Mary

Mary wearing a pink dress

Sorry for all the heartbreaking stories today. I do have many cheerful stories as well that I will post. I just would like to tell you about Mary. Warning, this is one of the saddest stories I have. When we arrived at Fred and Judy's house in Yala, we were greeted by many Kenyan children. One of those children was a young girl named Mary. This is Mary's story. Mary is now in Grade 6. She is being sponsored by an Australia woman and attends the Little Angels Boarding School. She is doing well in school and I am tutoring her in Mathematics. During the holidays she stays with Fred and Judy. Many years ago, when Mary was very little, around 6-7, she ran away from home. Debra (Fred and Judy's youngest daughter) was out playing when she noticed a young bright-eyed girl standing by herself. Deb played with her until dusk. As the light was dimming, Debra returned home. Mary followed. Debra retrieved her mum Judy. Judy asked Mary where her family is and what is she doing? Mary explained that she has run away from her family and that they do not know where she is. She is heading to her grandmother's house but she cannot remember where she lives. Judy took her in for the night and returned her to her family the next day. It was over an hour by car away. As Judy was leaving she suspected something was wrong. Mary's father walked Judy out of the village and explained to her that Mary has been abused by her uncle and that is why she ran away. Judy with a heart full of sadness left the poor girl as they were not in a position to take Mary from her family. Judy explained to me that it was a delicate situation for Mary’s father. Mary’s father had tried to council his brother to stop the abuse of his daughter. If it was known amongst the community it was likely that the uncle would have been killed or taken to jail for life, which Mary’s father did not want as they relied partly on his income. 3 months later, Mary shows up on Judy’s doorstep. She had been abused again. Crimson red blood stained her skirt. Her eyes were puffy and tears streamed down her face. Judy took her in, cleaned her up and looked after her for some days. They discussed with numerous volunteers the possibility of sponsorship to attend a boarding school. An Australian woman came to the rescue. Mary visits her brothers and sisters for 2-3 days every school holidays. Her uncle has since moved away from the village. Mary is happy and very thankful for her sponsor, which without, you can only imagine the life Mary may have had to of lived.