There is a tribe in a Africa that has a culture rich in tradition. However, this tribe lives in fear of evil spirits who they believe bring ill fortune to their villages. They use the word “Mingi” to describe persons they consider cursed or otherwise imperfect. Those deemed Mingi face severe consequences, as they believe the presence of these children on their land curses the tribe. Their solution to this perceived threat is to drown Mingi children in the river. Last year, 7 percent of the children in this tribe were associated with Mingi, resulting in the deaths of at least 77 children. If the two other nearby tribes practice the Mingi tradition at the same rate, then combined 3,000 children would have their lives at risk.
Read this first-hand account, from Kristen, about the rescue of Bale—a girl the tribe considered Mingi—in February of 2009:
On a previous visit to the tribe’s villages, I was introduced to a woman six-months pregnant with a Mingi child who she knew would be killed soon after the baby’s birth. Overwhelmed by learning of this terrible process, I asked her how she felt. She tried to be emotionally unattached because the issue of her motherhood had been decided; she knew no other option for the child. However, as she spoke, tears gathered in the corners of her dark eyes. To know that you have to kill the child growing inside you must be harder than anything else imaginable.
When our team arrived in Africa in January, four of us headed south to meet with Lale, a tribesman who had completed his university education and also attended a discipleship training school in Germany. The Mingi issue weighs heavily on Lale’s heart. After much discussion concerning the fate of six Mingi children expected to be drowned soon, we decided to travel south to the tribe’s villages. We would assist Lale while he took custody of the first child and then we’d help him establish an orphanage. While there, the team wanted to go to the main village to pray for a Mingi child in danger. Lale’s friend took six members of the team on a three-hour journey by foot in 120-degree heat to meet a man who had a daughter named Bale with teeth that had grown in on the top first—believed to be an indicator of Mingi—who had been hiding for five months. Within two days, the elders would likely kill her. A question haunted us: “Do we take action and become responsible for a life, or do we do nothing and let a child die?”
We stood on the bank of the river waiting for the canoe that would bring the parents and child out from their hiding place. We sat down with the family and the leader of the family—the father’s uncle—expressed appreciation that we would take the child. Soon the uncle handed me the little girl and told us it was time to leave. As we drove off, I kept wondering how could anyone want to kill this beautiful little girl. When Lale arrived the next day, he saw the child in my arms and said, “Now you really know how I feel, don’t you?” Lale, Abril and I headed off a few days later to pick up five more children. Despite many obstacles, we were able rescue all five kids, from four months to five years old. When we arrived, Lale, his wife, Gito, and a few other women were ready to give the children baths and feed them.
In early February, following the rescue of the initial six children, Lale and the missionary team legalized the orphanage with the government. They named the orphanage “Drawn from Water” because the group utilizes the same river that the children are drowned in to rescue them.
The group rescued two more children from within the tribal community, but two other children died because they couldn’t be reached in time. The same day of the rescue, the group contacted Nick, who sent e-mail correspondence to his contacts, including a faith-based community in Northern California. This Church responded immediately and wanted to help raise financial support for the orphanage’s immediate needs. The story also reached Levi, a businessman in Sacramento. A few days later, Nick and Levi, and Rich, the churches Missions Director, flew around the world to Africa, followed by a three-day trek to the orphanage and a one day dirt-road drive to the tribe. The U.S. team worked with Lale, tribal leaders and the orphanage to acquire footage and interviews to share with the “outside world”. Rich set up a financial foundation for support. Levi called his wife back home in the United States and the couple decided to relocate their family to Africa to aid in the foundation of a permanent orphanage. Drawn from Water will begin a new legacy of hope for these Mingi children.
