Arrival in Lusaka
We landed in the capital Lusaka, on a plateau at 1,400 metres: the morning was cool, but by 1 pm the heat was unbearable. The thermometer reached 35 degrees and the sun beat down hard. Sweat poured from forehead to cheeks down to the collar of the T-shirt, and perhaps it wasn't only the heat. Maybe it was also the emotion of seeing the school, set in a cramped, crumbling slum with a constant stench, where a number of children varying from 120 to 160 depending on the day are always thrilled to see a “muzungu”, a white man in Swahili.
What we did
We ate with these children. We gave them breakfast. We bought books, notebooks, blackboards, pens, medicines. We paid the rent for the whole year and hired three teachers. All of this we did together with the FRIENDS.
We are happy with the results achieved, but not so happy to see how these children live. Inside the slum they are the worst off: malnourished, sick, in pitiful conditions in terms of clothing and quality of life.
Almost all of them have a cough, signs of past untreated pneumonia or some skin disease. They fight thirst by sipping strange mixtures of liquids. Looking into their eyes, you cannot help wondering what future these children can have.
A single sweet is enough to bring a smile to their faces, in a condition that for anyone coming from the West, would be unacceptable.
The children's future
Even more shocking is the thought that this denied childhood is a recruiting ground for crime, where these unfortunate young people sink into an even more harrowing hell. There is no doubt that these children, orphans or from families on the edge of survival, will always carry the burden of the atrocities they have seen and suffered.
If one day they find a place in society to do something good, then they will be able to hope in the future again and the wounds of the soul will heal.
Their future depends on me, on you, on US.
A message of hope
Every small gesture can become a beacon of hope for those living in the darkness of poverty and neglect. Through our shared commitment, we can offer opportunity, education and dignity to those who need it most. It is a journey that takes courage, but the children's smiles, their gratitude and their potential remind us that every effort is worth it.
