Matthew's go to phrase about today sums it up perfectly:"this is what it's all about."
When we arrived, the entire school greeted us with a big "namaste" ( the Nepalese greeting). As you saw in our previous pictures, they placed garlands around our necks and traditional tikkas on our foreheads. What you didn't see, but will, is that the students were split in 2 lines and we walked right through the middle of it - like a team entering the Super Bowl, but even better. As we walked through the line, the kids just burst out in applause, and smiles, and threw rose petals. You couldn't walk through that line without crying.
They then treated us to a performance of dance, poems, and a play - we may have found the next member of Jordana's improv troupe.
The poem and play spoke to what life is like for these kids, and many of these similar performances are done in villages to spread the messages and lessons that they embody.
Welcome song
The play
Kids want to go to school, but their father thinks it is a waste of time because they can make money doing manual labor. He forces them to work, then takes their wages and spends it gambling and drinking. He is an alcoholic and beats his wife and children when he gets drunk. Hs wife starts to advocate for her children and the children do as well, eventually teaching the father that education gives you knowledge which grants you the opportunity for a richer life overall.
According to our guide, Prabin, there are mothers' groups that started forming in some of these villages to stand up to alcoholism and ban alcohol in the villages. This has succeeded in a number of nearby villages due to the power of these women in numbers and has reduced domestic violence and increased enthusiasm for education.
A daughter is asking her parents why she isn't treated the same as her brother and given the same opportunities. She stands up for herself and her future. The first two lines of the poem:
When my brother was born, you held your head up high.
When I was born, you hung your head in shame.
After the performances, we had the ability to mingle with the kids and take part in the construction of the school. They loved taking pictures with us and seeing the pictures of themselves. The sheer happiness on the kids' and parents' faces when meeting us was a gift that no amount of money can compensate.
The whole experience was electrifying (despite being in a location without electricity!) and just left us with faces that hurt from smiling all afternoon.
Despite the death-defying trip to get there, we can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow.
Thank you, Hobsons! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZJsOtRIKd4
oh my goodness... I could cry reading this. How did you not spend all day in tears? Or maybe you did. How sad for them to realize that there is a issue and fight for the ability to go to school. Thank you so much for the updates! The AAC Class in Cincy is super interested in all you are writing about and are keeping up with the blog. (Ms. Robinson is filtering it for age appropriateness)
ReplyDeleteI love their creativity and passion. This is absolutely amazing! It's great to see students and women taking an active role in changing communities. Can't wait to hear what happens next in your adventures!
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely wonderful! I am so happy that you all are able to be there and keep us updated via the blog.
ReplyDeleteKnowing that issues such as alcoholism, sexism, and child labor are recognized and being addressed there is awe-inspiring. With each entry, I feel the humanity. This helps me as well as (I am sure) anyone reading this appreciate our blessings and strive to impact others' lives by providing time and assistance.
“Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give.”
― Ben Carson
The stories of the mothers banding together to save their families and communities, and the children rising above the adversity is inspiring. We felt the same as Matthew last year in the DR - it's about the kids, their mothers, and supporting the opportunity for them to break the cycles of poverty, bias, and social stigma.
ReplyDeleteErica's quote from Ben Carson (great minds, Erica!) was similar to one I shared in last year's blog:
“Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.”
― Sarah Bernhardt