Deng

Deng er en helt normal 13 årig dreng. Men hans liv er ikke helt normal. Også han er fra en af de mange landsbyer der er hårdt ramt af Kala Azar. Begge hans forældre er døde, han er ene barn, og tilbage har han blot en bedstemor, der tager sig af ham. Desværre bliver også han bedstemor syg af Kala Azar, og da der kun er hende og Deng tilbage, må han træde i til og tage sig af hende. 

Da de ankommer til klinikken, kan hun ikke gå, og hvordan han har fået hende fragtet den 8 timer lange tur til fods er et mysterie. 

Fra starten af er Deng meget om sig. Så snart jeg viser mig på afdeling for at gå stuegang, griber han min hånd og fører mig til sin bedstemor, for at sikre sig at hun bliver set. Hvis han er den mindste smule bekymret henter han mig, og gør med tegnsprog og en blanding af arabisk og nuer forståeligt hvad problemet er. Engang i mellem giver vi ham lidt penge så han kan købe brænde og mad og tilbrede et måltid til ham og hans bedstemor. Det rører mig dybt at se denne knægt tage så godt vare på sin bedstemor, og heldigvis kommer hun sig hurtigt. Efter et par uger er hun igen i stand til at gå en lille tur rund om klinikken, støttet til sit barnebarn, da vi deler myggenet og tæpper ud sørger Deng igen for at hun også får sin ration. Og når vi skal have båret borde og stole og andet materialle fra vores lager, er han der staks for at give en hånd med.

English: Deng is a normal 13 year old boy. But his life is not normal. He is from one of the villages that have been hit by the outbreak of Kala Azar. Both his parents has passed away, he is the only child, and left is only a grandmother, who is taking care of him. Unfortunate also she falls ill of the Kala Azar, and as it is only the two of them left, he has to take care of her. 

When they arrive at the clinic, she is not capable of walking, and it is a mystery how they have reached the clinic, as it is 8 hours away on foot from their village. 

From the beginning Deng is very aware of his grandmother making sure she gets the best treatment. When I arrive to do the rounds in the ward, he is there immediately, pulling my hand to his grandmothers bed, making sure she is seen and gets the best treatment. If he is worried, he comes and finds me, and with a mixture of sign language and arabic / nuer makes it understood what his worries are. Once in a while we give him some money to go to the market to by firewood and food to make a meal for him and his grandmother. I am deeply touched seeing this kid, taking so good care of his grandmother, and luckily she quickly recovers. After a couple of weeks I see her and Deng walking around the clinic arm in arm, and when we do a mosquito-net and blanket distribution Deng is there making sure his grandmother gets what belongs to her. And when I need help carrying tables and chairs to our storage he is there giving a hand with the work.