Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The BIG Picture


      "Investing time in people is better than giving things away."

Kat is right. We must look at the BIG picture. If we keep throwing money at problems, keep investing in ideas that are proven to fail, and continue to feed our egos by focusing on the here and now, rather than helping tomorrow by starting to educate our Burundi children, we will continue to create the same problems that those before us have faced. Most people of Burundi want to get there one day. People CAN change. If we love them, work with them and invest our time to help them develop skills, connections, ideas and inspiration they need to reach their goals.

Complaining eases my frustration for a while, much in the same way that chocolate can help a bad mood, But then it wear off. Seeking to understand achieves far more than stamping my feet. The children here have very different early years to those in Canada. There’s little stimulation when young: few toys, no concerted effort to read, play or spend time with the very young. Babies spend their first year strapped to a mother’s back. Three year olds play in the dust and squeal in excitement when a Mazungu appears in their field of vision. Their young lives look, to me, boring and monotonous. No wonder they stare vacantly in class, or play obsessively with a worn out balloon.




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