Andrea

Did I write about Andrea before? I might have. Well, I can write it again because I have an update.

Andrea is an 11 year-old orphan whom I met in Blantyre market. He's been working at this market by offering to carry bags, selling plastic bags, and sometimes selling tangerines. As I visit this market quite often, I soon realized that he was always there. Unlike other kids who were working at the market, he knew much more English and didn't beg me. He was a special boy.

One day, I began talking to him, asking him why he's there and not going to school. It turned out that his parents passed away 2 years ago from malaria and something I didn't understand what. The father who died from malaria, a curable disease, went to hospital but only took African traditional medicines instead of the pills he got from a doctor. So he became an orphan at the age of 9 along with 3 other older siblings. They all stay at their uncle's house but the uncle also have 3 children of his own to look after. Unfortunately, and this is a very typical situation in Malawi, Andrea and his siblings haven't been provided with access to education, ending up working at a market to earn little money.

In Malawi, a child must have uniform to go to primary school, which is 8 years of education. This school uniform is what Andrea didn't have and the reason why he could not go to school.

I took him to a store and had his uniform made as there wasn't ready-made one in the shop, which cost 1,650 kwacha (only $11 USD). Andrea promised me 2 things--to go to school and to take medicines from hospital if he gets sick.

And today, when I passed by the market, someone called my name from distance. It was Andrea. He was smiling like a shining star. "Mitsue, I'm going school everyday! I'm happy. School is important to me," he said. Then he put a bracelet on my right wrist which he made for me.

Meeting with Andrea today brought me so much joy in my life. I can't help smiling when I look at this precious handmade bracelet. I continue sending my prayers for his happiness.