Reclaimed Waste

Please be warned of the graphic nature of this post. This harsh reality is uncomfortable to hear, but is a story that I pray incites real Christians to actual prayer and tangible action. God has given us a command and responsibility: “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).

For the last 19 months, we’ve resided in a small two bedroom structure in Old Kampala that had an acute lack of indoor plumbing. The “bathroom” was a little bigger than a linen closet with a pipe that drizzled cold water at the top for showering and boasted a spigot near the floor for washing. To use the “toilet” we would head out the back door in our slippers to another closet-like concrete edifice, smash a few cockroaches, and squat over a 6-inch hole.

The pit latrine is a perpetual fixture on the average African home plot. Usually hand dug to a depth of around 30 feet, all human waste is conveniently disposed of with minimal odor, maintenance, or cleanup. If used and regularly cleansed by one small family of two, a pit latrine can remain in good working order, free of bacteria and disease. But many urban households are sharing “the pit” with countless other residents, like our 7-family next door neighbors’ house and their dozens of children. Conditions worsen. I’ve often shone my flashlight to the bottom of a pit latrine and been disgusted to see the floor alive with all sorts of feces devouring creatures (not to mention a cesspool of human offscourings).

Yet the saddest and most disturbing fact about the Ugandan pit latrine is that often times this site of convenience becomes a place to dump unwanted newborn babies. Read this text message we received last night:

“Please join me in prayer. Our friends found a newborn in a pit latrine today and no one has the means to take care of her. If it breaks my heart it must grieve the Creator even more. Oh, these dear little souls…”

When she says that they “found a newborn in a pit latrine,” she doesn’t mean that the desperate mother left the little one sitting in the corner to be found by a passer-by. The child was heartlessly dumped into the abyss of excrement and contagion left to die a torturous death in hopes that ensuing toilet use would cover up the child’s cries and all evidence of the murderous crime.

Our midwife gave us a similar account: a friend had found a beautiful baby girl with so many maggots resident in her ears and face that emergency hospitalization was necessary to save her life. Who knows how long she lingered in the sewage before her rescuers noticed her plight and by some means lifted her to safety?

Sexual abuse is on the rampage within this culture. 80% of all girls in Uganda are sexually assaulted by the age of 18. Between this and unrestrained immorality by consenting teenagers, it’s no wonder unplanned and unwanted pregnancies abound. Guilt, shame, and fear, along with family pressure and cultural practices at times will drive a young girl to do the unthinkable. I suppose pit latrine ditching is simply another form of abortion, one in which the mother is not required to actively participate in the death of her offspring.

Bo Stern has reminded us that there are 143 million orphans in the world today. I wonder if that number merely represents those who have no living parents physically present on the earth. If we could possibly count “social orphans,” (those whose biological parents have abandoned or otherwise disposed of them, or chosen to abdicate their responsibility to care for and raise them through severe neglect and abuse) the figure would be overwhelming.

There are a few baby homes in the country that do take in thrown away children. Our ministry partners have a charming two year old running around their compound thanks to the loving care one of these homes have provided. Another missionary family has three adopted children from these godly organizations. Many hospitals and clinics throughout Uganda make an effort to provide resources and supervision while a local pastor even told his congregation to leave undesired babies at a rich man’s gate as an alternative to killing these precious little people.

But the grim fact remains that these stories of rescue are the exception and not the rule. The fervent prayers of God’s people are desperately needed at this time for the children of Uganda. Loving care on the part of thousands across the globe is necessary to provide for rescued souls and offer support to fearful young moms. The Church of the Living God must rise up in this dark hour to do her job and save a dying world.

While in the process of writing this post, we received a follow up text message from our friend:

“All glory to God. A lovely Christian lady from church has taken the baby. I will stay in touch and help her as the Lord leads. Thanks for prayer.”