The Journey to Joy

Mike and I arrived in Sierra Leone to join our in-country team on January 22nd. The very next morning we received a brief call, void of much detail other than a young girl who had been physically abused needed a safe place to stay. 

Immediately, the staff at the interim care center began preparing for her stay. They selected a few clothes to lay out on her freshly made bed for when she arrived, accompanied by a selection of hygiene products, towels and blankets. They began preparing a welcome dinner and the other girls buzzed with the excitement of greeting a new girl.

While the preparations for her arrival started, Mike and I accompanied our in-country director, Alice and our caseworker, Winifred to the police station where this precious 12 year old girl was located.

When we arrived, we entered the busy building and began to weave our way through a crowd of adults congregated in the entrance. My eyes darted around trying to find the little girl we were here to serve. Finally, in the very back of the room, a little head slowly raised from an isolated wooden table. We would later find out this is the same spot she endured her first night alone. 

The officer who called Princess Promise for assistance ushered her into a different room with us where a heartbreaking story would unfold.

Choking back tears, Ayo* detailed in a faint whisper how she had stolen $1.67 from the aunt who had been caring for her since she was 6. Upon finding this out, the aunt ordered her to sell items in the street until she earned the money back. Ayo earned double what she had stolen after working a little over a week, but when the aunt heard this, she demanded it be 4 times what she stole. 

Desperate to be back at school, Ayo asked a neighbor to reason with her aunt that the debt had been repaid and the lesson learned. This infuriated the aunt who began to beat Ayo with a cane. After multiple blows to her body, Ayo attempted to halt the cane. It is at this point, the aunt began to bite Ayo. The officer showed us the bite marks present from her cheeks and ears, to her arms and her back. He pointed to the bruise marks down her legs, arms and back from the beating with the cane.

While Alice and Winifred collected further details on family and possible safe solutions to explore, we worked to assure this broken little girl that she was going to be safe and cared for. This started with purchasing some shoes for her bare feet from the closest store, and some snacks to fill her belly.

We journeyed back to the safety of our ICC where she was met with a hot shower and dinner, followed by a restful night’s sleep in her own bed.

The next day she was able to attend the school she had been kept from the last few weeks and received tutoring at the center she was staying to help catch her up. In a single day, her body language went from heartbreak to hope. She smiled, she began speaking and giggling. She was captivated by the Bible stories Mike read the girls.

One week later she was almost unrecognizable as she attended a very special beach field trip for the girls under our care in Freetown. Joy exuded from Ayo as she embraced the chance to be carefree and just play.

We thank God that He allowed us to step in and care for this valuable and beloved young lady, when she needed it most. Princess Promise will continue to walk alongside Ayo and assure her that she is loved, cared for, and precious not only to our team, but most importantly to our Heavenly Father.