eyes open wide

every group or sector has them, buzz words. synergy, think tank, group think, empowerment, second generation, etc. the developmental non profit sector is no different. words like trafficking, sustainable, child labor, women's equality are thrown around so much that they almost become like white noise and loose their meaning. i am guilty of talking about things so much that i forget the rawness or weight of it. that these are not just terms, but there are real live people who identify with these terms who define these buzz words, whether good or bad. i had not realized it, but i had become some what desensitized to the buzz word child labor. i had head knowledge of it and had even seen it somewhat in action on our trips, i had even read articles and such on it. we are even fighting against it through our orphan program, but it was not until this trip that it became more to me. this buzz word, this term, this thing we were fighting against took on a new life when we were in benin last week. my eyes were opened wide.

this was the first time i had ever been to benin while school was in session. we usually travel during the summer while the kids are on summer holiday. there would be kids playing outside and you would see kids also working. they would sell small items along the road or at the markets, you may see them helping their mothers cooking for people along the road, or shelling shea butter seeds, but in my mind they were just working for the summer. since they were not in school they were expected to help out their parents with cooking, selling, whatever. oh how my american mindset was wrong, not just wrong, but off the map wrong.

in benin the kids have to wear uniforms to school, yes all my american students you are not alone in your plight of school uniforms. most of the uniforms are kaki or they may have a white top and blue bottom, but majority are kaki from head to toe. because neither of these materials are common to wear everyday it is very easy to spot those that attend school. as they walk down the road or run through the village they stick out like a sore thumb. because there are no school buses or because their parents can not drop them off at school, they have to walk. some, if they are lucky, only have a short distance, but others may have to walk 4-8 miles each way. so in the mornings and the evenings, you see all of these kids walking along the roads and paths on their way to school.

through out the day, eventhough the kids had school, we were in the villages doing work or in the city going to lunch or at the office. every where we went there were kids dressed in their regular dirty clothes working. it broke my heart. i began to think about this. they got up that morning, threw on their clothes, and walked to work. as they walked along, they had to watch and pass by those who were going to school. it would be evident by their clothes alone that they belonged to the working population. how that must crush ones dreams. no way out, this is what you do, get up, go to work, work all day until late at night, come home and do it all again. this lifestyle can begin at the age of 5. so from 5 until they are old and gray they work. not experiencing the joy of learning something new, bettering yourself, contributing to a group, or having pride in your accomplishments. i know and believe that there are kids who daily sit and watch others walk to school and long to be walking with them and that is more than heart breaking, it is tragic.

let me tell you about a few that we encountered on our trip, these are more observations than conversations that were had....

across the restaurant we ate at, there were three boys, probably 8-12 years old, and they were doing metal working. through out the city young boys are walking around with platters that have kleenex, shoes, cd's, wallets, sunglasses, etc on them trying to sell them and they will work until 10 or 11 o'clock that night. in the bush, we played with these four girls, 7-12 yrs old, they were out collecting firewood to take home for cooking. that is what they spent their day doing, one carried the ax and the others carried the wood. another day we went to the village of sanson to visit one of our youth programs at the local school. when we drove up we saw that another school building was being built, which is awesome. but i felt like a bomb was dropped on me when i saw that there were kids helping build the school while kids where in there learning. i was thinking, "you have got to be kidding me am i really seeing this?" it was like 110 degrees out there, they are helping adults clear land, cut wood, stir mortar, i was in shock. how horrible to be out there working on a school and not be able to attend it. what does that do to the self worth and value of a child? the final one i will share made me sad. we were out in the bush on our property for the cashew factory and this young girl comes walking by us. we tried to speak french to her, but she did not understand. so she is just kinda standing next to us not knowing what to do or think. she is carrying a large platter on her head on which is a knife/machete type tool and a few cashews. it was obvious she was out looking for cashews to take home and then sell at the market. we gave her some stickers, which brought a smile to her face, and i grabbed the platter and put it on my head to be silly, the kids think this is funny to see a foreigner doing this. so for some laughs i grabbed her platter and as i took it off of her head their was a round bald callous from where she carried this platter on her head. she was maybe 8 or 9 years old, to have a callous like this she must have been working since being very young. at that moment, when my eyes saw that, my heart became so heavy and almost mournful for this young girl, her future, and her present.

