Dometiere

This tiny baby is Dometiere. When the picture was taken in the beginning of September 2011, she was five weeks old.She has such a big name for such a little girl! Her name is a Dagaaba name, one given to a female child whose mother has died. Dometiere's mother died a week before Dometiere came to live at the Lawra Methodist Orphan and Vulnerable Child Center.  When Dometiere came, she was malnourished, sickly with flies all over her! She came with her "Maakum," her grandmother, her mother's mother.

It is Dagaaba tradition that when a baby's mother dies, the mother of the woman takes care of the child. If not, the spirit of the deceased will come and torment the grandmother. So, in her old age, Maakum, is taking care of Dometiere. The child loves her Maakum and wants no one else! But, tradition seems to rule in Maakum's life. She is used to sleeping on a mat on the floor. There are beds at the Centre.So, Maakum still sleeps on a mat on the floor, but is afraid to have Dometiere sleep on a bed. She does not want the spirit of Dometiere's mother to torture her.

This is a recent picture of Dometiere. Ghanaians would say, "She is looking fine. She is fat." They mean that she is looking healthy and she has gained weight, she has had enough to eat. Maakum wants to take Dometiere to the village to live. But, what she doesn't understand is that Dometiere is still a high risk child. She may look healthy. She just recovered from a bout of malaria. She has been diagnosed with asthma. If she goes to the village, chances are that she will not get enough to eat nor will she receive her medicine. Sickness and even death comes quickly to all children her, especially high risk ones. Please pray for Maakum and Dometiere. Pray that the best decisions for the child would be made. I know that God has big plans for this child. I pray she lives long enough for the to come to fruition.