Beautiful Esther

I know I have put off telling you about meeting my sponsored child, Esther. It has been very difficult to write about the visit. I have so many mixed emotions and they are very close to the surface. Tears come to my eyes as I begin to write this. So grab a Kleenex and read on.

I was scheduled to visit Esther on the Monday of the second week we were in Kalomo. Watching other group members meet their children made my anticipation grow. When the time finally arrived we drove down dirt roads but unlike other child visits we stopped at a small settlement of houses. With bags of gifts and food staples we left our truck behind and started through a baffling maze of paths. As we walked though the shanty town I realized I had never seen such poverty not even on television. The homes were close together and we were soon followed by a large number of children and some dogs, all of the children speaking words we did not understand. I found myself thinking, “What on earth am I doing here, have I made a huge mistake. How can John and I possibly make any difference in the life of a child living in these conditions?” At that point we turned a corner and there in front of me was Esther, playing with her little brother and some of their friends on a small patch of grass. When Esther looked up  her tiny face broke into a huge smile, I knew I was doing the right thing. Yelling at the top of her lungs, Esther went running across the grass. The only thing we could understand was, “Mamma, Mamma.” I asked the translator what she was saying and he told us she was telling her mother that the white people had come. Seeing her beautiful face so full of happiness and hearing her excited words made my heart open up to her.

As we got close to her home we were still leading a large group of young children. Many of these children had never seen white people before and we fascinated them. Esther’s mother and grandmother invited us to come inside their home. Only the family came inside but due to the size of the home it was very crowded.

As the guests we were given chairs to sit on and the family arranged themselves on mats made from flour sacks. With help from ADP staff translators we were able to learn a little about the family. Dad was at work, he is a barber. They live in the small rental house. The two young children share a bed with a few blankets for the cold nights. Esther’s mother and grandmother dream about both of the children being able to go to school. She thought Esther might become a doctor or a teacher when she grew up. This family is lucky to have a well with clean drinking water in the neighbours yard. The children each have one pair of shoes but they do not wear them when they are outside playing, because the family cannot afford to replace them when they wear out. Food is one of the family’s most pressing worries. Mom can only find a small amount of piece work to help out the family and dad’s salary barely covers the rent on their home. They do not have enough money each month to purchase enough food to feed the family and are always worried they will be put out on to the street if they cannot pay the rent.

Now with the help of World Vision they know that at least the children will be able to go to school. The family may now be able to access some of the other world vision programs that would help them to increase their income and get better health care in their community.  When I talked to Esther’s mother she talked about how she would desperately like to find something she could do that would help her support her family. We talked a little about sewing machines and knitting needles. Without help these projects are just dreams for her. She says that she would have liked a large family but due to the hardships of their lives she does not plan to have any more children. When we gave Esther some small gifts we had brought for her from Canada she was overjoyed. Her generous nature had her immediately sharing her gifts with her little brother. Esther had taken my hand when she met me outside and she sat with me the whole visit. She would turn my hand over and over checking it out and softly rubbing the skin. She had a hard time deciding whether to let go of my hand when the gifts started to come out. Esther loved the sun glasses and warm blanket. She gave the soccer ball to her brother. I had put a doll in the bottom of the bag and it came out last. I told Esther this was to be her birthday present from us as her birthday was coming just after I went home to Canada. Her small hands gently took the doll and she just stood staring into the dolls face. After a couple of silent minutes she looked at her mother and said, “Now I have my own baby.”  Esther’s mother told us Esther had never owned a doll and she had never been given a birthday present. How different our lives are.

We presented the family with food staples such as millie meal, dried fish and cooking oil.

When it was time to leave Esther and I had our picture taken together. Like many of the children when we showed her the picture on the camera she was full of giggles. We hugged goodbye and our group started back up the paths and I was trying to hold back tears but then I felt a tiny hand slip into mine and I smiled down at Ether. Her mother was letting her accompany us up to the main road.

It is almost impossible for me to express what I am feeling about Esther and her family. They have so little and yet as we arrived at the van they handed us a bag of egg plants and sweet potatoes.  I understood that the bag of food could feed that family for a good number of meals and part of me wanted to say no you keep it you need it but there was also a part of me that understood their need to give me something in return for the gifts we had brought to them.

I was overjoyed to meet Esther. A large part of my heart will always remain in Zambia with her. As I sit at my desk in my large comfortable home I wonder what she is doing. Although her family is struggling with poverty Esther was a very happy little girl. She loved to run and play like little children should. She was very protective of her little brother. She told me it is her job to help her mom and look after her brother. Esther has a beautiful smile and that is the memory I want to carry with me. This family has hope for their future. I am saddened by the level of poverty she is living in and I worry a little about what will happen to her but I have hope for a better life for Esther and her family, with the help of our sponsorship and the work of World Vision.

I miss Kalomo, and Esther.   I will always cherise my memories of her along with her beautiful country and its beautiful people.