A letter from Darlene and Paul Heller in Malawi
July 30, 2009
Rescued from the pit
I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought me up from the pit, O Lord my God. (Jonah 2:6)
A woman using the new pit toilet hears a baby crying. It sounds near. Can it be? The crying is coming from the men’s side! She looks down but can see nothing because of the darkness and depth. She runs to get the village headman.
Inside this pit toilet a baby girl was found. The nurses named her “Chindikani,” which means “praise the Lord.”
As the crying persists the villagers tear down the brick walls of the latrine and put a ladder down the hole. They discover a tiny baby at the bottom of the nonfunctioning pit latrine — 10 feet down. Dumped by her mother, she was left to die.
Amazingly, she survived the 10-foot drop and was taken to Central Hospital for observation. The nurses named her “Chindikani,” which means “praise to God” (for saving her from the pit). No one knew where she came from or if she had any family. People from the social welfare office called the crisis nursery because there was no other place for them to turn. Our staff went to rescue her, and she is now snug in her new home. Babies like this have nowhere else to go. Abandoned or in a situation where care cannot be given, they would die without intervention by the crisis nursery.
Chindikani is now a healthy baby cared for at the Crisis Nursery. She’ll be put up for fostering and then adoption.
Chindikani is a beautiful baby who eats well and sleeps even better. Calm and easy-going, it is hard to imagine someone throwing her away. With loving care and lots of feeding she is now doing very well. Meanwhile, her mother has been caught by the police and is being charged with attempted murder. She is 18 years old, and has another child who is about 3. The father is not known. Because she has no family (the mother will not be allowed to keep her), Chidikani will probably be put up for fostering and later, adoption.
Chindikani
A plea from the pit.
A bleat from the black.
A cry from the crap hole.
Life calling to life.
Listen with your life.
Hear with your heart.
Answer with your arms.
Life answering life.
Paul Heller
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