Waste Not, Want Not

Waste not want not.....not always true.

I grew up hearing from my Poppy that if one did not waste, one would not want for anything. I’ve always tried to remember his favorite saying which makes you take notice of your stock, and it always made me see the value of things that would otherwise be thrown away. Well the life in this village does not waste a single crumb. Not a fallen bean or grain of corn is left in the dirt, but picked up by nimble fingers, carefully cleaned and placed back in its basket. These kind people don’t take for granted the smallest of fortune that might cross their path. They save and use any discarded item from bottle caps and plastic bags and containers to old worn shoes - any condition and size will due.

When I first arrived I heard so much at once, including how hard they’ve been hit by the drought. I was busy trying to remember 100 new names and faces, how to greet properly, who’s kids belong to who – and there are loads of them. 6 kids being the average number per family. Plus they often have invited an orphan or two into the family. Anyway…. I was busy taking in a million new faces, ideas, sounds, smells tastes, manners, etc that I guess I didn’t fully get the desperation in their stories of drought. I was initially taken only by their kindness and generosity and I thought they couldn’t be so hungry if they all looked so happy. I was fed well and it seemed there was enough food to go around but I’ve learned that if I don’t eat my usual amount, manners are put aside and the food is very quickly gone- I’ve also seen the rules of motherhood apply here as well. Kids get their fill first. All adults keep slipping food onto the children’s plates until they are satisfied. The little kids in this village seem to be better off than the rest. So now I see a bit clearer that they are thin - really, really thin, their beautiful high cheekbones are also cause d by sunken cheeks and their eyes are sinking too.

The maize crop is totally dead. It’s obvious when you look in the fields. There’s nothing to harvest and this is the time of year they should be filling the storage with enough to last until next year and they can’t even eat anything now. It’s really crazy. They go out to the fields and come back with a handful of corn stalks, they pick it as it ripens or before. It will soon be gone and there’s nothing left.

There are a lot of NGOs here hard at work on many different types of projects. ELDS, the partner organization working with DCA is putting in wells, helping with reforestation, bee hives, giving goats, running education programs etc. I’ve been to villages waiting for the wells to be dug where they still have to fetch water from the river and suffer from cholera and diarrhea like mad. The villages with clean water are in much better shape.

Despite their hardships they manage to be so friendly, hopeful and have welcomed me here warmly. There’s so much more to tell…..I have no internet so when this reaches you, it will be followed by many more as I upload them all in the internet cafe when ever I get there.

I am writing at night under the mosiquito net, surrounded by thousands of new bugs that are also curious about me. I’m off to sleep…..
I hope you’re all well and happy!