Le foyer Des Enfants Aveugles, Mal voyants et Handicapés de Nlongkak

While growing up, all I knew was that everyone had to be ill at some point in their lives but I didn’t know that some people could be ill forever.

Once I learnt that some people had to bear their illness for the rest of their lives, I also had to accept that, this sad reality didn’t spare children.

It hurt me to think that a child would be ill or handicapped and stay that way, perhaps till their old age, but my heart was   actually torn when I spent an entire afternoon with the blind and handicapped children of Nlonkak,Cameroon.

December 2015, Significant Deeds had just opened its doors with 3 members who embarked on a journey to give the little they had.

It was a regular journey during which we complained of the scorching sun as usual and the heavy traffic.

We had no idea of how beautiful our destination was until we got there. It was an old house built with planks and a twisted, rusted metal sheet that served as fence. At first sight, no one would be pleased to live there but a minute later the sound of laughter from the kids, the melody from their voices as they sang, the giggles as they played and their screams as they welcomed the senior ones back from school, gave you goose bumps and made you feel at home.

For long, we wondered how they could be so happy yet so ill.  They welcomed us so warmly that, the word “underprivileged” lost its meaning. Talking with them quickly made us understand that we had received a priceless gift from them, something that even a 100 more visits from us with our little donation could not pay back.

On our way back, though the sun was still scorching, it was also simply a very bright sun that saved us from the troubles of the rain.

Darline Tatke