From Gratitude to Destitute

I spent the last week in the field checking up on some classroom rehabilitations that were to be started and also join a team to go into an area that we have been unable to work in for almost a year due to security reasons. The first four days of my trip were filled with communities that were sincerely grateful for the support they have been receiving. It was kind of like being Santa. We had to drop off some school supplies but we didn’t have a lot of time because we had to visit 8 schools in two days. So we arrived, took pictures of the construction and then dropped off the boxes of supplies and left town five minutes later. I have never seen anyone so excited about some boxes of chalk before. It was actually really fun. In these communities that we have been working in for a while and have been providing assistance such as food rations or hygiene training have put education at a high priority for their communities. It has been exciting to meet with heads of communities and for them to express how important it is to educate their children. This area of South Darfur has been the most neglected by the government so all the schools in the area have been 100% supported by the communities. That means that school fees are high to feed the teachers, which also means that only a few children out of each family can attend school.

In one of our locations we assisted with the construction of a high secondary school. The school that the students were attending was closed due to security which meant that they could no longer complete their education. So the community decided to move it to a safer location. We assisted with the construction costs while the community provided the labor. I
happened to be at the right place at the right time and was able to participate in the celebration as they moved into their new classrooms for the first time. It was so great to see a group of youth so excited about continuing their education. The other great thing is that the number of girls in the school has already increased from 4 to 7. That’s a big accomplishment in itself.
It’s a rather humbling experience to be the face to the work that we are doing. I know that as I accept the thanks for the work that has been done I realize that there are so many people involved to see this happen and I just get the privilege of seeing it through. The rehabilitation of the basic school classrooms and the construction of the high secondary school both have been projects that I have written the proposals for and am grateful to see them carried out. It’s a strange feeling to play around with words and numbers on the computer and then go to the field and see those numbers reflect in classrooms and children’s education. I really am thankful for what I get to do and I realize what a privileged life I do live.

After I got all pumped up and excited about all the great work that is happening in one area we headed into the area that we have not been able to access for almost a year. The roads were opened up and went in as a team to assess the situation. So as I was very excited about all that is being accomplished, I got a reality check about how much work there still is to do. We
headed into an area where people are still not returning to their villages for fear of attacks. We stopped at a destroyed market where there were a few men sitting selling firewood and charcoal. We were wanted to talk to community members to get a picture of their situation but in order to do that we had to go on a bit of a hike into a nearby wadi to find some families that are living under the trees. This was my first time really talking with people that are living in fear for their lives to the point that they are hiding under trees and collecting firewood so that they can feed their families. This is not the first time these families have fled. They have been moving around for years running away from the fighting and trying to find water. I can’t imagine what that would be like and it breaks my heart to realize that this is the reality of so many in Darfur.

I guess this is a good motivator to try and do more. If it was all gratitude I would forget about the destitute.