This little girl caught my eye on a recent day of home visits with the Home-Based Care Team. On a busy homestead full of other children and adults, she sat off in a corner all by herself.
I can get most kids to crack a smile pretty easily, but she was shy and reserved, lost in her own world -- which made me like her even more.
I gave her some candy, which is usually a fail-safe means of getting a smile, but still no go from this serious young girl. I left her to her thoughts and walked over to help Scott. Later I found out from her mother that the girl's name is Fikile, but her mother calls her "Pretty," which I think is more than appropriate. 
As we were leaving, I went back over to her and waved good-bye, unexpectedly prompting this sweet smile. It was worth the wait. We encounter dozens of young children like Fikile every day. As I've written before, the kids on the homesteads both make my day and break my heart at the same time.We leave tomorrow for a week in Cape Town. We are taking the opportunity of Karen's visit to explore a bit more of South Africa, and we're very much looking forward to spending some time in a big city for the first time since leaving New York City four months ago today. It's hard to believe that one-third of our stay here is already over.
4 comments:
I hope you enjoy a lot in Cape Town. Remember to make loads of photographs to share with us. Our hearts are with you there.
Hugs.
Angel.
So moved by your compassion and gentle humanity, looking forward to working with you both in Swaziland,
Blessings of peace,
Maithri
david, beautiful pics of "Pretty" Thanks for sharing !!! Have FuN in Cape Town !!!
Fikile, what a gorgeous little girl. I agree that her Mum's nickname for her of "Pretty" is more than appropriate. I can see in her eyes an angelic, innocent child ,so full of love. Your pictures of her and the other children have really touched me. I hope you all enjoyed Cape Town. With love from San Diego, Sheila
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