There are
things I would like to tell you about the life of the young girl’s here in
Baomahun.
First, you must think about those things you take for granted each
day.
· Running water
· Electric lights
· A bedroom
· A bathroom
· Toys
· Clothes
· Books
· Parents that care for you.
Running water - Each morning to wash
your hands you move the handle on a faucet and water comes out, you turn the
handle after supper to wash the dishes. You do not even think about it, it is a
habit. The girls in Baomahun do not have that luxury! From my window, I can
watch a steady stream of girls walk back and forth from a well, making numerous
trips to get water. The well these girls use requires them to drop a bucket deep
into the well and then haul it back up filled with water. Then they must carry a
large bucket back to their home on their heads and they rarely spill a drop of
water! That is a lot of work. Here is
what you should do. Find a 5-gallon bucket, just fill it half full with water,
then you try to carry it and see how far you make it! They are strong little
girls.
Electric lights – You wake up early one
Sunday morning to get ready for Church, but your room is dark, you cannot see to
find your shoes. What do you do? Turn on the light switch, of course. I have not
seen a light switch in any of the houses I have visited here. In the school
houses there are no lights. There is no flip of the switch to turn on the lights
that enable you to see. No lights so you can read before you go to sleep. Not
here! There are flashlights, but I do not see the children getting to use them.
Bedroom
– Some of you might have your own room or you might share one, but I am
confident you do not share your room with everyone in your family! Most houses
have one room, shared by all the members of the family and any visitors that
stop by! Most of the time the people do their work and cooking on their veranda
(sometimes cooking is done in a hut type structure, that is shared with the
neighbors) and the small inside area is reserved only for
sleeping.
Bathroom – Let me keep this simple,
there are no bathrooms in Baomahun like you have in the states! There are
latrines, outhouse, but they are seldom used by the children. If you want to get
clean, you either walk down to the river, or use a bucket of water in the front
yard!
Toys
– You might have a computer, a hand held gaming system, dolls, board games,
and whatever else girls play with in the states!! Here, they can play football
(Soccer) from dawn till setting sun and not get tired of it. (I have actually
been invited to play football, but that is another story) Or they play with
sticks and bottle caps to see who can knock their cap the farthest. One of my
favorite toys they make is taking a thin branch, then sticking a long leaf
through the center and running to make it spin. Almost like a pinwheel. I have
also seen small plastic bottles made into cars. They have so much fun with the
simplest of things!
Clothes
– Every girl likes clothes, some not as much as others do, but you all like
them. Try having only two sets of clothes and maybe one pair of shoes! Would you
be able to still smile and be happy? Granted these girls have never seen the
things that American girls have. They do not realize that things are any
different in America than they are here. Still they are content.
Books
– Most of you have a Bible and others books to read at any time you want to.
Not only do these girls not have access to books, even if they had them, most
could not read them. Just recently, I met two girls, about 12 years old, who
could actually read very well, but they did not understand what they were
reading. They have the order of the letters memorized so they know the word, but
they do not know what the word means. Many girls are not sent to school, they do
not have the opportunity to learn to read to discover the wonders that are
contained between the covers of a book. They cannot read God’s word for
themselves. May I encourage you spend time
reading. Most importantly spend time read God’s word.
Parents
–Many times a Mother will have more children than she can provide for and so
will send a child to live with a relative. The relative will care for that
child, in exchange for having the child there to do the work that relative does
not want to do. Often not only do the children not know who their father is,
they do not even know how old they are!
There is very little love shown to these girls. Their fathers do not hug
them, or their mothers tell them they are loved. They do not get to hear those
words!
The
life of the children here in many respects is very hard, but especially for the
girls. They must be tough to survive in a male dominated society. Just the other
night I watched a girl wrestling with a boy who had annoyed her, and the girl by
a clever maneuver landed the boy on his back and won.
There
are things I have taken for granted, but have seen that not everyone lives as I
have had the ability to live. I thank God for the things mentioned that He has
allowed me to enjoy and pray that I will not take them for granted any more.
I hope
you enjoy hearing a little bit about a girl’s life in Baomahun, if you have any
questions I would be more than happy to answer them.
Aimée (Nyadavo)
1 Chronicles 16:8
Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.
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