i felt like over the trip that the working children were glaring in the midst of everything, i felt like their situations and the lack of control they have over their future was screaming at me whenever i looked at them. this just isn't a buzz word, this just isn't some term to throw around, but this is the value, future, and confidence of children. children who do not have the luxury to dream, children whose right to education has been taken from them, children who have traded their childhood memories and laughter for labor and servitude. my eyes became open, but my heart became burdened.

reflecting

the past two weeks we have been in the final stages of preparing our website to go live. what that means is we have been pouring through pictures and writing content for the site. when i say pouring through pictures, i don't mean looking through a few online albums. we have thousands and thousands of pictures and over the course of the last three years i have forgotten about some of them. what is awesome to see is some of the kids we met on our first visit and that we played games with are now a part of project dado and being taken care of. Also, through the photos you can see the progression of relationships and the projects being accomplished, it is wonderful. but it was not the pictures that caused the reflection, but it was the writing that did. as i sat at the computer, looked at the pictures, and began writing about each of the projects, emotions just came over me. i know i love these people and i want to serve them with everything i have, but i did not realize how emotionally attached and invested i am to them. i think sometimes when we do these projects that we rejoice in the project in that moment and then move on to the next project, so we never take time to reflect on it. as i reflected on the sights, sounds, people, emotions, and accomplishments of these various outreaches and projects, i began to cry as i sat and wrote. this was not a wow, look at what we have done, but a wow, look at the opportunities god has given us and the wow, look at the power of christ's love and wow, i am so not worthy for god to use, but he is so awesome that he is using me anyways. if this has been the first 3 years, i can not wait to sit and reflect on the next 3 years.

amazing 3rd graders

On Friday, Jace and I visited Murray Elementary School where 3rd graders have been busy saving lives. Going into the school, we thought that one third grade class had been raising money for mosquito nets and that they had raised about 40 dollars. We were excited to get to meet this class that was joining PfP in the fight against malaria, but things were not as we thought and when we arrived we were so blown away we were speechless.

We walked in to see a big banner welcoming PfP. We quickly found out that the entire 3rd grade was participating and was waiting for us in the cafeteria. As we walked in, the excitement shifted from the pizza and corn, which looked delicious, to the anticipation of what was going to happen next. One of the teachers began to talk about how she has known Jace since he was in middle school, then on to a little info on PfP, and then she began to explain how hard the classes have been working to raise money to fight malaria, and then presented us with a check for 750 dollars! Yes, $750, 100 3rd graders who do not attend a wealthy school, but with an obvious heart to help others. I was shocked, these 8 and 9 year olds were so excited to give us that check that they had been working so hard. As I looked around the cafeteria, you could see the pride they had in giving that check, they knew that it was a symbol of their work to save kids just like them. They took this project seriously, they were on a mission to change and save lives. They raised money in various ways, some even gave their allowances to give to kids they had never met. They just knew kids were dying or sick and needed their help so they did something about it. They did not complain about the sacrifices they were making for others or that it meant they didn't get to keep their money, but after reading the letters they wrote to us, many wanted to give more, but had given all they had. If only adults would grasp the same concept, but we over think and cause a simple solution to become so difficult. We come up with excuses, committees, plans, and arguments which delay the solution and eventually pushing it back under the rug, to the back of our mind, and back out of our hearts, and nothing is accomplished but talk. Unlike this, these 3rd graders ran with excitement towards the solution, holding onto the feelings they experienced when first hearing about the needy and dying children in Benin. It didn't matter to them that they had never met the kids in Benin, that they didn't have much money, or that malaria is a huge problem, but what they saw was that they could save some, that they would give whatever they could, and that everyone deserves to live a healthy life.

Not only did they raise money, but they wrote letters, painted pictures, and made a banner for the kids in Benin. Phrases like "Best Buds", "Friends" and pictures of kids holding hands littered the pictures they created. This was a personal project for these 3rd graders. Every one of them will remember the malaria project they did in the 3rd grade, but for some this was a turning point in their life. For the first time they were given the opportunity to reach beyond Murray, Kentucky and touch lives some where else. This will be a point in their life that they reference years later as the first time of many that they reached out and helped someone else in need. That is exciting to me.

This had to be one of my favorite moments with PfP, I was so humbled and in awe of the passion, drive, and excitement in these 3rd graders. They have challenged me and I hope that they challenge you to do something because something can help someone. Thanks to the teachers at MES, you guys are awesome and are shaping these young children into change agents.