The Chased Woman

In terms of days, this was a sad day for us.
After Mass in the Cathedral we came back and had some breakfast, started a little work when a young SJOG brother, Ephram, knocked on our bedroom door looking confused and asking for Mary. It transpired that a woman had come to the gate looking for help, a very regular occurance, and since the boss, Br Aidan was away, and there was no plan B, Mary was the one.
She had been chased from her home , with her four children, by her husband who had taken a new wife. She had no money, no place to stay and was in a poor state. She could get a room for a month for 500 Kwacha (2Euro), but would have to change her children from a good school, so Mary gave her 2000 for a better house, close to the school and some for food. We have a temporary job at the factory garden and she will start on Tuesday, until she finds her feet.
This is the fourth such chasing we have heard of this week.
Two hours later a young woman arrived who was discharged from the hospital 6 miles away, in the latter stages of HIV/ AIDS ( looking at the symptoms). She carried a tiny baby with an empty bottle. Mary and Joseph, another young brother who minded the baby and treated her with such dignity until Mary fed her and arranged for her to get, home 20 miles away.
I know Br Aidan deals with these crises every day without a word, and would deny all knowledge of such happenings.
My God, it's a hard, cruel place with challenges everywhere you turn and no indication that anything will improve in the short term.
Today there is no water, chickens, meat, cheese or green beer. Of course these things impact little on the stories above.
What does impact is that fuel got a 37% hike in price last week, followed by bread, taxis and a raft of similar increases will ensue.