Pemba, the Clove Island

                                      
Pemba Dhow, May 2010

The Zanzibar Door

Motherhood

I was at a supplementary feeding centre for pregnant women and babies this week and some of the women drew my attention to a woman sitting over under a tree with three small babies. Through my Sudanese colleague translating, the other woman explained she had been in hospital, giving birth to twins (two of the small, underweight babies that were with her) on the day the ration cards for supplementary feeding in her sector were handed out. Without a ration card, her babies were not eligible for the highly nutritional supplement.  

I asked her how old the babies were, the twins were around 6 months and the third, quiet child in her lap was apparently 3 years old but looked much smaller.  As we stood there and discussed the situation with the other women around her, the more I could not take my eyes off the child in her lap. I then realised the little boy was blind. I asked my colleague to confirm this and indeed he was, and consequently seemed mentally and physically under-developed for a 3 year old.

I thought about a mother with a blind child in other contexts, always hard, but definitely manageable, given support services and modern technology. But this was a Darfur IDP camp. And this woman had 6 month old twins. And no ration card. My heart surged with pity. And admiration, for this woman's strength, strength to just get through another day.

We arranged with our partner agency staff to give her any left over rations from the days distribution and get her registered for next month. We left the camp, but I could not stop seeing the face of that baby boy in my mind all evening. The face of a blind child has such beauty and sadness coupled in it I always thought. What does his future hold for him? It made me sad to wonder.. but at least for now, he has food in his belly, and I suppose thats what matters today.

Beginning

My project began this week.

160,000 IDPs now have a milling voucher in their hands and will not have to pay for the milling of their cereals. Its not the ultimate solution to meeting their needs but it is a step, I believe, in that direction.

The women of Darfur: Colour

Braids

Yumi Takahashi

I am lucky enough to know (and love!) a beautifully, talented artist, Yumi.

Her Exhibition, 'Shapes and Colours', opened in Sydney, Australia this week.

I sometimes wish, in adulthood, we remained as curious we were as children.

Daily life would be so fascinating.

Life is tough for camp kids,

but they have not lost their beautiful, innocent sense of curiosity.

Evident as they follow me around the camps, staring at me in complete, joyful fascination.

Khawaja!