Hardships and Flickers of Hope

Over the last few days we have seen first hand the hardships that are present in Zambia.  The hardships vary in degree but none the less they are not uncommon. Joe's been working with a gentleman for the last few days who walks a long distance to get to work each day.  What makes him unique is that he walks to work with only one shoe on because it's all he has.  He works all day on a construction site with one shoe and than walks home.
Today the staff were discussing two children that attend the school and their mother had been killed less than a year ago.  Both these children are under grade 1 and were there when their mother was struck and killed by a car while crossing the road.  One of the girls was holding their mothers hand and the other was on her mothers back in a sling when the accident occurred and neither girl was harmed.  Many of the children that attend the school have fathers that are alcoholics and very unsupportive and mothers who have died from HIV/ aids, sickness, accidents etc.
It seems that every day at school they are administering several malaria tests to different children.  You get malaria from infected mosquitos and it is very prevalent here.  Today I was told that they have had over 40 positive malaria tests since February at the school. Each day their has been a child lying in a corner on a floor of a classroom with a headache and shivering  with this illness. Thankfully, the children that attend the school are treated with medication but their siblings and friends that don't attend the school can become fatal with the illness.  Yesterday, our Cecilia wasn't feeling great and we administered a malaria test on her.  Her first test came back positive (which is odd because she's taking anti malaria meds)so we were preparing to take her to visit a North American dr in the next town over.  We decided to do another test to make sure and it came back negative.  We decided three was a charm and we administered a third test on her and it also came back negative.  It's an unsettling feeling when your child isn't well and the resources available are slim.  We gave Cecilia some med's to treat her fever and she drank some electrolyte juice and today she is looking much better.  It appears she was severely dehydrated. We're so thankful she is doing well today and looked like her old self again.
The stories of sadness, family hardships, personal turmoil, poverty and grief are very real here.  The Esther School is changing the lives of families and is giving a flicker of hope in a situation that otherwise seems hopeless. Please keep the school, the children that attend The Esther School and their families in your prayers!