The title of this article is likened to the story of Nyerhovho Etirikpe, an abandoned street child who was rescued by the Sisters of Charity in September 2015. This boy has been living on the street for years having been branded as a witch and abandoned because he is suffering from convulsions.
The sisters met Nyerhovwo on our way to a function one morning sitting down at the centre of the main street at Okpara Inland with a swollen body, a piece of bread which was given to him by a ‘good Samaritan’ and a bottle of water. He was so weak and couldn’t even talk. People who knew him gathered around when they saw the sisters and directed them to his grandmother’s house.
His grandmother was advised to bring the boy to the hospital. Being concerned for the health of this child, the sisters went out in search of the boy but couldn’t trace his whereabouts. The sisters employed the services of two youths who combed every corner of the village and later found Nyerhovho by the side of a bushy and lonely junction lying down, wearing an oversized T-Shirt, with a bottle of water and a piece of bread beside him. He was very dirty and unconscious.
He was brought to the Hospital in Okpara, where he was attended to by the nurses. He was shown love, acceptance and care by both St. Francis Hospital staff and the sisters. The sisters convinced his grandmother to attend to him in the hospital since his parents couldn’t be traced.
Today, Nyerhovwo’s grandmother is very happy taking care of him.
By Sr. Justina Nelson RSC
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