While working at the Chikumbuso project, I felt I truly interacted and made a difference. There were a few children that I befriended during the three days we were there. One boy named Crispin gave me a crown he made out of chip bags, simply because I liked it. Then today he came up to me with a bracelet he made for me. The fact that this child, who barely has anything of his own, is so willing to give what he has made to a complete stranger really amazed me. We came to Chikumbuso to teach them, but I have learned a lot about generosity and kindness by working with the children of Zambia.
Shortly before we left, a girl came up to me and told me that she was going to remember me and gave me a bracelet. She later asked if I would be her best friend, which prompted two other girls to do the same. I’m still wearing the bracelet she gave me, but to me it is more than a friendship bracelet. I wish that there was more that we I could have done more during the three days I was at there.
I had no doubt that the widows were happy to have visitors at Chikumbuso. As I was standing in line in the Chikumbuso store to buy bags, the two widows who made the bags I was holding came up to me and gave me hugs. In the back of the store a large group of widows was singing and dancing loudly and cheerfully, I couldn’t help but smile. They weren’t begging, they were putting in their hard work and used the money to better their lives and their entire community. I wish I could buy all the bags in the entire store, just to see them smile. Looking at how overwhelmingly happy these women are, one would think that they live perfect lives. In reality they have suffered so much more than I could even imagine; one woman told how she lost both her child and her husband in the space of a week. Their optimism and ability to continue through suffering is inspiring to me and I wish I could share what they have shown me with the rest of the world.
-Rachel