Keep a Child Alive

Day 13 - Sparrow: A Little Bird Gets Her Wings

Two years ago, Sparrow was found living in a tin shack, abandoned by her mother, fending for herself and trying to keep her baby sibling alive.  She was a little girl, just four years old, when she was brought to Nkosi’s Haven severely malnourished, dehydrated and weighing only 11 pounds.  The baby left in her care died just a little while after.
 
Located in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nkosi’s Haven has become a sanctuary for HIV+ mothers and their children, and children who have been orphaned by AIDS.  When they took little Sparrow in, Founder Gail Johnson gave her a teddy bear, and Sparrow was so fragile and afraid that she would bite anyone who tried to take the bear away from her.
 
As she grew more familiar with her new home at the Haven, Sparrow soon discovered the kitchen, the place where the food comes from!  She would sit on the chest deepfreeze and pick at the food, holding it between her thumb and her forefinger, and putting it in her mouth like a little bird – like a sparrow.
 
Gloria, the cook, who has no children of her own, fell in love with Sparrow, and no more perfect match could be made at Nkosi’s Haven where the mothers with HIV care for the orphaned children there.  Gloria has become a mother to Sparrow.
 
Several months ago, Sparrow’s biological mother was released from jail.  She wanted to see Sparrow, but Sparrow refused to leave her new family at Nkosi’s Haven and return to the mother who had abandoned her just a few years before.  Recently, Sparrow’s mother died, and while the cause is not confirmed, all signs point to AIDS.  If Sparrow had been released into her mother’s care, where would she be now?
 
“This little one has gone through the kind of losses and traumas that not many experience in a lifetime,” says Gail, “but her resilience in mind-blowing.”  Sparrow is 6 years old now and weighs nearly 45 pounds.  She has learned English, has a brilliant appetite, and is doing well on her ARV medication.  The play therapy services at Nkosi’s Haven continue to be crucial to Sparrow’s development, as she is slowly learning to be comfortable with expressing her emotions.
 
Sparrow, a child born into tragedy who now has a loving home at Nkosi’s Haven, is why we do what we do at Keep a Child Alive.  And the number of AIDS orphans in South Africa only continues to grow.  Text BUYLIFE to 90999 to give $10 to help KCA continue these daily inspirational stories of hope, love and strength.

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