Aissa update

Below is the email message I received from Andy, one of our MCWA missionaries after his visit to Aissa's village this afternoon. Emmanuel is the social worker from the Bethlehem Foundation where we hope to send Aissa to school.

"I went to Aissa's village today. Aissa is doing well, her ear infection has cleared up on its own and her face is healing really well but she is looking a lot thinner and her arm circumference measurement is down by 1 cm (now 16cm). After Yanga (the nurse) had done his checks she went and got a couple of games and sat there with him happily playing while Emanuel talked with Jean.

Emanuel was very good about finding out information and he could tell some things were not adding up. Then a family member came in. He revealed that Jean was in fact the true biological father of Aissa and her sister.

Yanga remembers some confusion when Aissa was first brought to the hospital and the doctors and nurses being forceful about who was the father and so maybe Jean got scared and decided being the Uncle was a safer bet. Anyway all is now in the open ..... Jean's wife left a few years ago and Jean has been bringing up the two ever since with the help of his mother. In the past he has been away at times in search of work leaving the two girls with his mother.

Emanuel still agrees that the Bethlehem Foundation is the best place for Aissa and her sister and Jean and the grandmother have both given their consent too. Jean actually worked at the Foundation a few years ago, helping with the harvest so he knows of the place. He is keen to accompany the 2 girls there when we take them and is on board with the holiday visits and keeping up the contact with them.

Emanuel thought it would be good for Aissa and her sister to go at the end of the month. August is traditionally a hard time with little food and access to the village can be harder so we settled on Friday 30th of July. I will go and collect Jean and the girls and take them to Mouda and then bring Jean back to the Mokolo Carrefour and put him on a clando for home. The girls will then start living at Mouda and return for visits to the village in the holidays.

It was really good to have Emanuel go with us, he has so much experience in these kinds of cases and now knows where Aissa's village is located so will be able to organize the future contact with the family.

All for now

Andy"