We were lucky enough today to be picked up by Abigail and brought to the center with all the things that Annie had brought with her in her suitcases. Thank you Eunice, the customs officer, for cutting us a break and not making us pay for all the things we brought.. stethoscopes, toys, jewelry, baby hats, blankets, clothes etc… The second we drove into the center Annie jumped out of the car and the kids swarmed her, surrounded her and proceed to give her the most fantastic hugs I have ever seen while I watched and took a couple pictures from the distance. All of a sudden, after Annie pointing at me, I had about 30 kids running towards me to greet and hug me. Was it because I was white and they knew that I may have something to offer them? Or was it out of true genuine happiness and joy that they decided to bombard me with their love?
This went on for a good twenty minutes. I sat down on the stoop and they took over. Surrounded by little ones they were touching my hair and skin and I gave me sunglasses to a young girl and I took my hair out and they proceeded to run their tiny little fingers through my fine, thin hair. Some of them for the first time feeling the touch of a white woman's course hair. Finally, after being helped up by a few children, we gathered in the school yard where they proceeded to sing songs. I forgot my video camera today, so tomorrow I will bring it so I can record the harmonious voices! After interrupting their day, the teachers called them back inside and Annie and I proceeded to make our way up the hill to her friend Martha’s house in the Haukahana settlement. Her house was no bigger than a couple of bedrooms at my house, but she managed to make it warm and inviting. Veronica, her 9 year old daughter who is HIV positive, greeted us. I saw the maturity and responsibility in her eyes. She proceed to go fetch her mother and we waited while she came back.. Martha, who is in the picture in the brochure in the front, was weezing from the walk up the hill. She was all smiles and hugged “ Ms. Annie” and was so pleased to see her. I sat inside with her daughter Milka, two (see pictures) while Annie and Martha tried to discuss as best they could without an interpreter about how they had been, how martha’s health was and what she had been up to. Annie has been sponsoring Martha by giving her some money to buy things and Martha was explaining to Annie how she has been using the money- buying school clothes for her children, paying off water bills etc... THe joy of that meeting was watching Milka play around the house. She went outside to go to the bathroom and after her clothes got a little wet, she went inside and changed into her beautiful pink shirt and teal pants. It took a little while for her to warm up to me, she instantly remembered annie, but after giving her a few funny faces and hiding from her with my sunglasses she opened up just like any other 2yearold. We played and she took out her skateboard and enjoying the rides up and down the floor. I took out a pack of stickers that I brought for the children and gave her a section. Her eyes lit up and she kept repeating something in Oshivambo and pointing to the stickers, calling " Meme (may-may), Meme (mother, mother) and holding up her stickers to show her. The stickers were of cats and dogs so I started making those noises in which she proceeded to copy me and say the words for cat and dog in oshivambo. Just like any other 2 year old in this world, she took pleasure in the simple things and laughed when we played hide and seek and wanted to show me things. It was very hot out so it was nice to seek some refuge from the sun in Martha's house. Our time was up because we had to go fetch our things from the school before it was locked up so that we could go to the hospital and deliver to Charlotte the hats, blankets and some clothes that Annie's friends so graciously made for the little babies in the AIDS and ante-natal wards. Charlotte was out sick for the day so we dropped off the hats and one of the nurses or what they call sisters asked if we wanted to see the babies. Of course!! we said. The ones they brought us to were all in incubators except one. This one, (see pic) was "not sick" meaning he didn't have HIV and the mother had put him up for adoption. We asked if we could hold him, he was so tiny and precious. All I could think of when I held him was how this boy could take any path in life. It all depended on his parents, on who would want to take responsibility for him. The mother was undergoing counseling to make her final decision. She already had two children and felt that she could not support a third under the conditions that she was living. Valid reasoning.. There is so much behind that though. For instance, one fo the girls that annie has worked closely with over the years had a baby a couple of months ago and only told annie a few days before she arrived. Annie was saying how she was depressed and sad last year because she didn't have a child, like many of her other friends her age (22). She felt incomplete. Now she has a baby girl, gift, and meeting her for the first time I saw the joy in her face, yet I also saw how scared and worried she was when her and annie finally met again face to face. I saw it in her face that she knew that annie would be a little disappointed in her because Annie had given her resources to go to school and get a job and things like that. My point is, these women/girls are faced with a dilemma. They are faced with two separate cultural choices to make. Do they choose the path that most girls in their communities do, have children-many of whom are left without fathers and continue to be trapped OR break out of that cycle- choose to use protection/birth control and use education as a tool to break free from the cycle that is plaguing their communities... So many things go through my mind, and their is only so much you can do because in the long run it is their decision. It comes down to choice and as much as one can say you can get stuck in a cycle (which is SOOOO true), it takes courage and strength to step out of that and take a different road. I just hope that women all over the world realize that it is okay to be strong and break free of the cultural expectations that society holds on them...ie having babies to be complete.
