Saturday, February 26, 2011
Someday An Abundance of Food - Thursday
As we walk down the hill, we can see about 100 kids waiting in line with brightly colored cups. The feeding program provides 2 cups of porridge(which I believe is just corn meal and water) twice a week. They hungrily gulp down their food as they run up to us to practice their English. It is pretty amazing how well some of them speak English considering most do not attend school. One of the smaller boys grabs my hand and holds on desperately as if he will never let go. He keeps touching my arm so hungry for affection and human touch. The children are treated very differently here. If they do have a family, the adults do not typically socialize with them. Most Rwandans think it is very odd that we spend time with our children, watching a movie,etc. It is just not part of the culture. The adults work so hard in their garden, trying to harvest crops to sell for money to support their families. They do not have time to play whatsoever. And the children that are fortunate enough to go to school usually walk at least one hour each way, many without shoes! And we think our kids have it rough. I was lucky enough to get to know our interpreter, Christine. When she was little she would walk one hour to school in her bare feet. If she was lucky enough, they might have some leftover dinner for breakfast before starting the cold trek to school. She did not own any shoes or sweater. She returned home at 5:00 for lunch- walked to retrieve water for her family, be back around 8:00 to have dinner and then go to sleep. Oh yes and water oh goodness will I please never take water for granted again! That's for my next post.
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Shaina, I couldn't agree more. We take so much for granted. I came up with a list of things I will vow not to take for granted due to the experiences we had in Rwnada. My journal reads, " I don't want Rwanda to just be a memory; I want to live with it each day".
ReplyDeleteWhen over-indulging in material things, foods, and treats I want to stop to consider the hungry children at the feeding program and Sonya's sponser family we visited- their simple, roofless house.
When work feels hard, redundant or stressfull, I want to stop and think of the sisters and their dedication to their work and their unconditional love for the poor and diabled children. They sacrifice everything for these children as if they were their own blood and they do it with smiles- I want to be that way for those I work with here.
When I dislike something I will try and avoid using the word hate, as I saw that the people of Rwanda saw what true hate and evil is during the genocide- I have not.
I will appreciate that my basic needs are met and that I feel safe ad secure and do not need to be afraid or stressed over mundane matters.
I will prioritize spending time with friends and family over doing self-indulging activities, for I need to be gracious for having these people in my life knowing how fragile life could be for others around the world who have seen their family members die right before their eyes.
I will think of the disabled children being locked away in rooms, left in bushes or handed over to orphanages, as if they were not human- in thinking of this I will try to stop complaining of our helathcare system.
I will never complain that I don't make enough money to indulge in extracurricular things, instead I will think of Germaine and her struggle to pay her $32/month rent and feed/care for her children.
When grocery shopping I will use reusable bags, as the Rwandans have banned plastic bags from their country - I think we can learn a good lesson from them.
I will try and become more efficient and avoid buying many unnecessary things- in thinking of the sisters who set up efficient means to power their ovens, garden and farm to feed themselves and the children.
If complaining about how hard a physical activity is, like carrying grocery bags down a block from my apartment building, I will think of Asia who makes handbags despite her severely diasabled hands and how far the people of Rwanda walk for food, water, school...everything.
When I feel disconnected from the world or myself and when I question evil that does exhist in this world, I will think of the faith Michel had, believing he will one day walk again. The faith and hope the Rwandan childen have for their future. They want to be teachers, ministers, the Presdient...they like all kids have hope for their future, despite their poverty and despite their homelessness.
Jessica.... I enjoyed reading your post. It reminded me of words I have written & spoken...& lost....thank you for waking up that which what was asleep.
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