"We want to help her find a better life, but first she must cast out the bad spirits," Naomi's older half-brother responded. "She refuses to be helped."
Before accepting Naomi, the family wanted several preachers to verify that she was not a witch. Wamu discouraged the idea, knowing that eventually they would find a prophet who claimed to see evil spirits. Instead she emphasized the family's obligations to the girl.
They sat quietly for a moment. "We know it's our responsibility," said Flory Nazombo, 23, the eldest male in the family. "She's our sister. We can't abandon her." He promised that someone in the family would visit Naomi to discuss coming home.
Wamu nodded and wrote out her telephone number for the young man. It was the opening she had been looking for.
As she left the home, Wamu was flush with hope, though fewer than half of attempted reunifications succeed.
"I think we made some real progress tonight," she said. "It went well."
Three weeks later, no one from Naomi's family had visited her. The brother had not called. And Wamu was making plans for a sixth visit.