This went on for a good twenty minutes. I sat down on the stoop and they took over. Surrounded by little ones they were touching my hair and skin and I gave me sunglasses to a young girl and I took my hair out and they proceeded to run their tiny little fingers through my fine, thin hair. Some of them for the first time feeling the touch of a white woman's course hair. Finally, after being helped up by a few children, we gathered in the school yard where they proceeded to sing songs. I forgot my video camera today, so tomorrow I will bring it so I can record the harmonious voices! After interrupting their day, the teachers called them back inside and Annie and I proceeded to make our way up the hill to her friend Martha’s house in the Haukahana settlement. Her house was no bigger than a couple of bedrooms at my house, but she managed to make it warm and inviting. Veronica, her 9 year old daughter who is HIV positive, greeted us. I saw the maturity and responsibility in her eyes. She proceed to go fetch her mother and we waited while she came back.. Martha, who is in the picture in the brochure in the front, was weezing from the walk up the hill. She was all smiles and hugged “ Ms. Annie” and was so pleased to see her. I sat inside with her daughter Milka, two (see pictures) while Annie and Martha tried to discuss as best they could without an interpreter about how they had been, how martha’s health was and what she had been up to. Annie has been sponsoring Martha by giving her some money to buy things and Martha was explaining to Annie how she has been using the money- buying school clothes for her children, paying off water bills etc... THe joy of that meeting was watching Milka play around the house. She went outside to go to the bathroom and after her clothes got a little wet, she went inside and changed into her beautiful pink shirt and teal pants. It took a little while for her to warm up to me, she instantly remembered annie, but after giving her a few funny faces and hiding from her with my sunglasses she opened up just like any other 2yearold. We played and she took out her skateboard and enjoying the rides up and down the floor. I took out a pack of stickers that I brought for the children and gave her a section. Her eyes lit up and she kept repeating something in Oshivambo and pointing to the stickers, calling " Meme (may-may), Meme (mother, mother) and holding up her stickers to show her. The stickers were of cats and dogs so I started making those noises in which she proceeded to copy me and say the words for cat and dog in oshivambo. Just like any other 2 year old in this world, she took pleasure in the simple things and laughed when we played hide and seek and wanted to show me things. It was very hot out so it was nice to seek some refuge from the sun in Martha's house. Our time was up because we had to go fetch our things from the school before it was locked up so that we could go to the hospital and deliver to Charlotte the hats, blankets and some clothes that Annie's friends so graciously made for the little babies in the AIDS and ante-natal wards. Charlotte was out sick for the day so we dropped off the hats and one of the nurses or what they call sisters asked if we wanted to see the babies. Of course!! we said. The ones they brought us to were all in incubators except one. This one, (see pic) was "not sick" meaning he didn't have HIV and the mother had put him up for adoption. We asked if we could hold him, he was so tiny and precious. All I could think of when I held him was how this boy could take any path in life. It all depended on his parents, on who would want to take responsibility for him. The mother was undergoing counseling to make her final decision. She already had two children and felt that she could not support a third under the conditions that she was living. Valid reasoning.. There is so much behind that though. For instance, one fo the girls that annie has worked closely with over the years had a baby a couple of months ago and only told annie a few days before she arrived. Annie was saying how she was depressed and sad last year because she didn't have a child, like many of her other friends her age (22). She felt incomplete. Now she has a baby girl, gift, and meeting her for the first time I saw the joy in her face, yet I also saw how scared and worried she was when her and annie finally met again face to face. I saw it in her face that she knew that annie would be a little disappointed in her