About Meameno

Meameno wearing a snazzy red shirtFirst, there is Meameno. Meameno was the first visitor we had in the village, and one of the last children to leave our home at the end of the year on the day we left. She was undoubtedly at our house almost every day, and the reason became clear as the year progressed.

Meameno’s father passed away several years ago, leaving her and her brother to live with her mother, who is HIV+. Despite their mother’s best intentions, it was obvious that Meameno and her brother, Mekondjo, needed adult attention. Their mother was simply too sick to perform the exhausting duties of being a mother. Meameno struggled in school, often seemed disinterested, and generally didn’t seem to understand the importance of education. This confused us, because Meameno was bright, but as we learned of her family situation things became a bit clearer -- What must it be like for a 14 year old, whose father has died and whose mother is too sick to care for her and will, inevitably, pass away? If a child models behavior on his or her parents, what is she to learn? If the education system is essentially set up for learners to fail, how does one thrive when there are no adults to guide one along the road to success?

Meameno in front of our houseThroughout the year, we honestly began to think of Meameno as one of our children. She would bring over her school notebook and ask Kathryn to help her study. When she had homework that required a dictionary, she came over and sat down at the kitchen table with Kathryn, who would help her to find the words and understand the definitions. She would come over with a list of computer tasks she needed to understand the process of, and Dan sat down with her and went over each of the tasks, one by one, until she understood. She came back the next week with the news that she had gotten a perfect score on her test. At the end of the year, her uncle told us that he could not believe the progress she had made in her English skills throughout the year.

As the year wore on, we began to see her attitude change. With our constant encouragement, she not only realized the value of education, but the value of herself. Meameno is destined for great things, and we want to help her realize them.