'It Takes a Village'

This beautiful baby boy...

is being raised by a widowed mom and with the help of the village. His father, a Muslim, became sick. Pastor Justus Koroma (pictured above) prayed with his father and encouraged him to accept Christ. And while he was healed temporarily, he became sick again. Like a lot of people in the villages, the man used charms and sought the help of witch doctors out of desperation and eventually died from his illness. In her grieving, his wife lost a baby in childbirth. 


This is not uncommon in Sierra Leone. According to the latest statistics collected by the government in 2008, 115 babies die for every 1,000 live births. Additionally, because of malaria, unclean water and a lack of healthcare services, there are 204 deaths for every 1,000 children under the age of 5. 


Right now, this boy's mother is going to trade school in another community. She must leave her son behind in the village in order to have HOPE of providing for him. The popularized phrase based on the book "It Takes a Village" certainly applies in Brigitte where siblings look after one another, neighbors take in orphaned children and everyone tries their best to do what they can with what little resources are available.


Please pray for this family and for others who endure untimely deaths and for everyone in the villages taking care of children.