were taken in by their aunt and uncle, who struggled to care for the children and needed support.
Esperance Home-Based Care sent local volunteers to help care for the children, inviting them to attend the free community school and providing them with a meal each day. Then 6-year-old Grace became a patient in the home-based care when she suffered a serious burn on her leg. For three weeks, the volunteers paid special attention to Grace to ensure that her injury was treated and healed properly. Her uncle and aunt, still struggling to know how to care for these new children, were overwhelmed by the commitment of the volunteers and the attention they paid to this one tiny girl.
At the end of the three weeks, when the wound was fully healed, Grace’s aunt wiped tears from her eyes as she thanked the volunteers, blessing them in prayer for their sincere commitment to the small girl. The many visits had not only created a strong relationship between the family and the volunteers by showing the dedication of the home-based care, but had also birthed an intimacy between Gracia and her caregivers. The care shown to the child by the volunteers had inspired her aunt and uncle to a new level of love and devotion.