Day 5
We began day 5 with a trip to town to replace a camera charger that was lost and to buy some additional video tapes. We planned (and ultimately accomplished) getting almost 6 hours of video on our trip. Much of it is Ernesto and Seba relating their history and testimony, as well as describing in detail the state of affairs in Marracuene regarding medical needs, education, food, and housing.
On the way back to Marracuene and the orphanage, Ernesto said he needed to stop off and buy the "biscuits and juice" for the children. I'm thinking big buttermilk biscuits and orange juice. Come to find out "biscuits and juice" means slightly sweetened crackers and something like kool-aid. 
For the 50 or so kids that were fed that day, each got 3-4 crackers and a half cup of juice. What you see in this picture is the bag of "biscuits" and the juice. Ernesto said that for many of the children, this was all they would get to eat. We saw first hand the truth of that statement when later in the day we went with the village chief, Andre, and toured the village (Possulane) and met many of the people that live there.
For the 50 or so kids that were fed that day, each got 3-4 crackers and a half cup of juice. What you see in this picture is the bag of "biscuits" and the juice. Ernesto said that for many of the children, this was all they would get to eat. We saw first hand the truth of that statement when later in the day we went with the village chief, Andre, and toured the village (Possulane) and met many of the people that live there. On our way, we saw a little girl on the trail headed home.
We met her at the orphanage. She was born without a leg. She was scooting along the path, unassisted. My heart absolutely broke for her.One of the young girls we met in the village was especially memorable. She had that thousand yard stare that people get when they have experienced severe trauma. 
This little girl's father and mother were both either dead or gone and she (at probably 11-12 years old) was left to raise her younger siblings.
This little girl's father and mother were both either dead or gone and she (at probably 11-12 years old) was left to raise her younger siblings.Consistent at each home was an open fire on which the one small daily mean was cooked. For 
some the meal was rice, others beans or ground corn. Housing was very basic - usually what Ernesto called "local material", which meant a mat of woven river reeds that was used as walls and either a thatched or tin roof. All hom
es were 
very small and accomodated several people. Most did not have any electricity. None had running water. Men were noticeably absent. Children were plentiful, especially the young ones. Some were truly orphaned and living with "substitute families". Others were deemed "vulnerable". Ernesto explained that for many of the families there was just not enough food to go around and when that happened, it was usually the kids that suffered. The atmosphere from home to home, however, was not one of despondency or despair. Rather, smiles were fairly easy to come by, as was laughter. Fatigue is the cloud that hangs above it all, though. You get a sense of what it takes to survive there. Imaging you have gone camping and most of your gear disappears, you have no transportation, no home to return to and no resources to replenish your needs. That is how these people live daily. Most survive by trying to farm a small garden to raise corn, cassava root, cucumbers and squash. Proximity to the coast allows for some fish.
some the meal was rice, others beans or ground corn. Housing was very basic - usually what Ernesto called "local material", which meant a mat of woven river reeds that was used as walls and either a thatched or tin roof. All hom
es were 
very small and accomodated several people. Most did not have any electricity. None had running water. Men were noticeably absent. Children were plentiful, especially the young ones. Some were truly orphaned and living with "substitute families". Others were deemed "vulnerable". Ernesto explained that for many of the families there was just not enough food to go around and when that happened, it was usually the kids that suffered. The atmosphere from home to home, however, was not one of despondency or despair. Rather, smiles were fairly easy to come by, as was laughter. Fatigue is the cloud that hangs above it all, though. You get a sense of what it takes to survive there. Imaging you have gone camping and most of your gear disappears, you have no transportation, no home to return to and no resources to replenish your needs. That is how these people live daily. Most survive by trying to farm a small garden to raise corn, cassava root, cucumbers and squash. Proximity to the coast allows for some fish. Meeting the families in the village made me realize how significant this community center / orphanage will be to not just the children, but the families as well. Imagine that in these circumstances, three people (Ernesto, Filo and Seba) and many volunteers, most of whom are barely better off than the people in the village, are sacrificially helping feed the children and their families, educating the children, and looking for ways to do more. Ernesto's, Filo's and Seba's vision for the community center is that it will serve as an orphanage to young boys, to educate and train them so that they can support themselves. While the boys are in training or school, they want to use the building for the young children in the area, feeding them and teaching them Portugese so that they can attend the local primary school (most kids are raised to speak the tribal language and few know Portugese). There are also plans to create a farming cooperative that would create jobs for many of the villagers, helping them consolidate their efforts to produce a cash-crop instead of just subsistence farming. The opportunities are literally endless. One could do anything for these people and it would be helpful to them. Consistent in all of the dreams we shared was the desire to help the people of the village help themselves - to teach them how to fish so they could feed themselves for a lifetime. First things first, these people need something to eat!
The above picture is Ernesto with a grandmother that is raising the five grand-children you see pictured. Below is a woman we met on the way home. Like most women, she carriers what she needs on her head and her baby is strapped to her. This woman has aids, Ernesto told us.
At the end of the day, as my daughter, Michaela and I were talking, I asked her why she didn't seem more moved by the circumstances of the people that we had seen. She responded and said Dad, I just want to great them with joy and a smile, not sadness." Wow! She's 11.
No comments:
Post a Comment