This is a Fulani acquaintance of ours, we know her because she and her daughters are among the local milkmaids. She also happens to be a shirt tail relative of a long time friend of ours. I think her name is Zeynabu, and she is a widow of 4 years’ time. Just two weeks or so ago, tragedy struck her family. She lost a 3 year old grandchild, he fell into a drainage ditch and got lost among the weeds and died. At about the same time, lightning struck her small herd of cattle, killing 25 out of the 28. She did not even get any profit from selling the meat, as a mob of local villagers stripped the bones clean before she had a chance to hear about it and do something. These cattle were her livelihood, and now without the herd and no gardens or crops, she is in a difficult position. We are so thankful that she still has the 3 – 2 cows and a young male, so there is more hope for her than many other of our friends around here. All the same, we hope you will take a moment to pray for her. It is Ramadan, and now she has little possibility for the normal big celebration at Ramadan’s end, a feast with new clothes and henna decorated hands and feet and hosting family and friends for meals and strongly sweetened hot tea by the gallon.
