A Child is Born

Briskly driving through rolling hills, on county roads that find themselves reduced to two tracks, we spotted the client’s homestead with no road to enter.     Our community health worker, Winnie, and the social worker, Maureen, hopped out of the car and started walking across the rolling hills.  We quickly followed.  A woman came out to proudly greet us and welcomed us in to the large area that surrounded three dwellings.

These unpainted, wood slat houses were the size of a modest travel trailer, maybe 7 by 10 feet. Their entrances were covered by blankets; there were no windows.  This was surprising as we had been told that the Masai usually had larger and more decorative homesteads than those of other Kenya tribes.  This homestead was very modest.

There were only women home.  We saw the great grandmother in beautiful, traditional Masai dress, watching closely.  A young woman and three children stood by the homes.    The grandmother could hardly contain her excitement as she led the two health care workers to the smallest home and shut the door to visit.

Inside was a mother with her four day old baby.  Both parents were HIV positive.  They could not tell his family or she would be removed from the household. The couple used their prescriptions as directed and, when she became pregnant, she followed those too.  The baby was born HIV negative.

With the exam complete, the curtain was opened and the grandmother proudly invited each of us in to hold her four day old grandson.  The baby was so very tiny and perfect.  Such a blessing.  The extended family will never know the blessing that God has brought them through the Tree of Lives, which helps provide HIV medication for those unable to afford it .   

–Beth McBain