(Due to professional ethics, the author is anonymous.)
United Nations advocates that women should give birth in a safe environment with skilled birth attendants in well-equipped facilities. At Life Changer we pride ourselves on offering lifeboat assistance to our clients. One of our friends from the street, Mpume, arrived at our offices in pain because she was pregnant and needed assistance to get to the health facility. She knew where she would be assisted with compassion and non-judgment. Our well-equipped staff members rushed her to the hospital and advocated for her to see a doctor even though she had lost her clinic card due to the living conditions on the streets. The Hospital staff were compassionate, attended to her, and eased her pain.
On the following week she came crying again expressing an excruciating pain that she suspected was labour pain even though the doctor had assured her that she was still a long way away from giving birth. Indeed, our compassionate, caring, and loving staff rushed her to the hospital. They advocated for her to see a doctor who admitted her. She then gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, assisted by professionals in the hospital. When Life Changer staff members visited her, she wanted to leave the baby and go back to her life on the streets. Her addiction was calling to her. This is the nature of the hungry ghost that is substance dependency. Our staff communicated with the nurse in charge, and they met with the Hospital Social Worker to find out what would be in the baby's best interest upon the mother's discharge. The baby itself needed to detox from substances, which is a two to three week process. The Hospital Social Worker handled the matter and gathered as much information as possible regarding the extended family of Mpume. We always prioritise family repatriation and will continue to do so with Mpume's case too. The baby must remain in the hospital under the Doctors’ observation and the social worker is working toward the best possible placement as prescribed by the law. We are indeed a lifeboat for our street community; they feel seen, cared for, and loved by us. We help them when they feel as though they are sinking and alone. We don’t know the outcome of this story yet. But we can pray that it will one that gives a good example of [the Lord] setting the lonely into family. (Psalm 68)
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