These are Our Children, World!

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika

Could this be one of the most beautiful anthems in the world?

I posted this late last night and was too tired to write what I wanted to say, so I will add a little more now.

These children are from the northern border region of South Africa and live in a town called Limpopo, which is near Rudyard Kipling’s “great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River” from his “Just So” story “The Elephant Children.” Many of these children have lived in poverty and some were orphaned by that terrible disease that has left so many of Africa’s children orphaned. It is said that Africa is the cradle of humanity, and if so, it is also the cradle of resilience, joy, and the indomitable human spirit that these young people radiate.

Midway through our years in Africa, I was involved in a mother-child health project in the southern tip of Malawi along the Lower Shire (SHEER ee) River valley. The region had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country caused by illnesses that could be prevented with immunizations or treated with simple, inexpensive remedies.

The valley was a hot, remote, and difficult place to work. When mothers were invited to take part in nutrition training, treating childhood illnesses, immunization campaigns and other activities, attendance was much lower than we anticipated, so we needed to learn why. We asked many questions, conducted focus groups, listened carefully and learned from what we heard. The simple daily struggle to maintain a garden, gather firewood for cooking, prepare meals, and carry water several kilometers were non-negotiable necessities for survival. Women did not have the luxury of choosing to omit a necessity to make time for activities that would provided future benefits.

We decided one thing we could do was to provide water pumps for simple hand dug wells near villages where we worked so women would not need to walk so far for water each day. We saw increased attendance, so we looked for other activities we could do that would allow us to reach more mothers. After a slow start, the program took off and resulted in real improvements in people’s lives.

Half way through the program, a mother-child health expert performed a project evaluation to make suggestions about where improvements could be made and noted what was working well. At the end of the evaluation when the expert briefed us on her findings, she ended the briefing by telling us that because of the project, 2,000-3,000 children would live to see their fifth birthdays and beyond. Children who would have died without the blood, sweat, and tears of our dedicated health workers now had a chance to survive.

I think of those anonymous children when I listen to the Ndlovhu Youth Choir. The beauty they create with their talent, dedication, and joy enriches us all. The world is a better and more beautiful place because they have overcome the odds against them. Imagine what 2,000-3,000 more lives like theirs could do to enrich the world if all of us shared a fraction of our abundance and our love to help make these young lives thrive.

Nkosi Sikele iAfrika. God bless Africa!