Rosie

05/04/09

Most spurn unreachable people preferring to donate from afar. A special few like Peace Corps Special Needs Volunteer, Rosalinda Wong of Group 79, seek them out.

A 14-year-old encephalitic boy, Sekai, lives in the house next to mine. At six months the boy had a fever, filling his brain with fluids. Requiring 24/7 attention, the boy is unable to walk, control his waste, or talk. He mainly lies naked in his house moaning and masturbating, attended to by loving parents, younger brothers, and sometimes his grandmother. He is a child many parents pray never happen to them. The family receives no governmental support. For Rosie, he is her greatest challenge as she tries to fulfill his mother’s wish, have Sekai ask for her by name.

Also near me is a 10-year-old girl, Sili, with Down’s syndrome. The school is unable to handle her; her single mother is occupied with chores, as Sili spends her days roaming around the village. She is a pretty but fearful girl whom Rosie says can be taught to read and maybe become a productive adult. Rosie only wishes she could have started working with Sili earlier.