Imagine this:
You are a young mother in your late thirties. You have seven children. Your husband is working in another country. You are HIV-positive. You sell homemade beer for a living. You and all your kids live in the same, run-down, one-room rondaval. You are trying to make things work, but you’re just barely hanging on. It’s all too much. One child just got accidentally burned with hot water. Another one just got accidentally burned with fire. They are healing, but medical attention isn’t exactly at your fingertips. You live in the middle of no where.
Then, in the midst of all this, you give birth to twin girls, bringing your total number of children to nine. They are premature. They are tiny. They are rapidly losing weight. What can you do?
Just last week, TTL was put in touch with a woman in that exact situation.
Her twins, Pulane and Nthabiseng, are now in the safe-home, bringing our total number here to ten.
The twins were born on May 11 at just over 3 pounds. They are adorable, especially when asleep and wrapped in blankets here at the safe-home, but are so tiny it is hard to imagine that they are real, living, breathing baby girls.
They still aren’t eating very well, but I’m hoping that the more they get used to the formula, their surroundings and the care and attention of the bo’me, the more they will eat.
Their situation was so dire when we found them that a full recovery and a bit of a growth spurt here will be an amazing accomplishment, and another triumph for TTL.
These two have a long way to go, but they are in the right place for the journey.
Cross your fingers and wish us luck.
The TTLF Fellow is a representative of the North American organisation The Tiny Lives Foundation. Based for one year in Mokhotlong, Lesotho, the TTLF Fellow serves in an administrative support capacity for the Basotho charity TTL.
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