Etonam, 8, was so excited when her Aunt Tanti came to visit the family. But soon after she arrived, Tanti found out she had COVID-19. Receiving a diagnosis of COVID-19 can be unsettling and even frightening. But for an impoverished family in Togo like Etonam’s, it meant that her Aunt Tanti was dragged out of her family’s home in the middle of the night by the police.
By the next day, the entire neighborhood heard the news. The family was denied access to the market and couldn’t buy food.
“My sister and I went to buy food in the shop and they refused to serve us and sent us away,” says Etonam, who is registered at the Compassion center in her village. “They told us that my Aunt Tanti contaminated us with COVID-19, and we should never approach them. We returned home crying.” The family went into quarantine while police stood outside of their home. No one would bring them food, and they became isolated and desperate.
Finally, though, the Compassion partner church got word about what was happening – and raced to help. Immediately, they provided food and essentials to the house, ensuring the family could quarantine safely for 16 days and have all of their needs met. No one else in the family contracted COVID-19 during that time.
“I want to say a big thank you to all who support Compassion,” says Kodjovi, Etonam’s father. “They don’t know us, yet they provide for our needs and support us. Only God will reward them. May God bless them abundantly.”