Last night at 1:30 am Ferdinand called me from Shadi. He was hiding in the bulrushes with the Tumaini children and staff. A gang of armed thieves were roaming Shadi and reaking havoc. Our night watchman alerted him of the danger, and he decided the best course of action was to hide with the children. So Dan and I drove out there to see if we could help. Apparently the thieves had been going from house to house and, as is usually the case, those with the least means were attacked first and hardest (no means = no security). According to our watchman they attempted to enter the Tumaini property but were run off by the dog, the now-stirring villagers, and the headlights of my car.
After Ferdinand heard that we had arrived he came out of hiding. The local people, too, came out of hiding. Five people were seriously injured: two with gunshot wounds to the leg and three with deep machete wounds. The worst case was a huge cut in the back of the head. We loaded them up in the LandCruiser and made our way to the hospital. They were moaning in pain the whole way.
One thing disturbed me about the trip. Before taking them to the hospital we had to stop by the police station to complete a police report. Not only did we have to wake the police up, but we also had to light a fire under them so they would complete the report before the poor man with the head wound died.
This is the fourth time in four years that we've seen an attempted robbery in Shadi. Theft is a common occurence and, sadly, those hurt the most are often those with the least means to protect themselves, local folks living in exposed homes. In each case in Shadi, we've never seen anyone connected with Tumaini injured. We have a secure fence, a dog, and a watchman that gives those inside adequate time to properly react. But still, at the end of the day, our security is in God's hands.
UPDATE: This afternoon I got a few more details on the Shadi robbery:
*When Ferdinand said "the children" he meant his children, not the Tumaini children. His children hid in the bulrushes, not the Tumaini children. The Tumaini children remained securely locked in the main house. Last night I wondered about why the Tumaini children would hide in the bulrushes when they have a secure house. It makes sense now. Although I was a little concerned for Ferdinand's family. They have a secure house, too, but as I found out today their door lock isn't working.
*It seems that this was a targeted hit with a specific house in mind. The most serious injury was the watchman at this particular house. Others were injured when the heist didn't produce what the thieves expected, so they went to a few neighboring houses to track down the money they assumed was at the originally targeted house.
*Two of the five injured have been released from the hospital. The two with gunshot wounds in the legs aren't in serious condition, but have remained at the hospital. The one cut in the head is still in serious condition, but the docs say he'll recover. His name is Mandela and is a member of the Shadi church.
*We're thankful that the security measures we've taken at Tumaini (and at our place) have consistently and sufficiently deterred harmful intrusions into our property.
Honestly, I'm always leary about posting stuff like this (it happens around us frequently) lest people become overly concerned about our safety. We've always felt safe here...at least as safe as we did living in Allen Park. We take more precautions here than we do in the States, but never do we feel unsafe.
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