Across The Street

Across the street from the WHIZ compound, there is a field of grass, or at least that is what we thought.  We had seen 2 small dirt access roads leading back and a sign for a church that is being built (which we thought was being built right by the road).

Sunday evening, we came colliding with the reality of what real compound living in Choma is as our friend, Joshua, took us for a walk back into the compound of Old Kabanana.

A small dirt access road led us to a small house and an open field.  The house was made of brick, with a small tin roof, and was no more than 12x6.  Outside, was a man, his wife and their 2 children.  The man was wiring a small light bulb for the house, the wife was watering her landscaping around the house, and the 2 children were playing barefoot in their dirt yard.  We were introduced to the family, smiled, made small talk & then went on our way, with the man from the house now part of our little group.

Joshua & our new friend proceeded to lead us through Kabanana,  a massive compound with many houses – some brick with thatched roofs, some brick with tin roofs, some with “fences” (tall grass around the house) – and even more people.  As we walked through, close to dinner, we could smell the coals being burned for cooking.  We saw women sitting around their cooking pots outside getting a meal ready for their family.  We walked over large rice bags filled with sand/dirt to cross a small stream filled with murky water that ran through the compound.  We saw children drawing with “sidewalk chalk” (used/leftover coal from a previous fire) on a small area of concrete in front of a house.  One little girl was drawing a picture of her house (thatched roof included), with her family around the outside.  We passed a young woman Joshua greeted who had just lost her husband (we speculate from AIDS).  We saw Joshua’s thatched roof house and small cooking stall outside his house.  We heard children laughing as we passed (this happens often, as we are a stark contrast to what they are used to seeing).

It was a sobering reality to see such poverty across the street from where we live.  It is interesting though, what people here consider poverty.  If a person has a roof over their head and a meal in front of them, they have what they need.  They are not poor in their mind.  They might not have electricity, running water, flushing toilets, but, that have and they are grateful for that.