Monday, March 8th

It was an early rise again and I had time to go out for a little stroll by myself before breakfast. I had noticed over the days of journey, a number of empty, scarred colonial type buildings. I was told that these were the jails used by the Portuguese during the very long and particularly cruel colonial period. This is the building across the road from the Clinic.

I am particularly careful to talk about a history that I barely know. My son's study of Ugandan history has sensitized me to the necessity to learn deeply the history of a people from the perspectives of the oppressed and not only the victors or the power brokers. Since I have not yet done that kind of reading on the history of Mozambique I only can offer what seems to be a common perception that colonialism was different in this country and other Portuguese colonies, different from the French and English colonies. The primary reasons seem to stem from the fact that Portugal was the first to colonize Africa in the mid-1400's. In addition to the long term cruel effects of a major slave export to the wealthy in Europe and prolific resource extraction, Portugal carried a dream of ruling Africa forever. This experiment was tested in Angola and Mozambique. The 1951 Portuguese constitution officially made Portugal an “Afro-European” power. As a result, Angola and Mozambique became Portuguese “provinces". Walter Rodney summarizes Portuguese colonial rule in Africa in very few words. “The Portuguese stand out because they boasted the most and did the least.” Angola remained a Portuguese colony for about 500 years, but after independence, all this country could show for was a bloody civil war. “After close to half a thousand years,” says Rodney, “not a single medical doctor had been trained in Portuguese Mozambique.” (Walter Rodney, born in Guyana was known for setting then new standards in his 1970 PhD Thesis for the development of history from the perspectives of the oppressed.)

The post WWII anti-colonial movements became organized with vigor in the early 1960's and independence was gained on June 25, 1975. Portuguese population's rapid exodus left the Mozambican economy in disarray and the eruption of the Mozambican civil war (1977-1992) destroyed much of the remaining wealth. An estimated 1 million Mozambicans perished during the civil war, 1.7 million took refuge in neighboring states, and several million more were internally displaced. This is one of many monuments that dot the rural landscape in memory of the huge number of people who were killed in these struggles. A series of democratic, multi-party elections have been held successfully since 1994 as the country begins to rebuild itself against so many odds. Mozambique remains one of the 10 poorest countries in the world. Combating the complex web of poverty and just development is seriously complicated by the climatic and geographical conditions of the land

My stroll alone allowed me to go through the exercise of trying to feel this land upon which I stood. Bare feet on warm earth works wonders. It was in this moment of meditation that I came to sense the gentleness and tiredness of this land as if it was simply trying to breathe, free of its horrid past; not in the sense of forgetting the past, but taking the blood that was spilled into the soil and hoping and offering it to once again to nourish its people. This was a sensory experience for me and has taken some time to put some tentative words around it. Hope it makes sense to some of you.

Within this peaceful time, I was called to breakfast which had been running a little late. We all gathered but certainly Bill and Pastor Manteiga were focused on their work ahead - Pastor Manteiga had arranged with some of the people that have been helped through the Medi-Plantas program to be interviewed and videotaped for the documentary that Bill was working on. This documentary will supplement the educational resources already produced around this vital and unique health ministry. Already, interviews with Pastor Manteiga are played on national radio and CCM through Bill has produced 36 - 20 minute videos of the various partners, doctors, aides etc involved in Medi-Plantas. The next challenge is to produce these educational resources in the local dialects to increase their effectiveness. As we ate, people were beginning to arrive and breakfast happened fairly quickly.

