I wonder how Ricovia is doing. He’s a little boy I met out in the “bush” as they call it, during my last trip to Kenya. These rural areas, where crops have failed and livestock are starving to death, are probably the hardest hit by the famine that is now gripping this nation. As we were packing up to leave after distributing emergency food and supplies to his village, Ricovia’s grandmother walked up to our truck and placed her grandson in the back. “You must take him,” she told me through her tears. “He will die if he stays here.” Ricovia is 10 years old, but looked to me to be about the size of a 5-year-old. Chronic malnourishment had left him bone thin and stunted his growth. My heart went out to this child and his desperate grandmother. So, we agreed to take Ricovia back to one of our children’s centers near Nairobi.
We left Ricovia in the care of our wonderful staff. Now, for the first time in his life, Ricovia has eaten his fill, played with a toy and slept in a warm bed all with the comfort of knowing he’ll wake up to a brighter tomorrow.
I’m so glad we were able to help this little boy. I pray that he will grow up strong and healthy, and will never again have to feel the stinging pangs of hunger.
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