“My journey began with my relocation to Namibia in 2013,” Paida Mandudzo shares.

Paida is a pediatrician and serves with Every Home in Namibia. In 2013, newly graduated from medical school, her vision of the future was realistic, but also full of hope.

“I have always had a passion for children’s health, and working in a district hospital gave me exposure to a lot of sick and vulnerable children,” Paida continues.

As Paida cared for children and their families, she got to know their stories and circumstances. “Many ceased to be just patients,” she says. “A significant portion of my patients were from single-parent households. It’s very difficult as a single parent to provide for the basic needs of your children.”

Many of the parents Paida encountered also lacked basic education on nutrition and care for young children. So Paida began hosting educational workshops, which began with prayer and worship, in the pediatric unit and ministering one-on-one with parents and caretakers on the weekends. Many gave their lives to the Lord.

Paida was encouraged by the difference she was making, but an even more profound turning point happened when she met Miracle.

Miracle suffered trauma during his birth and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and later epilepsy. He spent most of his young life in and out of the hospital.

In the fight to save a child’s life, it’s easy to forget their parents.

“The emotional burden I saw Miracle’s mother carry with constant hospital visits drew us closer to each other,” Paida shares. “Every month, Miracle attended a cerebral palsy clinic to help him catch up on his developmental milestones. One Monday in the clinic, I was awestruck by the number of cerebral palsy patients and the severity of their conditions. Mothers carried their children who struggled to control their bodies and communicate. Many of these parents had endured accusations and blame for their child’s condition.” (In some African cultures, children born with disabilities are seen as curses or even punishments.)

Paida saw invisible people—parents who had been rejected by their communities and even largely forgotten by the doctors treating their children. Paida saw weary hearts. She was filled with Jesus’s love for them.

“A lot went through my mind, seeing beyond the physical need to the spiritual needs,” says Paida. “I shared this need with Every Home leaders. Because of support raised for margins outreach, we were able to hold the first-ever seminar for caretakers of children with cerebral palsy at the hospital. There were a lot of myths that needed to be corrected medically.”

As Paida shone the light of truth on what had been shrouded in mystery and shame, her audience’s hearts opened to the gospel. “What a joy it was to see many open up about how they felt and eventually find peace in Christ. With resources from Every Home, caretakers were relieved from the burdens and guilt they carried. They learned how to pray for their children, and thirty households received care baskets of food and supplies.”

After the seminar, Paida recruited local banks and businesses to sponsor continued outreach to cerebral palsy patients and their parents, providing basic necessities, Bibles, and educational materials. “Miracle and many other children who had untold stories are living with hope,” Paida shares. “We see God’s love lavished upon them through the margins ministry.”