Poor, orphaned, death, illiterate, hungry; faces of each flood my mind and prayer life. Just when I think I have heard the stories that break my heart most in walks another soul. These stories of my dear Tanzanian friends, though the life struggles on Earth are real and painful, are filled with such perseverance, grace, joy, and love. These character traits can be said as well of my new friend Martha. Last week Lynda and I met with her upon her request. Martha is a seasoned woman with endurance, drive, heart, strength, faith, wisdom, with albinism. I sat on the stool in the kitchen and began to hear Martha's story unfold. I have heard the awful tails of what witch doctors in East Africa have done to those who are albino. But before me sat a women with a heart and soul along with a story that made it very real. Albinism is a set of inherited recessive traits. The condition includes lack of pigment or melanin in the skin, hair and eyes, making their skin very light in color and eyes extremely sensitive to light, and often very poor eyesight. Albinism is present in every population on earth, but it is more prevalent in Africa and certainly more noticeable amongst populations of dark color. An African with albinism have very distinct African features but have extremely light skin. It is also more serious in Africa because so much of African life involves work in the sun and proximity to the equator damages the light skin. According to National Geographic 98% of those with albinism die of skin cancer. Due to a high population of uneducated people and the vast literal black and white contrast people are persecuted in Tanzania because of their pigment. Many have grown up through the generations with false information that albinism (like most viewed disabilities in Tanzania) are a curse. For example, if a woman who is pregnant looks at an albino bring a curse? No! An albino child looks different from others, but the birth of an albino child implies nothing shameful on the part of the parents. A child is always a blessing! Do albinos have special curative or magical powers? Having sex with an albino does not cure AIDS, and body parts of albinos have no special powers. Witch doctors have made money from these lies especially around times of election to bring favor for their party's side. These are lies of the enemy that must be broken in the Name of Jesus! This gives you a small glimpse of the obstacles that the woman before me was born into here on Earth. In 2013 a report by the United Nations on Albino Persecution put Tanzania at the top of a list of African nations where Albinos are targeted for murder. As she began her story no longer was it something I read and grieved about that goes on in the country I have learned to love. It was the journey of my new found friend and very real. Martha is one of many children but the only one with albinism. You see both parents must carry a defective gene to have a child with albinism. When neither parent has albinism but both carry the defective gene, there is a one in four chance that the baby will be born with albinism. Being the only one with albinism enforces the lies of the enemy in a family which often brings division. Martha shared how her father dismissed her mother from the home because he was sure that she had slept with a white man. Most parents are encouraged by the village to poison a baby with albinism or often the mother fights the men of the family for the baby's life. As Martha grew and became aware of these threats she could not leave her home area for fear that someone would cause her harm. Martha was able to attend school but most often kids are unable because it is not safe for them. Even though she was able to attend school the teacher was very unkind. She was unable to see and the teacher kept her from the front on purpose. As an educator in this land and with the knowledge these stories are very real and break my heart for "my kids" here in Tanzania. Because of many stories just like Martha's if a child with albinism can attend school often are not assisted with the vision issues they endure. Therefore, they grow up illiterate and unable to provide for themselves. Martha continued with her story that one day someone came from an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) to the village area who wanted to help educate kids. My guess this was a religious organization for she was sent to a school formed from a Bible background. Her dad was eager to send Martha away and was an easy sacrifice since she was unable to do much for the household. This time Martha became an educated woman who developed a deep faith in her Creator. Through each step of her story and obstacle shared she would say, "it was hard but by the grace of God!" She worked for the school once her studies were complete and after worked for another NGO who was working to keep peace in Tanzania. Martha has since founded an organization in Tanzania called Albino Peace Community. She has located the children all across Arusha and northern Tanzania who have albinism. She has a heart to empower and educate parents, villages, and communities about albinism to break the curse of the lies towards precious children. Her goal is to encourage and empower the family for the child with albinism to remain within the family as a safe place to grow up and be loved. The government's solution has been for children with albinism to be sent to "safe like houses." Most of these boys and girls never again see his/her