Danelle is an orphan. His grandmother raised him. He has been at the center since March and after visiting his home I cannot really understand why he left; maybe a curious young boy in search of adventure in the big city.
We waited outside Danelle's home surrounded by goats and banana trees and curious neighbors while someone from the village went to fetch his grandmother from a neighbor's home. A little old lady hunched from years of working the land hurried up the road towards us. She took one look at Danelle and tears welled in her eyes.
She told us she had worried about him every second of the last months. She had sent people to look for him and went to his school to try to find him. She even called prisons to see if they had picked him up. Finally she assumed he was gone forever, maybe even dead. But now, she was just so happy to see her grandson!
She took us inside her little mud house and told Danelle to gather his things. She had saved it all for him hoping one day he might return. She told us she dreamed of him most nights. At this point leaning against the door frame, tears began to roll down her weathered cheeks. She had her grandson back, she knew he was ok, and for that moment all was good in the world.
As we prepared to leave, after promises were made for more visits, she scrambled through her purse looking for a pen she could give him for his studies. I am pretty sure she would have given him the world if she could of. It's an amazing thing to see- the power of love.
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