Kambobe’s Story…
FARM-OWNER TAKES KAMBOBE TO SCHOOL INSTEAD OF POLICE-STATION
Kambobe Mesha, 13 years old, is doing grade 2 at Wiphan’s Sinia center. Kambobe says that his both parents died almost at the same time, when he was very young. Relations from both his mother’s and father’s side rejected him and never wanted to have anything to do with him. His grandmother, from his mother’s side (in her old age) decided to get him.
Kambobe’s grandmother, being too old had very little help to offer to Kambobe, apart from shelter. Kambobe testified in an interview that food at his grand mother’s house was very scarce and that they would go without food for several days and such a life became ‘hell’ for Kambobe.
Kambobe’s grand mother started asking him to get down town to beg for financial help but that yielded very little help and life for Kambobe kept getting harder and harder. Each time Kambobe returned home without nothing, his grandmother would even beat him up. Kambobe testifies that he and his grandmother slept on an EMPTY STOMACH most of the days. The young boy started wishing HE WAS NOT BORN. Because of hardships, hunger, rejection and unbearable challenges Kambobe faced at a very tender age, he attempted to commit suicide but God saved his life.
In 2006, Kambobe, joined friends who were RAT-HUNTERS. Kambobe’s friends were a little older than him and had been RAT-HUNTERS FOR SOME TIME. Usually, rats are found in the bush and especially in MAIZE AND GROUNDNUT FIELDS. Kambobe learned RAT-HUNTING SKILLS from his friends in the month of May,of 2006. Kambobe testifies that each time they hunted rats, he would take the rats he hunted to his grandmother. The grandmother would go around the Sinia compound begging for mealie-meal. Whenever the grandmother managed to find mealie-meal, she would make nshima, boil the rats in salt and they would eat and that would ‘make their day’. Because of difficulties in finding mealie- meal, Sometimes Kambobe and his grandmother would just eat boiled rats, drink water and that would be it for that day .
Friends to Kambobe forgot to tell him that RAT-HUNTING was not allowed during the rainy season (from November to April) because it is the time FARM-OWNERS till their fields and plant their crops – MAIZE, GROUND-NUTS, POTATOES, MILLET, SORGHUM, CASSAVA, PUMPKINS, ETC, ETC. Kambobe went on with RAT-HUNTING because that became means of SURVIVAL for him and the granny.
In November, 2006, the FARM-OWNER where Kambobe hunted rats from had his farm tilled and crops planted as usual. Kambobe tells his story that he did not stop hunting for rats even after he had seen that the farm-owner had planted crops in his farm. Kambobe BECAME A GREAT DISTURBANCE TO THE FARM-OWNER because the young boy would end up destroying beds and crops that were planted as he SOUGHT FOR RATS TO HUNT. The owner of the farm prayed to God and asked Him to EXPOSE the person who had become a DESTROYER of his farm.
In January of 2007, Kambobe was CAUGHT by the owner of the farm with a lot of HUNTED-RATS. THE OWNER OF THE FARM TOLD KAMBOBE THAT HE WOULD NOT TAKE HIM TO THE POLICE TO HAVE HIM BEATEN UP AND DESCIPLINED BUT WOULD HAVE HIM ENROLLED INTO SCHOOL BECAUSE SCHOOL WAS THE BEST THING KAMBOBE NEEDED. The farm-owner told Kambobe. For sure the farm-owner, brought Kambobe to Wiphan’s Sinia center and had him enrolled into the first grade, without the knowledge of the grand mother. The farm owner met with Kambobe’s granny after the enrolment.
Kambobe testifies that he and the grandmother REALLY THANK GOD FOR THE FARM-OWNER, WHO HELPED HIM FIND WIPHAN SCHOOL. KABOMBE SAYS THAT FROM THE TIME HE CAME TO WIPHAN SCHOOL, HIS LIFE TOOK A NEW TURN. THE YOUNG BOY ENJOYS SCHOOL AND HE IS VERY DETERMINED TO STUDY HARD AND BECOME A DOCTOR. KAMBOBE IS VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE MEAL PROGRAM AT SCHOOL AND THE BAG OF MEALIE MEAL HIS GRANNY RECIEVES FROM WIPHAN. HUNGER IS NOW A THING OF THE PAST AND HE AND THE GRANNY ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR WIPHAN-USA FOR THEIR LOVE AND CARE.