Last day in Gitarama, first days in Butare
Monday was the most overwhelming day-on-the-job we’ve had so far. We showed up at the YWCA at 8 am as usual, expecting to have about six or seven people total… and found out that around 15 people had showed up. It was a nightmare trying to figure out who was actually there to be interviewed versus who had just come to keep the others company (probably hoping for a free Fanta too). In the end we had to interview twelve people, and of course most of them happened to have four or five siblings and very complicated educational and medical backgrounds, which made the interview process much longer than usual. We worked straight through lunch and didn’t pack up until 3 pm. We were absolutely exhausted. I couldn’t even stay awake at the diner we went to for lunch, I was so tired. I fell asleep at the guesthouse until dinner, and then we had to pack up all our stuff so we could head to Butare the next morning, where we’ll be staying until June 20th.
We drove to Butare with Olivier, which was very entertaining because we shared my iPod and I got a sense of what American music is popular in Rwanda. He knew a bunch of songs by 50 Cent, Sean Kingston, and Britney Spears (it made my day when he knew the lyrics to “Piece of Me”). Once we arrived in Butare, Jessica and I conducted four interviews with kids who’d been in the Giving Hope program for about 9 months – a few years behind those we’ve been interviewing in Gitarama. The differences between their experiences and accomplishments were visible. Most of them hadn’t repaid their loans from Giving Hope, didn’t have health insurance, had very few farm animals, and most of their little siblings didn’t have school uniforms. Their self-confidence and comfort level during the interview was noticeably lower than those I’d met in Gitarama. I have no doubt though that all those things will change within the next few years - maybe even months – considering how strong and effective ZOE’s work has been.
That night we met the mission team Greg Jenks is leading, consisting of adults from Oregon and North Carolina, and a recent graduate of UNC…sigh… Jessica and I have been very tolerant people. Haha, I’m just kidding, we all get along really well. It’s SO nice to be with a group of people who speak English and understand where we’re coming from. Apart from Mama Arlene, Olivia, and Kyle, I’ve realized that we haven’t spoken with any non-Rwandans in the last two weeks. It’s such a relief; any reminder of home is always a good one.
Today we divided into two groups and went to two different construction sites. Our team was Team One. Greg very cleverly called us Team One-derful… Mom, I thought you’d appreciate that because of the movie That Thing You Do in which the band is called the Oneders, remember? :) So after both teams visited the Mayor of Butare in his office, we split up and went to work.
Both teams were constructing houses for orphans that Giving Hope has been taking care of. Working outside was SUCH a nice change-up from sitting indoors. We carried big bricks uphill and big rocks downhill to the spot on the side of a mountain where the house’s foundation was about halfway finished. I couldn’t believe how the women could carry rocks over 50 pounds on their heads! I finally had to try it for myself. One of the workers lent me his head-cushion thingy and I was able to balance rocks on top with one hand for support. It was SO much harder than it looked! Those rocks were heavy and my head/neck/back/entire body was not used to that kind of weight. I didn’t have any problems though, except when I tried to do a brick, which was like the size and weight of a cinder block. That did me in, and I went back to hauling medium-sized rocks for the rest of the time.
The kids were adorable but a little overwhelming. They flocked to the construction site by the dozens and were fascinated by every little thing we did. Jessica tried to teach them how to run Indian sprints…before eventually realizing that was beyond explainable, plus not exactly an ideal activity for 20 malnourished/dehydrated children playing in the blazing hot sun haha. But teaching them how to build a human-pyramid was much more successful :) I had a strenuous conversation with our driver who spoke French and was trying to convince me to give him money to visit the States, or my phone number so he could call in case he magically arrived there and needed a place to stay. I only dragged out the pointless conversation so I could practice speaking French. Hahaha, Mom, remember the incident on the beach in Anguilla involving Spanish? It kind of reminded me of that. Not that this in any way is reassuring to you.
After construction, we visited the home of two orphan-headed households whom Giving Hope is supporting. The first was an 18-year-old girl named Devota who didn’t look older than 14. She had three little siblings to care for and all of them plus four others and a pig slept in a hut a third the size of my dorm room. There was nothing inside except a straw mat and cooking space. No furniture, no light, nothing. The kids were all dirty and covered in fleas, wearing clothes torn to shreads, their stomachs bloated from malnutrition, their eyes blood-shot, their noses bleeding… I felt so helpless. I couldn’t think of anything to say.
Our comic relief came when two mice fell out of the roof and scampered all around us, making us shriek and laugh. But looking back, it was actually a pretty sad thing to be laughing at. The mice were among the many pests in the house, in addition to malaria-carrying mosquitoes and who knows what else that could spread diseases and spoil their food.
The next home we visited was a little bigger but no less disturbing. The orphan who headed this home was a 15-year-old boy with three little siblings and an older brother who was mentally ill and hospitalized. The boy needed to bring food to his older brother because the hospital wouldn’t supply it, in addition to looking after his brother and sisters. Epiphanie was translating his words for us and suddenly broke down in tears. One of the adults in our group then told the boy that, being a father, he knew that this boy’s father would’ve been very proud of how capable he’d proven himself to be. If we hadn’t lost it before that moment, we were all GONE by then! As we were saying goodbye, we noticed that his 12-year-old sister had a strange substance on the back of her head. It looked like globs of Vaseline. When we found out she had a skin disease that was untreated and worsening, I thought I was going to be sick.
The most striking part was how all these children were smiling. They somehow were able to act like normal, happy, playful children, as far as we could tell. The heads of the households were a little more serious, but on the whole they did not seem disturbed, ashamed, hopeless, or anything. Then again, if this kind of living condition is all that these children have known, then maybe it’s understandable. Coming from the United States where we live in a world of comfort and convenience, we have a point of comparison – a curse and a blessing on this trip.
I remember how Devota showed us a history of her life and a plan for her future that she’d mapped out; an exercise which Giving Hope requires all the orphans to do when they first join the program. It began with what she disliked the most: she drew a picture of a woman beating a child. Then she drew what she loved the most: the Bible. Next, what made her sad: her mother’s coffin. Fourth, her hope for the future: a small home with four goats so she could use their manure to sell or cultivate land. The last piece was a motto she lived her life by. Although I don’t remember it completely, it basically said “showing respect for all human beings, and living my life full of love for God.”
