The Rob Foundation

Tamar blogs : Back to her Roots

An Angel in the book of life
Wrote down an infant’s birth
And mentioned as he closed the book
….. too beautiful for earth

                       

Asio Florence

There are those days that you will never forget; June 5, 2014 is one of them. It started as a very nice day, a busy day. Lots of patients, but nothing that could not be resolved. In the morning I received a telephone call from the orphanage, Florence was not doing well. They asked me if I could arrange for one of the pediatrician’s in the “Sikkelcelclinic” to go there today, and have a look at her. However there was a big lineup, so they did not have time today. If I could bring her tomorrow morning, they would immediately evaluate at her. Sadly for her there was no tomorrow. That same day I received another call, our little girl had just taken her last breath.

Friday started with a special trip, back to Florence’s roots, of to Pallisa. Together with a couple of aunties from Noah’s Arch, we accompanied her uncle to bring her body back to her father. Our goal was to give her a dignified farewell with at least some people who actually knew her. Well, she had a beautiful farewell. A large part of her clan sat at the father house waiting until she would come “home”. So many people, that even exceeded our wildest dreams. So many people, for a girl who they’ve never known.

The reception committee.

During this trip we were in the real Africa, in the middle of nowhere between huts made out of mud, we got to know a fascinating culture. The funeral lasted two days. It is indeed cruel to bring a little body and burry it immediately as if we were in a rush. So everyone, more than a hundred people, stayed for the two days. The women slept at night as much as possible in the huts of family and neighbors. All the men slept outside on the ground or if possible sitting upright in a chair. From about 4 in the morning the ritual of the day before was continued and a group of four women, sat around the coffin yelling, non-stop.

As the quests of honor we were received in the uncle’s house were the living room was converted into a sleeping room for us. Our bathroom was a water pump outside. The banana tree was our cloth rack, were the corn plants formed the wall of the bathroom. Around half past 5 in the morning I was woken, we had to take a shower before the sunrise. We made a short morning walk in a beautiful surrounding, where we were impressed with the nature and the children impressed by the fact that there were white people walking in there village. For most of them the first time they say a white person.

Alltogether, a trip that had made a large impression, bye dear Florence!!