Beautiful little girl, nice story.  But there are beautiful little girls and boys right here in the US that are in as bad a shape or worse than this little girl.  Where do you find their story?  I feel for this child and all the children that are suffering wherever they may be.

I have a child that would be considered deaf and mute without the technology of today, a ""Cohlear implant" how very sad that Esihle doesnt have that same advantage to be a full functioning child,with an advocate to provide her with what she needs. Do you have more information on this Orphanage?Is there someway we (The Blessed People of America)can help?

What a beautiful, moving account of the wonder of the human spirit.  Eishle, this tiny, lovely child, removed from her parents, deaf and mute...whose eyes shine with gentleness and love, is to me the concrete proof that Angels abide among us, unawares to most of us.  May blessings be showered abundantly upon this precious little child as well as upon the tender hearted and compassionate Mr. Fletcher, who took the time to share this wonderous story with the world.  Thank you, thank you, thank you....

This story has touched my heart, thank god their are caring people who dedicate their life to helping those who can not help them selves (like the chilldren). I have always dreamed of going to Africa to help people in need, but am caring for my three young sons now. I have a son who has Prader Willi  Syndrome who is 16 yr old and I feel he is a gift from god, When I saw Eshile small precious face I felt so much warmth. I will keep her and the children and adults at the home in my prayers.

I used to do business in SA...when the parent company went belly up I tried to get what was left of my money out but finally gave 10K rand to my attorneys secretary to give to an organization that deals with Aids and orphans...she found a Catholic Charity group in Cape Town and we turned a whole lot of bad into a whole lot of good.

I hope that thanks to this story this little girl and her brother will be adopted together and also that help will be provided to the home that is taking care of these children.

These children have a lot to offer that we do not even know about yet.

Thank you for this wonderful, yet heartbreaking story.  This is real journalism.

I have to say, I do genuinely appreciate this article.. Thank you so much for publishing this! Blessings to you all.

Brittany C.

Heartwrenching and unfortunately the story of millions of children in Africa. Lived there for 40 years. You help where you can but it feels like it does not really make a difference, it is never enough...

A beautiful story.  So many of us are so blessed by where we live and don't even realize it.  When I get up in the morning I don't think about whether I will be the victim of a suicide bomb, or whether I will have enough to eat.  "Because no one can choose one's own birthplace", it is our responsibility, we who have more to help those who have less.

I hope a lot of good-hearted people will be touched by this hear-warming story.

Martin,

Thank you for this story. You seem to have a talent for seeing the humanity of the situations you report on. Your stories are important because they remind people of the human cost of conflict, disease, poverty and war. Please keep the stories coming!

