| Why was 11-year-old Mwita* living on the streets? He stole a single egg from the family chicken house, so that he could sell it and pay the admission fee to watch soccer. When he returned, his father beat him so severely that he decided things would be better on the streets. He spent the next year and a half sleeping under roof overhangs, using flour sacks for blankets. During the day he would gather bottles and steal scrap metal in exchange for food. Most of this, including sleeping, took place in this lot in central Tarime: |
 |
Moses met him early on, but, understandably, Mwita was reluctant to start the process of repairing the relationship with his family. It took a lot for him to trust that Moses would be able to convince his father not to beat him any more. He had seen Moses succeed with other children and their families, but he held back- until April of this year. I don’t understand exactly how Moses does it, but he sat down with the father and explained the story from Mwita’s side. Then he reminded the father of what it meant to be a good father, and how things could be better if he would stop beating him. Again, I don’t understand how he does this… but that’s why we hired him, and not me. When Moses brought Mwita back, his father did not beat him. He welcomed him. They’ve been getting along well ever since, and Moses is now working on getting Mwita enrolled in school again. |
 |
| Thank you, friends, for helping this heartbreaking story to have such a positive turn. Of course, we still have a long way to go with Mwita and his family, and Moses will continue to follow up with them to make sure that the relationship stays healthy. |
Our Father's House 