I wanted to cry this
morning. Sitting under a shade tree with
two of our favorite students during lunch break at one of our primary schools,
I noticed one of them was eating her beans and samp with spoon. This was unusual, because almost everyone
here in rural Swaziland eats with fingers.
Just making conversation, I
mentioned that she was eating with a spoon.
Then she showed me her finger tips.
They were raw and bloody. She
said the rats at the camp had bitten her while she was sleeping.
These
girls were our best students in grade 6 last year ... smart, eager, motivated,
and just fun, cute girls. Their families
fled Burundi. One of their mother's is
the pre-school teacher at the camp. Education
is a value in her family. Life is hard at the camp: cramped living spaces, no privacy, limited
water and bathroom facilities, very little income, and yet these girls and many
others like them make the very best out of so little available to them. The
unfairness of life for these young refugees breaks my heart. We will keep
trying to give them as much attention and knowledge as we can before August,
but I fear it will not be enough. Some
of the refugees like these two young women will find a way to succeed, but many
will not. It just breaks my heart.
The
photo shows refugee girls from several central African countries after
performing a dance.
Like you so eloquently expressed, I am heartbroken as well. Once again your posts share the struggles so many less fortunate endure. I know you will continue to do the best you can, it's all that you can do, but it still is painful. Shedding a light on these inequities in life makes your work all the more important. Hang in there and keep smiling. You may not be able to save all of Africa, but you're making a difference for so many.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Monika
P.S. No soccer mags yet, but I'm still trying to find something suitable. Wish me luck.