because Annie had given her resources to go to school and get a job and things like that. My point is, these women/girls are faced with a dilemma. They are faced with two separate cultural choices to make. Do they choose the path that most girls in their communities do, have children-many of whom are left without fathers and continue to be trapped OR break out of that cycle- choose to use protection/birth control and use education as a tool to break free from the cycle that is plaguing their communities... So many things go through my mind, and their is only so much you can do because in the long run it is their decision. It comes down to choice and as much as one can say you can get stuck in a cycle (which is SOOOO true), it takes courage and strength to step out of that and take a different road. I just hope that women all over the world realize that it is okay to be strong and break free of the cultural expectations that society holds on them...ie having babies to be complete.
Anyways.... it was a long day filled with two opposite ways of life.
The thing is.. I can remove my self from it. I have the opportunity to take a step in it and then leave to my comfortable bed by the pool, to eat a huge meal and feel full with tons of left overs that could feed a family of four. They dont have that choice, they are in it. It is something that haunts me and that stays with me where ever I am in this world. To see such complete polar opposites yesterday reminded me how easy it is to separate yourself from such things. To live your comfortable life and not even think about those that are suffering out there. To close your eyes to it, to not recognize it. Its right there, even in the US, it is there. So what do you do then? For me, I just can't ignore it. I am here to observe and what I see is this:
two completely different worlds.
One filled with privilege
One filled with despair, hunger and disease.
Yesterday I met both abigail and christa and they are just amazing. Two different missions yet they converge in so many ways. The underlying themes are so prevalent in their work. Women, children, AIDS hunger, education counseling, health, water etc...
Their work is loaded with social welfare issues and the one thing that is the most important theme, i believe is education. educating on health issues educatiing women on their choices-sexually, mentally, physically.. all that stuff.
Making sure the children and fed and are receiving good health care.
AHHH! the differences between things. The fact that hospital just recieved linens for their beds/rooms.
Things are growing no doubt..
Christa started her program in a cupboard and now she is building a place.
Abigail is finally trying to formally put things together by applying for a social welfare organization status so that things are more accountable and she can receive more money/grants.
Slowly and surely these women, who have feverishley worked, are strengthing their programs and trying to reach more people.
FHS currenly pays for over 140 kids school fees.
All the kids last year that were int he program are now in formal school and now she has another 200 kids she feeds and is trying to get into school. GROWING GROWING GROWING. and its with your help that this is possible.
Today we meet with abigail to discuss a plan of action. Where things will go and how they will be divided up.
Yesterday we shortly met with Christa and discussed building, which will start next week. On April 14, all the women and children will be coming to collect their monthly stipend (formula food water....) so I will for sure video tape that.
Saturday we will be at FHS will all the children of the community where they will sing songs, play football, eat and be happy. I will be video taping that as well!
Its been so amazing here and So many thoughts are run through my head every second of the day. Its been a blessing and I am extremely grateful to be here and witness this amazing work that these women do!
Although it is in the works, i see the progress being made and I see it coming together so well! Like i said before, little by little, child by child we can change this world. It is wonderful to have see these women and to know that we all want this world to be a better place. Through the struggles it can happen. I have faith.
I hope all is well with everyone. It is sunny, hot and beautiful!
More to come.... I need to go get new adapters for the electronic stuff we brought because everything already blew out. BOOO!
PEACE!
Mary
