Tuesday morning, March 9th

I awoke to the sounds of laughter and play in the school yard next door. It was a delightful sound which reminded me again why the land feels at rest and whom it longs to nourish. Before I got too emotionally reconnected to the events and conversations of the last 3 days, my alarm went off. It was time to get ready quickly - we had a very busy day again. A quick breakfast and we were off to the CCM office in Quelimane.

This morning I would be accompanying a team of young adults to Marabo which is a barrio outside of Quelimane in the swampy lands close to the ocean. These young adults participated in a training program that Bill developed some years ago. The goal of the training program was to give the necessary skills and perspectives on the development of community outreach programs. They learned issues such as visioning, concept development, budgeting, accountability, and community relations. During the program, the participants developed and undertook some small projects in order to debrief them collectively.

Since that training, there was funding found for a position to develop more such projects. Three of the young men decided to time share that position and thus a team was developed. One takes the lead for one project, the other 2 assist. On another project, a different leader and different assistants. This morning Balmero had designed and taken the lead on the distribution of mosquito nets in local barrios.

With the truck loaded up, Karen and I joined the team and Jack in the journey to Marabo. Once off the main road we needed to travel through the fields to get to the barrio. Soon we approached what look like a village on a travel brochure. How looks can deceive! Here was a forgotten place, unknown to some locals as well. Like so many areas of deep poverty, Marabo has to deal with high rates of malaria which remains the number one health problem in the country and the single largest killer of infants.

In preparation for today's delivery, Balmero (on the left) had developed a relationship with the Secretary of the barrio (middle) as well as Parent Council representatives (right). There were 80 mosquito nets that would be distributed. It was the local leaders that were going to decide which people were going to receive the nets. Generally, the priority people are orphaned children , pregnant mothers, those with disabilities, and the elderly.

When we stopped the truck and got out, the children gathered quickly. Once again my camera helped break down the shyness. But also quickly it was time to begin the distribution of the nets. The villagers had already begun to gather and Balmero was preparing for the recording of the necessary documents. How patiently everyone waited for their name to be called out. When it was, they had to sign for the net. I was so impressed at how smoothly everything had gone. Even though there were people in the barrio who had not received a mosquito net and were obviously upset over that, the Secretary of the Barrio was able to handle the situation very well.
When all the people had received their nets and had gathered for the demonstration, Balmero indicated a desire for me to speak to the people. I was from Canada and a United Church minister and these nets came through the generousity of the people in London Conference of The United Church of Canada. I had nothing to do with this wonderful gift of mosquito nets, but I was there before them. Once again, I was uncomfortable in the role. But then Karen gave me a new perspective that really challenged my self understanding. She reminded me again that the people in this area of Mozambique rarely have visitors from around the world. This was about their thoughts and feelings both of which were touched and amazed that someone has cared enough about them to come half way around the world to listen to them and help them. This statement jolted me into a new reality. They do not see my remorse for the history I too carry. They do not see my inherent wealth. They see that I cared enough to come to them which is all my heart ever wants to do. I almost lost it in that moment. I have no recollection of what I said but I remember clearly one elderly woman passionately thanking me for coming and bringing these nets for the barrio. Again I was humbled, this time by the realization of how much 'baggage' I have carried when I travel; bags of apologetics over a past that granted me privilege in this world of inequality. But for the first time I was aware that my intentions and love far outweighed that baggage. This was a hard moment of a new truth that was also profoundly liberating.

On our way back to the truck we stopped in the school to say hello to the teacher and his students. One complication in the education system in Mozambique is that Portuguese is not the first language of many students, particularly in the villages. There they maintain their local dialects yet education is only offered in Portuguese. When children start elementary school, often it takes longer since the children need to learn Portuguese. This puts them immediately behind academically. If I understood correctly, one very positive element of their education system is that teachers are sent to villages other than their own upon graduation. The philosophy of this strategy is to break down village or tribal based relationships and understandings and promote tolerance and communication between all the different components of the society. We did not stay long so as not to disturb their studies. I longed to be able to speak with them like Karen did. Common language is indeed precious for relationship building.

On our way out of Balmero, we stopped at a roadside market. Karen bought some different vegetables and fruit. The young men bought various things that I understood that they will sell later in the city for a small profit. The ride back to the CCM office was good as the young men obviously felt that the project had gone very well. I was pleased for them. It was a good testament to the training program that they had gone through with Bill.