Eight-year-old Hanna Yesaya has been a bright light in our Kaliyeka Township program for the past five years. She was one of the first twenty children and, though the Chifundo program has grown to 200 kids, Hanna still stands out in a crowd.
Like all of the other children in the program, Hanna was accepted due to extreme poverty and hardship. Unlike most of the children in the program, Hanna still lived with both of her parents in a tiny room across the road from the Chifundo meeting grounds. That was until last week, when her father died.
The family struggled to find the funds to bury their beloved husband and father, Bernad Yesaya. The needs were simple – a wooden coffin, transportation to the mortuary and the graveyard, money for a goat and maize to feed those who came to pay their respects and comfort the family. The total funeral costs were less than $150 USD and yet it was so far beyond their means it may as well have been ten times that amount. Neighbors gladly donated whatever they could to the bereaved family – small amounts of cash or goods, such as flour or firewood. But the truth is, there is simply not much to spare.
Now Hanna and her mother, Mary, must continue their daily struggle to survive with the added burden of grief. Sadly, Mary Yesaya is also sick, so for Hanna, there are even more painful realities ahead.
It is for Hanna and many other children like her that we do what we do. Please remember to pray for Hanna and her mother during this difficult time. We take comfort in the truth that our God is a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows, aware that we all have a part to play. To that end, please consider a financial contribution to the Yesaya family to cover the funeral costs and help them buy food and pay rent for the next several months. Thank you for your support and God bless you!
To donate online click here and simply write Chifundo’s Basket: Hanna in the comments, or send a check to Ancient Path at:
Ancient Path
P.O. Box 38045
Olmsted Township
Ohio 44138
Ancient Path is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible. In addition, 100% of all funds designated for Chifundo’s Basket are spent to directly aid the children in our programs.