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New York Times sequel: Alone Banda rescued ! |
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| Last year
nine-year-old Alone Banda's plight, pounding stones into dust to sell for cement, working with his grandmother, was a front page story. The two of them were able to finish a bag every two weeks earning three dollars. That was enough to buy food for that period. It was sobering and disheartening. He was such a frail and grim little boy wielding such a heavy hammer with bits of rock flying in all directions and no eye protection. Alone was barefoot and his clothing was in tatters. Though he was about nine years old, from his size he looked about six. His growth was stunted and his nutritional status was poor. The same week the story ran, we enrolled Alone in our program. Fast forward now one year. We are back in the Chawama Family Support Home. We are conducting lessons in English to help the children in the community pre-school develop basic skills, which one day might facilitate their admission into government primary school. We ask for Alone Banda and his grandmother, and the next day they come. We learn that Alone is no longer working on the rock pile and he is attending school quite regularly. I ask Alone to participate in our classroom. Now I see a happy, smiling little boy who has obviously put on weight. He is affable and likes to joke with his friends. He has on a clean, pressed shirt and sturdy shoes. In class we are studying a world map (the first ever in this school). Alone is attentive and re- sponds accurately in English. We have a crafts activity making bracelets from beads, and Alone loves this. He proudly displays his new bracelet. Lastly, we go outside to play soccer, and this is the coup de grace. Alone excels! This year he is transformed. by Dick Bail |
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