Well, I'm back from my Africa adventure. Halfway around the world, I found kids who have hope in spite of the dreadful circumstances which brought them to New Hope Centre in Manzini, Swaziland. There is no way I can begin to tell you the horrible things these kids have been through and I don't really want to focus on that side of the story any way. It is enough to know that almost all the children in this home have seen most of their families die of AIDs, they have been raped and abused and neglected and abandoned, and yet, there they are faces shining with hope.
My trip was with a team sponsored by Heart for Africa (http://www.heartforafrica.com/). There were 39 of us who met at Washington Dulles, climbed aboard a South Africa air bus jet and headed non-stop for Johannesburg. We arrived mid-afternoon the next day and immediately boarded a bus for the five hour drive to Swaziland. We had to be to the border of South Africa/Swaziland by 10 p.m. No problem, we had plenty of time--except that an impenetrable fog settled over the highway making seeing even the center dividing line hard to see. I don't know how our driver did it, but he made it on time. We got off the bus with our passports, checked out of South Africa, walked the 50 feet or so through no man's land to Swaziland where we checked into that country. It was surreal--fog, black darkness, so far from home, would they let us in? They did and we reboarded our bus and were off the the Lugogo Sun resort where we were to stay for the week.
Heart for Africa doesn't ask it's softened up American team members to stay in mudhuts with thatched roofs. The organization gives team members pretty much what they are used to at home so that their energies are given to the projects at hand and not to coping with culture shock. It worked for me.
Team members were assigned task that were somewhat related to their natural abilites. Some sewed draperies for new dormitories being built all over the hillside. Some painted and other did construction--both new and repair work. A large group gardened putting in for community people what is called "A Never-Ending Garden. " The land owner must prepare the soil if he wants a garden. The team then installs a drip irrigation system attached to a large water tank that is filled by rain. Heart for Africa buys the seedlings. The idea is that some seed is kept back for the next planting--thus the never-ending garden idea.
Some team members checked eyes and gave people donated glasses. There was one old gogo (grandmother) who had never been able to see well until a team member put the glasses on her. She began to dance all over the room she was so happy.
A couple of women counseled the girls about their bodies, sex, and other girl type things. 75% of girls in Swaziland do not know that AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease. Men believe that if they can have sex with a virgin, their AIDS will be cured. This has created a "never-ending" circle of despair for this country. 50% of the population has AIDS. 10% of Households are headed by orphans. It that were happening in the U.S. it would mean that 150,000,000 citizens have AIDS and 30,000 orphans would be running the house and caring for many siblings. By 2010 it is estimated that unless something changes there will be 120,000 orphans in a country of a million population. Janine Maxwell, vice president of Heart for Africa, has written a book called It's Not Okay with Me, and what I know is that it's not okay with me either.
My job at New Hope Centre was to teach writing to the kids. It was kind of the give a man a fish or teach him to fish philosophy for me. I thought before I went to Swaziland, I can't make a difference in Africa. I can't rescue all these people. But I can try my best to implant a love for writing in their hearts and teach them some basic skills about how to tell a story. Then, when they are ready, they can tell their stories or other peoples' stories or the stories of their culture and people. Did they learn all about writing? Of course not. Did they capture the desire to know more about writing? Yes. Did they realize they had a story to tell and that no one will ever tell it like they can? Absolutely!
Dr. Elizabeth Hynd believes that the children under her care here at New Hope Centre will be the leadership for a new and better Swaziland. These kids will be educated. They will be healthy. They will not be dying of AIDS. They will know social graces such as speaking in public. They will have skills such as dancing and music and acting. Why wouldn't they be the new leadership in a kingdom with so many problems and so much loss?
Probably the biggest thrill for me was to put the Read and Share Bible storybook published this year by Thomas Nelson into the hands of children who have never had a book of any kind, much less a 400-page full color book created just for kids their age. Those kids opened their very own books in seconds. From then on until the time my time in Africa was over, those kids had their noses buried in the book and they were begging workers and team members to "read them a story." (If you're interested in the book, ask for it at any bookstore or I can get one for you at my website www.seasidecreativeservices.com .)
Can one person make a difference in the lives of others? I think so, but not if that person does nothing. We've only got one life, so let's make it count--now!
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