Having spent two months in the Cape Town area of South Africa doing volunteer work two years ago, I can tell you that her story is one of the more tame stories that I have heard. Listening to the experiences of the disadvantaged children in that area is both awe inspiring to think how much strength they must have to have endured their experiences at such a young age and devastating to hear at the same time. I found South Africa to be the most inspirational place I've ever had the pleasure to visit (keeping in mind that I'm not THAT well travelled). Spending even an hour with some of the children in the orphanages and giving them a little bit of the attention that they so desperately need and which is most often lacking in their everday life is one of the most worthwhile ways anyone can spend their time. There's so much that needs to be done in that country in so many different areas. Literally anyone can go there and find something that they can do to help if they are just willing to roll up their sleeves and do it. The personal rewards in terms of a new sense of self-worth and accomplishment are absolutely amazing and well worth the effort. While it is good to keep in mind that the dollar still goes a long way in that country (when I was leaving at the end of my trip, I gave one of the house mothers at the orphanage I was volunteering at the equivalent of $400 I had gathered from friends and relatives to use for the children and she informed that the amount was more than her annual salary), donations are not nearly as effective as spending what time you can helping out. Unfortunately, in my experience, most of the orphanages and shelters are run by individuals with the biggest hearts in the world but who are lacking in the area of business sense. As an example, one of the shelters that I helped out at was on the verge of having to shut down due to lack of funds. This organization was a tax-exempt organization, however, in South Africa, the way that works is that you still pay taxes throughout the year but when you file your tax return, you receive a full refund of those amounts. Due to the fact that they had improperly filed their tax returns, they had virtually thrown away roughly 30,000 rand which would have been more than enough to have kept them afloat for a while. If you're in the Cape Town area at all and are interested in visiting a few places like this that could certainly use any help they can receive, I would personally recommend Sive Nathi in Blackheath, Cape Town, Western Cape http://www.myggsa.co.za/connect/receivers/sive_nathi/ which is a home for special needs children (mainly children with cerbral palsy and aids orphans) and Leliebloem House http://www.myggsa.co.za/connect/receivers/leliebloem_house/  in Athlone, Cape Town, Western Cape which is mainly a home for children who have been removed from abusive situations by the government. Please note that I have note used the Connect website to make donations and cannot vouch for it. As such, I would recommend using the "Connect with this cause" option if interested. Alternatively, if anyone is interested in sending any goods down there, at Sive Nathi, as mentioned, the children are mostly children suffering from cerebral palsy and, due to lack of staffing at the organization, are usually confined to cribs for most of the day. As such, they are subject to severe bed sores. I have heard that something that helps to alleviate the occurence of bed sores is laying on foam camping pads which allow some air to circulate. These can be found fairly cheaply on the internet. Alternatively, while I was down there, the children who were aids patients who still attended school in the neighborhood were literally begging for new pencils to take to school with them. I was able to give them some before leaving and I have never in my life seen a child so thankful for something so simple. For Leliebloem House, any items that assist in the care of children (clothing, toys, etc.) would be much appreciated.

My heart goes out to these children and to their caretakers. I wish there was some way 42 people here could become a long-distance godparent and send at least $50 a month to help support one child (more if they can afford it). I am a senior citizen surviving on $534 a month and would gladly become the first one to make this pledge if I could get the address to mail the check to. As an undergraduate student my major was Pan African Studies with a dream of visiting South Africa to teach adult educators how to teach other adults how to read and write. One of the professors I studied under at Temple University was Dr. Keto who has since returned to his home in South Africa. So, if I can get the information, I will try to recruit others to help.

It saddens me to be reminded of children living these lives. Africa is a whole different world. I am also in agreeance with Linda from ND. We have beautiful children living very sad lives here in the states. They all need prayer.

To Linda, ND: Linda, have you ever traveled? No offense, but if you're in North America, you are way better off than any one of those children, barring any type of psychological or physical abuse. I have seen things in those developing nations that are unspeakable. In America, we have access to far, far more programs to help children, believe it or not. But I share your sentiment that it is terrible and sad wherever children may be who are neglected. It's even sadder that North Americans have the resources, yet we choose to spend trillions on world conflict.

I think this child is beautiful. I would love to help her,too. I need to respond to Amy Neikirk,West Salem,Illinois: I too have a child who is DEAF, but did not need to give her a cochlear implant to make her a "full functioning child". She is an award winning artist and will begin her college career in the fall of "09. We are proud of her and use American Sign Language in our home and NEVER felt as if she was less than perfect. This little South African girl need this chance at communication and needs to learn to sign as soon as possible. She is beautiful, truly beautiful.

Yes, ANY Information, on WHERE or HOW to send Donations!!!---Would be "APPRECIATED"!!???---(to me,
that is the MOST "Effective" "Journalism"!!???---")))"
THANKS!!!

Touching.May my prayers reach to the heavens above to touch the lives of the less fortunate.Our children are the future and what precious gifts each and every one of them are.With so much going on in our own lives it is good to her international news such as this that let's us know just how blessed we are.Our 'recession' is in no comparison to the struggles of peril present in 3rd world countries and abroad. Count your blessings. As my father always says, "If you can help somebody, Help them". God Bless.

That's awesome she has a place to live, I would like to take more action in helping those that are less fortunate and may God Bless those that thought of the poors then being selfish and think of themselves first...my heart goes out to the needy and may God protect them

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