Thursday, August 12, 2010

Final Thoughts at the end of the Journey

We have now completed our visit of four World Neighbors programs in Kenya and Tanzania, and although I have tried to come up with many words that can best describe what I have witnessed and the emotions I have felt, there is only one word that constantly filled my mind - Wow.

I know it is a simple word, but it is the word that continually came out of my mouth during this experience. It was the only word that I could summon as I sadly witnessed the daily battle families must wage against hunger. It is the only word that could accompany my nodding head as I finally understood the toll that HIV/AIDS has had on these countries, communities, families and individuals. And what other word could I use to describe the realization that poverty is everywhere I look?

But, wow is an interesting word. Just as it is the only thing I could manage to say as I witnessed the cruelty of this world, it is also the word that time after time popped up as I met the men and women who have chosen to stand up to those cruelties and say ‘no more.’

To the women who came together, saved their money and now have thriving businesses that support their families, I said wow!

To Vincent, a program participant living with HIV whom when World Neighbors met him could not get out of bed ,but who now is extremely healthy, has an amazingly successful farm and now stands as a leader in his community, I say wow!

To Janet, a program participant whose lush and diverse farm not only feeds her five children (the fourth of which she named World Neighbors), but also can send them all to school, I say wow!

To the hundreds of other neighbors in Kenya and Tanzania who have opened their homes to us, made a wonderful meal for us, sang and danced with us and shared their incredible successes, I say wow and thank you!

And to you, who might have wondered if supporting World Neighbors can really make a difference, I have another three letter word - YES! There is no doubt that real change is happening and there is no doubt that when neighbors both far and wide join together to fight hunger, poverty and disease we can turn that little word, wow, into nothing but a huge positive.

- Patrick Evans

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