Last year my personal gift to my friends in Malawi was to assist Azikiwe’s father with the rebuilding of his house. Mr. Mwakayoka at 80 years of age lives on a patch of land among the rice paddies. Having spent time in jail during the 1960s as a political prisoner under the dictarorship of Dr. Banda, he has no pension from his years of service as a teacher in Malawi. His pension was taken from him as part of his imprisonment. Mr. Mwakaoyak lives on the income provided by the sale of his rice. His house was destroyed during the 2009/2010 earthquakes and he and his wife and grandchildren were sleeping outside for fear of the remains of the house collapsing on them. I am pleased to say that Mr. Mwakayoka and his family now sleep inside their fully restored house.
This year, my personal gift to my friends is a more frivolous one. I have decided that Azikiwe should buy a bicycle for his daughter Lusayo and for his grandson Innocent. The children are aged 5 and 7. I feel that they should have a bicycle and I’m very excited to see them use it when I visit in July.
It feels good to help a family that has given me so much.
Today I “introduced” my grade one class to the work I do in Malawi. The conversation was initiated when I told the children that I planned to go out at recess and buy candy canes for some kids. Being typical 6 year olds they immediately assumed the candy canes would be for them. I explained to them that the candy canes would be sent to children who have likely never tasted such treats before. Of course, the children couldn’t believe that there are people alive today who have not had the joy of a candy cane.
After looking at my Malawi photo album and having a brief discussion of how the lives of the Itatu girls differ from ours the children showed a whole new side. Hands flew up with ideas of how they could share their candy canes and toys. Kids were asking if we could bring in shoes, toys and some of their candy canes to be sent to Malawi. It was the first time I have seen this class show empathy and it was very touching to see.
‘Tis the season for generosity, even if one is 6 years old.
Yesterday the teachers of Toronto were granted the honour of hearing L. Gen Romeo Dallaire and former child soldier Michel Chikwanine speak about their experiences. This was an inspiring and moving morning which I am truly grateful to have attended.
As I listened to young Michel speak of his life as a youngster in Democratic Republic of Congo, I was moved by the fact that he did not have a childhood. At the age of 5 he was abducted by the rebel troops and made to attack villages and kill his peers. He was never granted the opportunity to experience joy, innocence and wonder.
L Gen Dallaire has dedicated his life to the eradication of child soldiers. He speaks of being haunted by the images of children carrying machetes and AK-47s, prepared to kill on command. During his time in Rwanda, Dallaire was faced with a question that no one should have to answer: Do we kill children who kill? Imagine, this is a question soldiers are increasingly forced to ask themselves. Dallaire argues that children are the current weapon of choice in wars around the world.
Obviously the stories I heard yesterday were heartbreaking. I did however take a moment to feel gratitude, not just for my own situation, but also for that of my girls in Malawi. Malawi is a peaceful country. At this time, people are allowed to express their views, girls can be educated and people of different tribes live together in an atmosphere of respect.
The girls in Malawi suffer great hardships which even I, who have spent many months with them, can not fully understand but at the very least they know that they are safe. They can play. They dance and sing and appreciate the simple pleasures in life. I will continue to work to make their lives better but I do realize that it is all relative as they are far more fortunate than their peers in other parts of the world.
As always, I am grateful to have been born in Canada.
