Tawa: The little girl that rocked my world

I walked into the orphanage with my Mother and stopped dead in my tracks. An unrecognizable stench filled the air with a few crying babies rocking themselves in what seemed like a pattern they all mimicked. An unbearable, dejecting sight to behold, I looked around wanting to flee but stood motionless. Then my eyes met hers. Big bright eyes cast with a shadow of helplessness.

“Ki lo se Tawa”, (what’s wrong with Tawa) my Mom asked the Matron on duty. “Ko ma jeun, o fe re di e” (She hasn’t been eating, she may be a little sick) she said. Apparently Tawa was one of my Mom’s favorites and would always smile, I was told, when she came in on her usual visits to the home run by a Muslim Women’s association, she was involved with(F.O.M.W.A.N. to be precise).

She went round the room as I assumed she normally would, checking on each child, calling them by name and saying a word or two to them. However, she couldn’t shrug off Tawa’s reaction on this day. “Something is wrong, she’s never like this”….We took Tawa home that night, my Mom suggesting a couple of days away may help the situation.

You see, Tawa was a year old but due to malnutrition and lack of much needed attention, she did not have the strength, the will nor the benefit of a behind to sit not to talk of crawl or walk. She lay in her crib peering through the slats. Her light, bony body begging for help as her ribs could be seen through her skin. That evening it seemed to me she had given up hope as her eyes will roll a little to show the white part with what I can only consider a deep sigh. It was heart breaking to watch.

All this came at a time in my life of when I was experiencing guilt, shame, loss & deep pain. So I guess we clung to each other for hope. She was loved by us all but there was something special about our relationship. A divine comforting intervention, a divine assuring connection that will forever change my life. A name sake that that will alter my perception and create clearly, a defining moment in my young adult life.

Within weeks of staying with us, pumped with highly nutritious food and pampered with love and care, Tawa not only survived, she thrived. Her huge beautiful eyes with lashes to die for could not be any brighter with a wide smile that will melt the hardest of hearts. She sat, she crawled and babbled with a lot of sass…her eyes always telling a story.

Tawakalit, “Mo B’Olorun duro” (I stand with God), as we Yoruba folks will say… a name from the Arabic word Tawakkul which means to trust and sincerely depend on God only. What an amazing concept. God really did pull through for Tawa that evening many years ago and I truly believe He’s still pulling through for her today.

This story has been an experience I will never forget and when I feel like there is nothing much I can do to make a difference, I am reminded of Tawa. The true beginning of my journey in self-discovery. My Mom, God bless her heart, did not have to speak to me about acts of kindness, she demonstrated it in the most profound way. All she gave was a little time and attention that probably in my opinion saved Tawa’s life.

We often think, we’d do more when we have more. The truth though, is giving of ourselves is the most generous gift we can ever give anyone including the world and that, my friends does not require much. It just requires a willing heart and an act of sacrifice. God has asked us to show His love. What better way is there than to give of ourselves just as He gave and continues to give. We are an extension of God’s arms on earth. Wrap your arms around someone in need today and you would have shown His love.

The home Tawa was living in was funded by an Organization that was not rich by any means but by a group of women who saw a need and were doing their best under the circumstances. What would it have looked like if that home had volunteers like you and I coming in to support their efforts? There are a lot of needs out there and indeed it can be overwhelming but if you reach out to one life (in your way) and that life is better for it, you would have made a difference and it would be well worth it.

Photo effect by Photofunia.com