In which we go out to deliver school supplies, and come home with a toddler.

So, yesterday we went out to deliver some of the 20 packages of school supplies for children that we have to two of the families that the project is connected with.

The first stop went smoothly, after we'd bolted in from the (torrential, always torrential) rain. The two boys were excited by all of their new school stuff, and started testing out out right away. We got hugs, and kisses, and they proudly showed off their last report cards.

Their favourite things were the felt tips.

We stayed and chatted for a while, then moved on to the next, much larger, and even poorer family, which is where we met Ranciel.

Well, I met Ranciel, Pauline re-visited him and his family.

And this is him;

He's so flippin' cute.

He is three years old. And currently attempting to eat the keyboard.

He's had a testicular hernia for two of those three years of his life, and desperately needs an operation to have it fixed.

The operation is free, but Ranciel was turned away as he is too severely undernourished for the operation to be safe for him to undergo.

Which is where we step in.

Ranciel will be under our care for one month, where he'll receive vitamin and anti-parasitic treatments, and nourishing meals. He'll be lavished in attention and exposed to toys, games, and wildlife that he'\d never get to experience at home.

This is Ranciel's home:

It has two rooms, gaps in the outer walls, no running water and no real toilet.

He shares it with his Mother, occasionally his Father, and 5 of his 7 older siblings.

Trust me, it's grim.

I'm not really a weepy person, but I had to hide my tears when we walked into that shack.

We only went to deliver school supplies to his older siblings, and came home with Ranciel. He's an absolutely gorgeous little boy, affectionate, smiley and inquisitive. He absolutely loves to be cuddled, he finds showering a hilarious experience and he's fascinated by the animals.

He's a bit wobbly on his feet, and he struggles with his co-ordination a little. On one hand he never developed a little finger- we think due to poor nutrition in the womb and lack of proper pre-natal care- and on the other he has a little finger, but it doesn't have a tip, and it doesn't bend.

He's been here for a night already, and this morning we took him to get some shoes, underwear and clothes, because all he had when we arrived was a couple of dungarees, jeans that are a few sizes too big, and three t-shirts, no pants, no shoes, no toys.

That's it.

That's all his Mum had to send him with, packing up his belongings and thanking us, and God, the entire time. It was clear that she loves all of her children, but she simply does not have the means to support them. I was told that a lot of the time, the children are all crying with hunger, and she just doesn't have anything to give to them.

Heartbreaking isn't it?

Could you help the Project support Ranciel for a month? If so, visit Project Isobel to donate towards his care and make a world of difference in this little boy's life.

Thanks.

Love and Prayers,

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