Sitting under the tree, we began to interview mothers of the kindergarten class. They came so we could ask them a few basic questions about their life to make a profile of the young students. As I was sitting with the women, and asking them very basic questions I was blown away. It is not that I didn’t expect these answers; it is just hard to hear them. When asked what their family’s yearly income was, an embarrassed look flashes through their eyes-10, 000 rubies a year. That is 250.00 American dollars. Wow. I spend more than that on food in one month. Sickness overwhelms me as the realization hits me that I hold a year’s wages in my pocket. I would be a fool to think that the injustice would end here. When asked how many people are in the family some answered up to 7 and even 8. Imagine the few funds being spread so thin. How could one eat?
When asked what kind of jobs the family held, all of them were manual laborers. Fiberglass, carrying baggage, making tiles, and even gathering sticks were some the families occupations. These jobs require all day hard work for very little return. I asked the women, what was the hardest part of their life—most of the women had the same answers. Too much dept, and not enough income. Abusive, drunk, unstable husbands. Husbands who only had seasonal jobs. Such pain in their eyes. Even with the translator I could hear such numbness in their voices.
Such hard, painful lives. Some women worked as well as watch the children because their spouse had died. One old woman told of her daughter, who poured kerosene on her head and lit herself on fire, and now the old woman raises her children alone.
Despite so many hardships and difficulties, the women are very grateful for the HOPE school. Many of them said it was the best part of their lives to see their children have the possibility to go to such a fine school, to be cared for by compassionate teachers and to be fed.
The aspirations of the children were high, doctors, engineers, teachers…all the children have high hopes of becoming something, overcoming their circumstances. Most of them want to give back to society in a meaningful way, when asked why they want to do these things they responded, “to help the poor.”
Without HOPE school many of the children would be forced to go to the overcrowded government schools. Teachers there are abusive, and the classrooms are too big to control. Or worse off, they would have no school at all. The children would be forced to stay home with their drunken parents, suffer and some even starve. I am not exaggerating here; this is reality for these people. I am just their scribe.
HOPE school doesn’t only educate children; it gives them a chance to survive. Giving them dreams and even a future.
One watches similar stores on the television, sitting in their warm couch, clean living room, and warm safe home. The pictures of the young children dirty and sad seem so far away. I know because I am that person. But coming here myself, sitting in the rubble, there is no more excuse for why it can’t exist. These people exist. They live and die here even when I am not here.