As Bill and Karen and Pastor Manteiga gathered with the people on the front porch, I finally found my opportunity to invite Pastor Bene into a conversation. We walked under the fruit trees in the side yard to get some shade and talked for a while. I am often bold and direct in these conversations. I sense I was bold but also confusing in this particular conversation. All my contemplations of the right questions to focus on seemed to have disappeared with the emotional conversation last night after dinner. Nonetheless, Pastor Bene was forthright when my questions finally got clearer. He offered a very intriguing interpretation and image for our conversation. In the story of Moses (Exodus 3-4) there is a time when Moses is trying to get out of what God is asking him to do. He argues that no-one will listen or believe him, to which God directs Moses' attention to the simple staff in his hand. Through the very simple item Moses held, God performed wonders. Pastor Bene claimed that all of us have something in our hand, something that we have been given to work with and we only need to have enough faith to know that God will perform wonders with even the simple thing we hold - we just have to use it!! That resonated within our conversation. It was an authentic dialogue and one that pushed aside what I previously sensed as the formality between us. I am deeply thankful for that.

I was beckoned once again to come and meet the people that had just been interviewed. They were wanting to meet me and had indicated that they would like to try and answer any questions that I might have of them. Was that a moment of humility for me! I don't know what I thought I would walk into, but the power of spirit that filled that space was remarkable. There were a couple of older women that were full of life and feisty as I would call one with a glint in their eyes and a fierce determination in their voice. Defiantly throwing off the stigmatization that comes from families and communities when one becomes infected by HIV, these women totally inspired me - resiliency oozed through their laughter , and confidence oozed in their posture. These older women were such good role models for the younger ones. They have developed into a strong network of people living with AIDS. They knew each others stories and challenges - they supported, showed compassion and laughed together. It never ceases to amaze me what miracles can happen when we work together in supportive and caring ways!! I have no doubts that with the continued support of their medicinal gardens and the care of Pastor Manteiga, these women will beat whatever comes their way!

I asked them a simple question, "What would you imagine your life would be like today if you had not become involved in the Medi-Plantas project?" Almost with one breath and one voice, most responded "Morda - Dead!" There was no follow-up question on my lips as I fought back tears. The outspoken women quickly began to explain their particular circumstances that led to that statement. I do not remember those explanations - I only remember the profoundness of the collective truth of their living. It was in this moment I experienced Christ the healer very present - embodied in the total dedication of Pastor Manteiga and given further life in these women who squarely faced the world and its challenges. Both are healers.

Before I knew it, we were piling into the truck once again - it seemed that some of the women wanted to show us where they lived and how well their medicinal and nutritional crops were doing. Their excitement was palpable!! After a short drive from the clinic and down a narrow lane way, we pulled in as far as we could with the truck and then walked to the first woman's house. Her family - mother and children - were certainly somewhat curious about our group. First she showed us the medicinal plants that grew next to her house. We walked a little further into the wonderful garden full of vegetables. What delight she had to show us how her newly planted beans had sprouted and we beginning to grow. Her friend seemed to be just as proud of her garden. This magnificent mountain outcrop seemed to provide the perfect backdrop to the strength of these 2 women - what beauty to behold in the rock and their spirits!

Back into the truck, little ways back and then off onto another lane way. Drive as far as a 4 wheel truck can take you, get out and walk again through a maze of pathways. About 20 minutes later we arrived at the second woman's house. It was suffering from water damage, something that happens a great deal when the homeowner cannot afford either the plastic lining under the thatch rook or a galvanized steel roof. Yet beside her broken home, the garden is tended well and her medicinal plants yielded in abundance.

Most villagers cannot afford either the plastic or certainly the steel roof, so the cycle of building, wash-outs and rebuilding happens with regularity. Most often living on their own, HIV women have few options to fix their homes. In fact, providing adequate roofing was seen by Pastor Manteiga as one of the greatest needs in the provision of care to the HIV/AIDS people. He talked about his dream to have a partnership develop between the infected individual, their family, the local church, CCM and global partners - the basic house would be constructed by the local people but the precious steel roof would come from the CCM/global partners. Providing this kind of secure housing is a basic human need and right. Pastor Bene affirmed this direction but noted how the local churches need the leadership to develop outreach ministry of this kind. The small village churches mostly exist as pastoral and worship centres. Community based ministry has not yet been intentionally developed as a living out of faith. To begin such a process within a partnership of this kind would enlargen the role of the church and increase the security of the people.

