Saturday afternoon, March 6th

ckl


As we traveled down a secondary road, I began to notice a few things: first, that the house construction was different here in this part of Mozambique compared to rural Tanzania. Because of the high clay component in most of the soil, the homes were generally made of locally produced red bricks with thatched roofs. You could spot the brick ovens that were built on the properties that would cure the bricks before use.

Secondly I noticed that the countryside and the village streets were remarkably clean in comparison to my observations in both urban Uganda and urban/ruralTanzania. I remarked about this to Bill and Karen and after some thought, they suggested that perhaps this state of cleanliness has more to do with the lack of items to purchase and the intense reuse mentality of the people who have so little to begin with. That took a bit of contemplation from me - on the one hand the reuse policy is fantastic from an environmental perspective. However, the need to reuse items due to the deep poverty and its corresponding lack of accessibility to goods did not seem to provide a good balance to this overall equation.

Thirdly I noticed new types of vegetation such as these beautiful Eucalyptus trees. Everywhere I went the rides seemed so short for I had much to look at, many questions to ask and internal thoughts to process!

Before I knew we were slowing down as the road became a little less substantial and definitely more bumpy. We were approaching the town of Namarroi where Karen has worked to develop a PEDRA program for the older girls. As the girls from the small villages complete their Grade 5 they have to move to the next largest community where the next few grades would be offered. Then they need to come to the town of Namorroi for the senior grades up to Grade 10. This is a near impossibility for most families for now comes not only school fees and books and uniforms but transportation or semester lodging. CCM's PEDRA bolseira (bursary-girl) program was developed to respond to this challenge. In cooperation between AMER (a local Association of Women for Rural Education) and the Christian Council of Mozambique, a LAR or residence/dormitory has been built here. Then in a unique partnership between CCM, United Church of Canada overseas personnel and the Unitarian Universalists of Cumberland Valley from the USA, a bursary fund was established to help pay the cost of such higher education. This bursary recognizes the value of higher education for the girls and their society. Girls who stay in school are more likely to delay marriage and motherhood. This reduces the spread of AIDS and slows the rate of population growth. In addition, girls who finish upper primary school (6th and 7th grades) are also more likely to become community leaders, acquire the capability to earn extra money for their families, and see that their children attend school. Thus, helping girls stay in school has sustainable benefits.

The dormitory life brings the PEDRA girls together and they help & encourage each other with school work and personal challenges. In turn they become excellent role models for the younger PEDRA girls.

Let me share one such amazing story of hope and resilience that seems to sum up what I see as the determination of these girls. I'm quoting Karen and Bill's description in one of their many Letters from Overseas 9 July 2009 (see link) .... "Felizarda is a girl in the rural PEDRA centre called Regone. We wrote about her way back in Letter 158 in May 2006. She’s 17 now, in grade 7, and since childhood polio has had no use of her legs. For years, to get to school she crawled 2.5 kilometers each way through the dry-season dust and rain-season mud, until district Health authorities heard of her and arranged a wheelchair. ‘Felizarda’ means fortunate and happy. Despite her disability, she has the good fortune of courage, grit, and persistently cheerful disposition. Three years of travel on the dirt tracks of rural Regone have taken a toll on that first wheelchair. It’s sturdy but wearing out. So the Christian Council arranged another one, the latest Quelimane model, as part of an ongoing program with a craftsman in Quelimane named Matias who builds them (as well as the produce carts and ambulance stretchers which CCM also distributes)".

I met Felizarda twice - I was drawn to her inner strength and sense of joy. I don't think anyone represents that profound human spirit in the PEDRA girls more than Felizarda. I am humbled by her determination and yet sense this broad great hope that is rising from the young generation of this now gentle country.

As the afternoon waned it was time to make our way back to Namarroi for the evening. However, we first climbed the hillside to the site of the Roman Catholic church. As we pulled into their yard, the young people were just leaving from their youth group activities. I requested to see the inside of the church if possible. It was beautiful with its high ribbed ceiling and simple pews. It somehow reminded me of a small Catholic church I once saw on the Magdalen Islands off Canada's Prince Edward Island. That local interpreter explained that the ribbing on the ceiling was indicative of the ribs in a boat, just upside down. The symbolism was rich with the people being in the boat with Jesus, and with the idea of a God who turns our world upside down to create peace and justice and good. I couldn't help but wonder if the designers of this older church saw this space with similar symbolism. (I also noted the collection of African drums in the corner and wished I could hear them being played!)

In the town of Namarroi we stopped at a small inn for the night. After cleaning up a bit, Bill, Karen and I met for some supper of beef strips, home fries and that lovely tomato/cucumber salad and lots and lots of water for me! The dark was coming, the music was beginning to play out on the street and a wedding was well underway at the back of the inn. Yet, somehow, laying in my room with a fan blowing on the bed, the sounds were good, real good - sounds of life and places of relationships. I drifted off (much to my light sleeper surprise). It had been a long day of driving and talking and meeting.