| I was just about to close the main door of the office building when I
heard a man telling the watchman at the gate: ”I’m looking for Mama
Munga”. I turned around and saw a man who might have been in his
mid-30s. Even if his face was totally unfamiliar to me, I believed that
he knew me somehow. As I walked to the gate and greeted the stranger, I
silently blamed myself for not having left office earlier since that
would have spared me this unplanned meeting which would probably cause
me to spend one hour more at the office. |
- Do you want to talk to me?
|
| - Yes, mama. I understand that the office is supposed to close now but I have a problem |
We went back to my office and I invited the man to sit down as my mind
tried to figure out who he might be. Being not only the Bishop’s wife
but also a pastor, I have the privilege of becoming known by many
people. In turn, people expect me to know them and I often feel
embarrassed to admit that I don’t remember them. I was still struggling
with my memory when the man started to talk:
|
“Mama, my name is George and I’m coming from Dar es Salaam where I live
with my family. I have heard that you have opened a school for children
with mental disability.”
|
For a couple of seconds, I held my breath.
|
This was not the first time that I had been in the situation of sitting
before a parent of a mentally disabled child who had heard about Irente
Rainbow School. Since the opening of the school in January 2005, there
had been a steady stream of requests from parents coming from different
parts of the country who wanted to bring their mentally disabled
children to Rainbow. They had heard about the school either through
media or by being told by relatives and friends. George had heard about
Rainbow through a friend who had heard about the visit of Hon.
President and Mama Mkapa at the school earlier this year on the TV.
|
George started to tell me about his mentally disabled 8 year old son,
Amba, and about efforts made by the family so far in finding suitable
schooling or training for the boy. I tried to listen but my attention
was divided. I was trying to figure out how to present the truth to
this father. How would I be able to tell George in a somewhat humane
way, that it would not be possible for the time being to receive Amba
at Rainbow? I knew by heart the list of reasons for not receiving more
children at Rainbow for the time being:
|
Reason number one: Rainbow is not a boarding school and therefore it can only take children from the nearby.
|
Reason number two: Rainbow has too few teachers and thus it has to limit the number of pupils.
|
Reason number three: Rainbow is still a very new school and needs time to get established before it can receive more children.
|
Reason number four: Some of the pupils at Rainbow are multi-handicapped
and therefore the work burden on the teachers and teaching assistants
is already heavy.
|
Who would not find these reasons appropriate and sensible?
|
Yet I knew that as appropriate and sensible as they may sound, none of them would make sense to Amba’s father.
|
With a scattered mind I continued to listen to George. This man really
wanted help. His desperation reminded me of an occasion when I was
visited by a grandmother who had a mentally disabled grandson. The
grandmother, who actually came to my office with her disabled grandson,
was not satisfied when I told her that the boy would have to be put as
no. 26 in the waiting list of Rainbow. You must help me! she
insisted. As if that pressure was not enough, the disabled grandson
whose speech was quite well developed took my hand, looked me straight
into the eyes and asked me: When should I come to start school?
|
As George went on telling the story of his struggle, I got a view of a
father who seemed to stop at nothing in his efforts to look for the
best help for his son. George had been in all schools that he had heard
of. In Dar es Salaam he had visited several special schools and units.
But there had been no suitable solution for Amba. Sometimes the schools
were already full and therefore Amba could not be received. Other
times, Amba was admitted to special classes but somehow it didn’t work
out well for him and he had to be taken out. On hearing about Rainbow,
George wasted no time to take the buss to a part of Tanzania where he
had never set his foot before. Surely, this was a father who would not
save energy and resources for the sake of helping his disabled son.
|
When George finished talking, I asked him some questions regarding
Amba’s early childhood. After that, I gave George some information on
how Rainbow started and he listened to me with interest. Eventually, I
had to stop hitting around the bush and tell George the fact that
Rainbow is a day school with no boarding facilities at all. It was
heartbreaking to see the disappointment that displayed itself on
George’s face.
|
For some seconds, it became totally quiet in my office. It was a
painful silence and I could only pray that the Holy Spirit would pour
comfort into George’s heart.
|
At the end, George and I agreed that Amba should be put in the waiting
list, numbered 29. Instead of giving George the form normally filled in
by parents, I opened the computer and together we filled in the
particulars about the boy. When this was done, it was time to say
goodbye.
|
- So where are you going to stay overnight?
|
- At Sun Hotel. I booked a room there before coming to see you.
|
- You say it is you first time ever to come to Lushoto?
|
- Yes, mama.
|
- And you’ll go back to Dar es Salaam tomorrow?
|
| - Yes, I will. You see, I came here only for the sake of finding a school for my son. |
It became quiet again. This time I really had to fight back my tears.
|
- I would like to say a prayer for Amba and for your family.
|
| - Oh, thank you! |
We both stood up and I led the prayer. When we finished, I looked at George. The expression on his face had changed.
|
- Mama, thank you very much. God bless you!
|
| - Thank you, Baba Amba. God bless you too! |
|
But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:31).
|
Newsclips 
