March 7, 2012

This March Our Journey Newsletter is dedicated to my precious Phila.
This precious baby is one of the reasons I continue to do what I do in Africa.
Happy Birthday Phila!
Phila's was born on March 7, 2003 ~ today is his birthday, he would have been nine today. Sad to say Phila died on June 4, 2009. Please remember him today and "all" the other children dying of AIDS in Africa. I was Phila's "Mama Mauween." I love you so much and Mama Mauween still misses you. I know you are no longer suffering; you are one of God's Angels!
This precious child captured my heart when I was asked to go pick him up at a hospital in 2005 and take him to the orphanage where I was volunteering for a year. Phila was just two years old then, he had been living at the hospital since he was 6 months old. His parents had died of AIDS and he had been left at the hospital. I begged the Director at the orphanage to let him stay with me for the first three nights before putting him with our other babies ... he had never been outside the hospital. He stayed with me for three nights sleeping in my bed with me. I worked with the babies at the orphanage so I was able to see him every day... needless to say he had stolen my heart. After many months I tried to adopt him to take home with me; it was then we found out he had a grandmother and two older sisters and they now wanted him back. It was with mixed emotions that I returned him, happy that he had a family but knew the conditions where he would be living, a mud hut, dirt floor, no water or electricity and in a very remote unsafe area. I was allowed to visit him every year upon my return visits to South Africa, I would brings clothes, food and basic supplies for his family. At one point shortly after we returned Phila to his family I had visited him and found him very sick and too weak to walk; I took him back to the hospital immediately and was told then that he was near death and his grandmother was a witch doctor. I was promised he would not be sent back home ... that was not the case, after he was well again and on real medication for HIV he was returned to his family and I was told by local officials there was nothing I could do about it. He did do better for a couple of years; I continued to visit him every year and did not know he had died in June of 2009 until my yearly visit in September of 2009. I promised myself to keep his story alive and bring an awareness about these innocent children dying of AIDS.

Love,
Maureen Ahern
Phila's Mama Mauween
Founder/Director
Our Journey, Inc

Pictures Below

/ 2005
/
Taken in 2006 when I returned Phila to the hospital - he was so sick ....

2008 /
This was the last picture taken with Phila.