Sometimes I feel her before I see her, as she'll run up behind me and latch onto my legs. I'll turn around and there she is, beaming, arms up ready for me to hold her. She just turned 3 years old at the beginning of this month, but she is a bit small for her age... perfect for me, since I enjoy toting her around the center wherever I go.

What you notice first about Shiwa is her big smile. What you may not notice for a while is that Shiwa is deaf. She'll spout out all kinds of sounds, but no words--as it is probable she has been deaf from birth. This does not hinder our communication whatsoever. We point, we laugh, we tickle, we kiss, and we love.

My heart breaks, however, to think of the challenges this beautiful little girl has ahead of her. The challenges are countless for all of the children in Katutura, but especially one with a physical handicap stacked against her. It's my desire, or perhaps you could call it my mission, to help provide whatever resources are necessary for Shiwa and her grandmother so that she will be able to live a fulfilled and successful life. For one thing, that will mean enrolling her in a special education program. There is an organization in Namibia called CLaSH, The Association for Children with Learning, Speech and Hearing Impairments. I spoke with the director to learn more about ways to help Shiwa. First, Shiwa's hearing must be officially tested before we can proceed further with special education options. Namibia has a very interesting health system and procedures which I won't go into detail, but to begin, Shiwa's grandmother needed to take her to two clinics in order to get the referral to go to the ENT clinic at Central Hospital. From there, I volunteered to help them get the brain stem audiogram needed for her hearing assessment. It was found that Shiwa is completely deaf in her right ear and has some (but very little) residual hearing in her left ear. She can't hear conversations, more like she may hear a big truck driving by, but at that decibel, it's a bit like she is feeling it more than hearing it. Maybe a hearing aid would help her, mostly for the benefit of hearing a danger before crossing the road. We will pursue the benefits of that option.

For now, the grandmother needs to get her a birth certificate... a common issues and obstacle for many OVCs here. Once she does that, we can begin the application process for special education. There is even a nearby kindergarten especially for children with hearing and speech impairments. Shiwa will eventually need to learn sign language. I wonder if the grandmother will also try to learn, which would obviously be ideal. I even thought about attending a class or two. It is also my hope that Shiwa will eventually become registered at FHS so that she can have a sponsor to help with school fees once she is accepted into a special education program. For now, I have been spoiling her a bit with some new clothes and yummy treats.

I'm collecting a pretty huge list of names of people that I am going to have such a hard time leaving behind when it's finally my time to say goodbye. Shiwa is at the top of the list, and I think it is the young ones that make it the most difficult, since they don't really understand the whole coming and going process. Many have already been abandoned, and I can only pray that they don't perceive me as yet another person in their life to do just that. That is where I must simply pray and trust God that He has purposely brought each of these special children into my life, and He is going to care for and protect them despite what (or who) may come and go. But for now, I am here. And Shiwa will be loved with every ounce of my being.