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January 26, 2005

In memory of Cavilla

Yesterday a small team of us went to one of Benin's famous stilt villages. But, fascinating as the village is, this was no tourist excursion. Sonja, one of the nurses from the Anastasis was going back to visit a family she has known for several years, a family with whom she has shared both extremes of joy and sorrow.

While visiting the village back in December 2000, Sonja met Cavilla, a little girl with an orange-sized tumour growing from her eye. After chemotherapy and surgery, Cavilla recovered rapidly, and seemed to be improving well. But, in April 2001, her condition suddenly deteriorated, and Cavilla died.

Sonja has kept in touch with the family across the years, and the Mercy Ships team have been invited back to the village to share the good news of Christ, and show the "Jesus" film. There is now a small church meeting under a tree there, and the team have also been able to help with installing wells, and doing health teaching.

It was about an hour and a half drive from the ship. As we bumped down the dusty red road at the end of the journey towards the village, the greenery of the thick swathes of grass, backdropped by palm and banana trees, contrasted startlingly to the dryness of the Burkina sahel.

As we arrived, hoards of schoolchildren swarmed around us, and a few excited women, recognising Sonja, started calling her name, and led us to Cavilla's family. We sat in the shade of a large nime tree, the crowd gradually grew quiet, watching as Cavilla's family gathered. The women happily hugged Sonja, as Cavilla's father looking on, serene and self-controlled, but clearly touched by the visit of this added member of his extended family.

Once the usual formalities were over, conversation and laughter were the order of the day. Cavilla's brothers and sisters were introduced to us all. Bottles of coke appeared as if by magic. There was catching up on the latest news from the village: the family were well, the pump was still working. Cavilla's mother gave us a summary of what the teaching had been about in the last two church meetings. The villagers have started planting maize in anticipation of the "small rains" soon to start.

The village is built by the river, and is flooded during the "big" rainy season of September. Hence the stilts - the houses are built above ground on wooden poles to stay above water during the flooding. With the river lapping the shore just a few feet away, local fishermen and tradesmen paddled their canoes past the stilted houses, going about their everyday business. In the quiet and beauty, and cheerful chatter, I could have stayed there all night. But all too soon it was time to head back to the ship. Reluctantly, Cavilla's family let Sonja go...

Posted by Keith at January 26, 2005 12:41 PM

Comments

Posted by: Soangimpali at January 27, 2005 05:08 PM