Save urgently! The English translation for ‘vonjy maika’, is emergency. We had an emergency when we visited Lovako School in Ampamata at the end of April. You might wonder why I haven’t mentioned any of it, but besides being caught up in the aftermath, I prayed that God would provide the deliverance and that I could share it as a testimony to God’s grace.
Not long before we were due to head back home from Ampamata, I noticed that Euphrasie and the teachers were talking intensely amongst themselves and when I approached Euphrasie to ask what was up, I saw in her face that it was definitely no small matter. Two of the girls, Mboty and Florette lived with Mboty’s grandparents in the village. Mboty is nine and Florette twelve years old. Florette has been sexually abused by the grandfather for months and had been threatened with death were she to tell anybody. When she discovered that he started to molest Mboty too, she told a neigbour who immediately told the teachers. The fact that this had all came to light before we left Ampamata, was ordained by God.
I told them that the girls needed to be taken out of that house immediately. Thesi and I agreed that this needed to happen before we returned to Nosy be. I had a meeting with the teachers that afternoon as well as another family member of Florette. Florette is an orphan and we have always felt responsible for her. I was therefore angry when Ledesy her teacher, did not want to be involved as he had heard that the accused man was violent. I suppose telling him to man up and to be brave was a bit harsh, but Euphrasie reminded them that all of the children in the village were at risk and that a predator like that will not change. We all agreed that the grandmother was just as culpable since Florette has told her many times about what was going on but was beaten for being candid about it. By now, you can understand that I was filled with anger and disgust, but immensely sad for these girls. I was adament that the abuser needed to be arrested and the rule of law needed to be followed. This is kind of problematic if you sit in a village in the middle of nowhere. The teachers suggested that the whole village met at school the next morning where the next step would be decided. Florette and Mboty were taken in by Bruni, one of the teachers, for the night.
The following morning, there were loads of people at school. And they were angry! Interestingly, the young men were the most outspoken and told the older men that it was unacceptable what had taken place and that it needed to be dealt with. Now, village justice has its place, but usually the outcome is swift and bloody. As foreigners, Thesi and I could not be involved. I told her that it might be better to keep a low profile. She assured me that she was ‘all in’ and wanted to support in any way she could. The village decided that the men would go ahead and detain the grandfather and the women would then follow and collect the girls’ belongings. Some of the men would then take him to the authorities by boat and file the complaint. They listened to the girls’ testimonies and were convinced that they were telling the truth. By then the fear and stress were beginning to show on the faces of the girls and Mboty promptly developed a fever.
Thesi, Euphrasie and I followed the women who were by then speaking animatedly amongst themselves about what they would do to the man if they laid their hands on him. I prayed that by the time we arrived at the house, that the man would have been taken away. Thankfully, this was the case and by the time we got back to school, the abuser was surrounded by men and of course still claiming to be innocent. He demanded the girls to come and tell him to his face what they told others. I quickly told everyone that this was not going to be the case and that I will not allow those girls to ever stand before that man again.
We returned to Nosy Be and were kept up to speed about what was happening concerning the case. At the time, the grandmother was not home and she fled when she heard what had happened. The grandfather was taken to the chief of that area who had to prepare the proper paper work to file the complaint at the police in Ambanja, the closest town. Most of the villagers added their signatures to the letter. Somewhere in all the activity, the grandfather managed to escape. I still have my opinion about how that could have happened, but corruption shows itself everywhere. I urged the village to continue with the process, in effect bypassing the area chief. This they did and the police in Ambanja assured them that the man will be found. He cannot hide forever.
Florette and Mboty had to be medically examined. They were both repeatedly raped by this man. Physically, Florette suffered irreparable damage. Euphrasie and I cried when we learned how much they had endured. I don’t want to go into the details as I believe that God will heal them in body, mind and spirit. The culture of the people on the island once again showed its evil side. Parents simply leave their children with grandparents to carry on with their lives, more often than not shunning their responsibility as parents.
It is the time of the year for the national Grade 5 exam. The five students from Ampamata joined our school on Nosy Be for two months to help them with revision and to prepare for the exam at the end of June. They wrote the mock exam last week and Florette did very well. I felt in my heart that we had to bring Mboty as well. I was convinced that she needed a new start. Her mother agreed and the two of them live close to the school now. Mboty is in Francise’s class which is the best solution as Francise is the most suitable person to help her to deal with the hurt and to show her that God heals and restores.
Jeremiah 32 v 27 says: “Behold I AM the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
Despite the fact that God was reminding Jeremiah of the sins of Israel and how they were carried away as punishment, he was also reminded of the future restoration. One day God will restore Israel to their land and provide the blessing of salvation.
I can say with confidence that I believe that for our Father nothing is too hard. Please pray with us for Mboty and Florette for healing and restoration.