Lady Fair
She was named by her Papa and when she hugs me, she lifts me off the ground and I am lost somewhere in her breasts and arms. She tells me I am so little and skinny that I’m not worth a chicken and when she laughs, Mother Earth, God and the angels laugh with her. She has shared her story with me, which is viciously painful and cruel and she still cries when she recounts it. She has not only survived attempted murder and numerous rapes, but has blossomed into a woman of power and self-esteem. She cares for 11 children, some of which are unrelated but have found their way to her one-room shack and never left. She will never send them away either. She told me, if she only had 2 potatoes, and someone was hungry, God would want her to give away 1 potato to help others, and she does! Some of the children in her home sleep in front of the sink on the kitchen floor, the others in her bed. She must start moving them at 4:00 AM in order to feed them and heat the water to bathe them all before she travels to the center for work. I have NEVER heard her complain. She loves with all her heart and soul and that is a lot of love!
Baby Lady Fair, a.k.a. Lesipo is her granddaughter. She comes to work with Lady Fair daily and plays with Chloe, the daughter of one of the other staff members. I don’t know what lies in wait for Lesipo but she is wise beyond her years. She has the strength and spirit of her Granny and when I look into her eyes, I know that she is meant for important work on this earth. Unlike her predecessors, she is taught there is nobility, pride and self-respect in being a woman. I want to know her in 20 years. I can already say I am honored to take part in her life, no matter how short the period of time. She has a running start and a chance at being part of the formula to revolutionize this country. She is going to play an important role in S. Africa . . . this I believe . . . I can sense it.
Last Monday marked incredible strides forward. As you know, I have been trying to help Lady Fair get a roof and walls for her house. I had run into obstacles left and right, yet still trusted that it would all work out. The problem I encountered was she does not own the land where her place is located. We were told that any improvements I made to her property would most assuredly get her kicked off, as the line of deed holders would see the improvements, force her off and “sell” it to someone else. It is tribal land and passes from hand to hand by illegal deeds. I wanted assurances that long after I’m gone, Lady Fair will still have a safe, dry home for her and the 11+ children she cares for.
Without options left, I decided to shoot for the stars. I attained the number of a member of the African National Congress. A stroke of luck passed his personal cell number in front of me and within 24 hours, I had a scheduled appointment to meet him. I made copies of the photos I had taken of Lady Fair’s house, prayed for the right words to come forth, packed Lady Fair up and off we headed to Durban, where we met with this public official. It was as if time stood still . . . he listened without interrupting, he looked at the photos with care and genuine heart, and then he looked us in the eyes. His secretary stepped in to remind him that he had appointments lined up waiting for him, but he continued to take his time with us. I told him of how Lady Fair helps so many in her community and that in fact only 2 of the children living with her were her own. The rest were orphaned. I needed his help in finding property that I could legally purchase for Lady Fair so I could raise money to build her a safe and dry place. I showed him photos of the inside of her house where gaping holes caused rivers of water to flow during powerful rainstorms and how the howling winds threatened to send her roof sailing from beneath the rocks that held it in place.
He told us all the land in this particular area was corrupt and nothing could be legally purchased because it had passed through so many false deeds. I asked him where then could I purchase property for Lady Fair that could stay in her name. He thought for a minute and began looking through paperwork, and then out of the blue, said he would grant Lady Fair a piece of government land. It is within a rural development program. Her parcel of land will even come with running water and electricity! (Lady Fair has never had running water in her life.) I told him I needed a guarantee of this as I was leaving in December and couldn’t leave my friend without knowing she and the children were safe. He guaranteed me and signed the papers in front of us. The land will go in Lady Fair's name. I will be able to begin purchasing the materials required to build her a home. I have already started accumulating bricks. The man also told me he would make every attempt to have her on that land before I leave in December so I could rest knowing she's OK. Miracles!
