Stories
Give us this day our daily bread!
We who live in the West for the most part have no idea, what it means to be without. To have food just for today if we are lucky. In many countries of Africa people only eat one meal a day, if that. Getting that food, finding money for it, if one lives in the city is another story.
Unemployment is high and if you do work you are fortunate to make 50 dollars a month. Rent for your dwelling might be 30 so what you have left is money for a few days of food and the rest, well that means as many a African has told me faith, hope and lots of luck.
Rita, was a woman of 30 some years old, she did not remember exactly when she was born, "what does it matter, I am thankful that I am alive" she said. She was a Muganda with brown skin, a nice shining face, a big smile, the eyes however were surrounded by years of struggle, and yet she could laugh at life. I was walking by her dwelling the way back to my car. She had her charcoal cooker blazing, I could tell she was making matoke (bananas 85% water and then some starch, they are green and are peeled, mashed and steamed under banana leaves inside of a steel or aluminum pot). There were also some red beans that due to the moisture and rain had little white spots on them signifying that some maggots had come and taken residence in them.
I stopped and greeted her; she welcomed me and invited me to eat with them. I declined but engaged in a conversation. Her husband had recently died of AIDS, she was taking care of three children from the marriage and two others that were orphans and had been born to her sister who had died of AIDS.
I asked her what she did to buy things and live here. She told me that she at times worked cleaning house and ironing for a well to do African woman and at times received some food from her mother who lived in Masaka out in the country and had a plot of land on which she could grow maize for posho (a what I call a glue like substance that fills your stomach) and also had some Matoke plants, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and other things like beans.
All she had tonight was matoke and beans, I saw some bread by the door, that was it. No milk, no meat, just enough to fill for the night. I asked her what she would eat in the morning. She smiled and said something about Chai (tea with milk, she had no milk and sugar). And tomorrow what will you eat during the day. She laughed again, and said something about "God will provide." My mind was thinking, "How could I go home, take a shower, settle down to a nice meal and even have a sandwich before I went to bed?"
I told her I would be back and back I came after visiting a local supermarket. She looked at me and said with a big smile, "I told you God would provide." She made me smile....jon
Each night many African's go to bed with the reality that they don't know where, or how their needs will be met. They pray asking, for God to provide. Will you be his hands. Will you be the answer to their prayer?