On our 20 minute walk back to where we left the truck I was imagining what this journey would have been like when she was first sick and having to get out to the clinic in order to go to the hospital for blood work and prescription for the anti-viral drug. And now, with baby on her back as all African women do, and a hoe in her hand, she laboured in her field keeping herself and her baby alive! I breathed a quiet thanks for the part that people back in Canada have played in bringing hope into this real life drama through their Mission and Service offering.

On our third stop we visited a man who had just started growing tobacco as a way to make a small income. His medicinal and nutritional gardens again were well attended and his house very well built with not only plastic under the thatched roof but also at the foundation level. He is so proud of what he is able to accomplish despite his AIDS. My heart celebrated with him in that moment!

It was such an uplifting time visiting these people and their homes and gardens! But now we needed to really hurry for we were expected by the Bursary Girls for lunch. At the clinic we quickly packed our things in the truck (including my chicken, though I didn't believe them at the time). Karen was concerned about the timing for some of the Bursary Girls would be needing to get to afternoon classes and she knew that they would wait for their lunch until we the guests had arrived.

A relatively short drive from the clinic, was the LAR (dormitory/residence) site for the older Bursary Girls. As mentioned before, the rural schools do not offer higher grades for the students. They have to move to a larger centre like Molumbo to do that, leaving their family and needing money to do that. According to a report written Karen, this LAR started with 12 girls sleeping on a dirt floor in a hut. It was run by a group of local women who call themselves AMER (Portuguese acronym for Women's Association for Rural Education), each contributing whatever small amount each personally can. PEDRA came in and helped organize the parents to help with food and construction of better facilities. The government donated land and the abandoned army barrack where the girls now sleep. PEDRA put in doors and windows.

The parents banded together to fix the roof when it blew loose in a windstorm. They built a dining room / study room with their handmade bricks, an open-walled kitchen, a store-room for food and bicycles, and a reed-and-bamboo fence around the compound to give the girls privacy - all with their volunteer labour and local materials.

Newly united, organized, articulate, the parents with help from CCM then lobbied the district ministry of education, who came to recognize the PEDRA LAR as a magnet for girls' education in the district. They lobbied the local Catholic priests, and now in a formerly empty Catholic schoolroom there are classes to Grade 10.

Despite being late, the girls came running out to greet us with song and dance. This time, there was a speech that was written and delivered about women and all that they are in society. At one point, the young lady who was delivering the speech called for a minute's silence to remember all those women who have died in the struggle. They gave me the speech and I hope to have it translated from Portuguese in order to grasp the fullness of that offering.

Some of the young ladies then took Pastor Bene and myself through their dormitory. Notable were the colourful mosquito nets and the solar lights that hung in the upper reaches of the large rooms. The installation of these lights have made a major difference in the study time available to the girls in the evening.

We were also shown the new latrine that is nearly finished. This two stall latrine is replacing the one you see on the left. This is one way of stabilizing the health issues that can confront the students. The other was the installation of a deeper well to provide clean drinking water. The improved services have made the dormitory life much safer. Construction has started on another building that can serve as additional bedrooms or workspaces. They await further funding to complete this building.



After the tour of this important LAR, we sat down for some lunch. Karen was busy having to get through some administrative work and then it was time to say good-bye and load up in the truck for a very long drive back to Quilimane.

The ride home provided an opportunity for a great deal of nourishing conversation despite the bouncing that increased because of the deteriorated condition of the roads in some areas. There had been substantial local rain in the past days - that rainfall had enlarged potholes and made portions of roads impassable. Once again Jack proved to be a skilled driver, taking us onto side paths if necessary to bypass these challenges. We arrived safely back at Karen and Bill's home. It was only then I a realized that my chicken had indeed come home with us!

Exhausted by the multitude of experiences, stories of hopes and realities, sharing of church life in respective countries, conversations about partnerships and simply by the long ride back, I barely unpacked and went to bed.