family. Martha wants to see these kids remain in their home and be able to attend a safe school situation. She visits the families, runs camps, and has a clinic of dermatology for skin check-ups every six months. I sat there in awe of how this woman has made beauty from ashes. One night she got a call from a family she befriended from her visits. The mother said that her husband attempted to kill their 2/3 year old boy with albinism. After a severe hit to young Musa's head the mother stepped in and also had severe wounds. Martha went to them brought them to safety and saw to their healing. The mother returned to the village but asked Martha to keep her son Musa to raise as her own. Martha is married to a man without albinism she shared through tears of having two miscarriages. Now in her arms a two year old boy desperate for love, healing, and a safe place to grow up. A year later from that ugly day Musa is what brought her to us last week. Martha had heard of our school and hoped that it would be a safe place for young Musa to attend school. Martha also has taken in another young boy who does not have albinism but his mother who is also a widow does. The mother is unable to provide for him and Martha thought Musa should grow up with another child in the home. I have to say that this is well past the point that tears glistened in my eyes and I marvel at how God placed together this beautiful family. Martha unfolded this tattered piece of paper and said she had over 10 kids who would benefit from being able to attend school where it would be safe at JSA (Joshua School Arusha.) Some of them live further than walking distance but Martha is willing for kids to live with her during the week for the chance at a good school for these kids. Because of the ages, class sizes, and funding we were happy to have three of these kids join us in this new term which began on Monday of this week. Musa, Enoch, and hopefully another young boy whose name I am not sure of at this point will now be students at JSA! Our goodbye was tender that day for the heartstrings strummed together to see that these kids God so loves be cared for. "He is the God of justice," Lynda said!
We are in the fourth day of our term and nothing makes me happier than to see Musa and Enoch come running in the gate. The kids and teachers have given them a warm welcome. Musa returned home after the first day and asked when he got to go back to his school?! May this be a place where Musa is given the chance to reach his potential and grow in his love for Jesus!
Since my meeting with Martha I have been doing a bit of reading and research concerning albinism. National Geographic says since the year 2000 there have been 72 murders of Tanzanian Albinos. BBC just reported in March of 2015 over 200 witch doctors were arrested after a young girl with albinism had her hand severed and her brother murdered. Sadly this is not something that used to haunt the history of this nation it is something that is very real today. With this being an election year as I read these articles and think of these precious children I can't help but want to do all I can to break these chains of darkness. How thankful I am for the testimony of my dear friend Martha and for her calling to make a difference in her homeland. I hope that our school can provide a safe and loving foundation in the lives of all the kids who come into our gate.
Prayer Points~
Pray for Martha as she raises Musa and loves him minute by minute. Pray for Musa's biological mother and the sacrifice.
May Musa's teachers be compassionate, keen to his needs, and care for him as he is with us.
May the class of students gain a greater understanding of albinism and the art of loving our neighbor!
This precious boy is Enoch. "Love is patient, love is kind." 1 Cor 13:4 May he know this today and everyday. May this little guy learn many things with us but most of all to love God and others! Pray for his biological mother who is considered an outcast by many. May he know he is loved by Martha, his teachers, and his new friends here at JSA!
Miracles Happen Here
He did miracles in the sight of their fathers ~Ps78:12
O Lord, You are "the God who performs miracles" (Ps 77:14.) Thank you that these children can expect miracles in their lives because the extraordinary and impossible are easy for You. All Your works are marvels, those in us and those around us. You made the whole universe by Your amazing power, and then You broke through the laws of Your awesome universe to bring us salvation through Jesus Christ!
Thank you that with the same incomparable great power that raised Jesus from the dead, You are at work right now in the lives of these kids. Truly, nothing is too hard for You (Jer 32:17!) Help "my kids" to remember their mighty heavenly Father in every difficult choice or struggle. Thank You that You are making us like Jesus-- that when we see Him, we will be completely change by His beauty (1John 3:2.) What an awesome miracle that will be!
Make this the day of miracles. Nothing less will do. Yes, Lord, do Your miracles in the sight of us today, and in the lives of each child in our school.
Thank you that something good can happen at any moment-- because we love You! And help us not to miss it when it does!
I ask with Faith and gratitude in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Adapted from Praying the Bible for your Children by David and Heather Kopp)
All are Welcome
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