SOUTH AFRICA | Wednesday, 3 July 2013 | Views [286] | View Larger Image
This is Isandla. She is one of the girls who stays with Mama Doris full time, as both her parents died from AIDS and she has no other relatives to take her in. We bonded after I bandaged her foot one day. It was covered in third degree burns, and when I asked what happened the only explanation I could get was simply "fire." So I cleaned the wound, put on burn gel, and bandaged her foot. Then gave Mama Doris specific directions to see the clinic doctor for antibiotics to prevent infection. A week later I returned to the crèche on Christmas Day to hand out gifts, and Isandla ran towards me and proudly showed me her healed foot. From that day on she was like my shadow but never once said a single word to me. She often watched me take photos of the other children but would always cover her face when I tried to take her photo. This one was the best I could get.
