At 13 years of age, this youngster is our beauty queen. She is constantly redoing her hair, painting her nails with the pastel paints intended for the art projects and eating!  After years of fighting for food, she still shovels down her meals as if someone will take it from her. She eats about 5 times more than the others.   Although she has been physically full after each meal in our home, it seems impossible for her to mentally feel like she is. 

The other day she was found in the kitchen sneaking raw beans into her mouth. Upon being seen, she slammed the cupboard drawer closed and ran out.  Upon sitting her down it was explained that in this house it is not necessary to sneak food.  It is hard to imagine that she is still hungry between meals (she eats more than even the oldest boys) and for her stature it seems physically impossible for her to hold so much food in such a small body. 

But that is not the issue, the idea of her feeling like she will be in trouble for being hungry is sad. Years and years of being hungry is not forgotten in a few months - the goal is that she will learn food is a right not a privilege.  Hopefully she will learn that in our Lupwa Home she will never go hungry.   Breaking the cycle of hunger, severe malnutrition, lack of medical care, and the memory of gathering salvageable trash to sell at market in order to earn money for the family will take time.  

Now in grade 5 at Twatemwa Primary School she is daily learning that it is not necessary to fight [and fight she can! - yelling, screaming, getting angry] but was overheard not long ago saying to Violet, "CIBOTE" [I will not fight anymore].