There is a buzz word out in the non-profits regarding what they call Child Head of Household. It denotes children leading their own household due to no parents as a result of war, genocide, AIDS, etc. It’s not uncommon in Rwanda . . . Our host, Steven, came to Rwanda soon after the genocide and began taking these kinds of kids into his own home, and continues to do so unto this day. He also has adopted a number of households that were already children without parents and making a meager existence. We visited these homes yesterday and today.
Heidi wrote this piece: In Gasogi we visited the households led by children. When we first arrived they treated us to an amazing demonstration of native dance and even invited us to join in. Afterwards we tromped the dusty paths to two of their homes. As we walked between the banana trees, I couldn’t help but think of terrified Tutsis hiding in these very bushes while the Hutus were hunting for them. It touched my heart to then see the deteriorating clay huts where 12 boys (10-17 yrs old) were scraping out a living. These boys had become family and were doing their best to care for one another. Some of them are able to go to school but not all. I ask myself “Why am I here?” How can I make sense of what I’m seeing when I return to a world full of conveniences and comforts? All I can do is tell these people’s story. So for now, I’m doing my best to drink it all in and let it touch my heart.
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Now our friends from Burundi have arrived for a couple of days. We’ll be spending time with them and hearing their stories. As some may know, we had to re-direct our trip from Burundi due to political unrest, and came to Rwanda, as we already had relationships here. So, we brought a few of those friends to visit with us here. We are calling it our Burundi days.
More on that later . . .
Everyone take care,
Leigh
