Jaja

Jaja is the name for grandmother. This Jaja is looking after her two grandchildren. She is not sure of their exact age. The girl is around 5 as she was brought when she was crawling. The boy is older than the girl but was older when he came to live with her so she is unable to tell how old he might be. She is not sure of her own age - Anne thought she might be around 75. She is not even sure if they are her grandchildren. She has not seen her son, her only child, for many years. She doesn't know if he is dead or alive. The children's mothers brought them to her and left them with her saying that they were the children of her son. She is almost blind - she can see light and shadowy shapes but she could not tell that I was a muzungu. 

We found them living in a kitchen that is part of a sub county office. One of the workers at the office found them living under a tree nearby and said they could use the kitchen as shelter. Rose (the government worker) was the one who told us about them.

We visited them after the burial we went to. On the day of the proposal. Abdul, Anne and I gave them some money. About $6. She was so grateful. I know there is no comparison in monetary terms, that amount of money does a lot over here, well, maybe not a lot, but certainly more than in Australia. But that's not my point. That's not what got me. It was the fact that it was so little sacrifice on my part. Not even a sacrifice. I gave out of my excess. Admittedly these days I do not have the disposable income I have been used to. But it still makes me uncomfortable in my comfort.

The little box like room was difficult to get photos in. I am not in any way a professional photographer. My camera is not an SLR. And the only light in the room came in through the door which I was standing in. In one corner of the room was a stack of firewood. There was also the remains of a small fire that had been used for cooking. At night the two children sleep on a mattress and the jaja sleeps on a grass mat.

Although I would love for people to support Australia HOPE International I didn't set out to write this blog to raise money. To start off with, in my mind, it was just going to be about letting my friends and family know what I was doing. But I guess if I am not doing both then I am wasting an opportunity. So this week is a deliberate plug. Can you afford to sponsor a child? Or just donate? If you think you can't afford it, have a look at this family and tell me that. Mostly (and I am included in this) we give enough so that we feel okay about it but still maintain our level of comfort.

But to read this and feel guilty is also a waste. It comes down to a choice, if you read this and are moved to do something, do it. If you are annoyed or offended by my plug for money, get over it. And if you are in no way affected, that's okay.

Next week you can look forward to a break, I'll introduce you to the people I live with and maybe give you a bit of an insight into daily life. Life here is always interesting!

Bless ya

bron