I am ashamed to say that there are many times food is presented in my home, hands go flying through the air, grabbing what they can, and stuffing it into little mouths. To be completely honest, sometimes big mouths. When I first visited Ethiopia in 2011, I was amazing at how well these children sat and waited for their food which seemed strange considering food is not in abundance. You would think people, especially children, would grab what they could. However, the opposite is true. In these rural villages there is a deep appreciation for the gift of a full plate and there are long honored customs as to how to treat that food, waiting until everyone is served, God is honored as the provider, and then they partake.
I stated before that my main goal on this recent trip was to gain a deep understanding of the needs, the programs, the process, and how the funding I am raising is being used. I learned that serving a hot lunch is rare in sponsorship programs throughout Ethiopia and what my partner ministry, FOVC, is doing is above and beyond the call of duty. It costs about $17,000 a year to feed all 172 children at the two project sites, Dale and Shanto. Most of the sponsored children in the 2 programs get a hot lunch 6 days a week. There are around 15 children in Shanto and 2 in Dale who for a variety of reasons attend different schools and their families receive a monthly supply of food intended for the child. The rest of the children sit patiently each day waiting for their wonderful plate of hot food. Each project site has 2 cooks, their salary is factored into the overall feeding cost. I love that 4 women are provided with jobs as part of this program.
On this day in Shanto the children were being fed cornbread and a type of lentil, it smelled SO good. Our team ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches everyday for lunch, for which I was thankful especially since all the bread in Ethiopia is baked fresh everyday, it was delicious! However, on this day I was tempted to share that plate with one of my little friends.
Each day the food is different. They work hard to provide a balanced diet including protein and vegetables along with the traditional ingera. Ingera is a stable to their diet, it is made from a grain called teff which grows almost exclusively in Ethiopia, and thrives in challenging climates. It has an excellent balance of amino acids, is high in protein, calcium, and iron. Basically, it is a God given grain to ensure survival in this part of the world. The children eat ingera almost everyday.
At Shanto, they take a 2 hour break from school mid-day for recess and lunch. All the children wash their hands, wait to be served, then eat. The older children help serve the food. They also get a glass of water with their meal. There is a well at the Shanto school with a hand pump. It provides enough water for the school each day. The picture below is from Shanto and shows the older boys helping pump water.
At the Dale project site, which serves 22 children, the process is similar. FOVC is renting a compound there that has a water faucet. Having water access is extremely helpful for these programs.
On our first day in Shanto the children sat outside and we helped serve them lunch. Our team this year was very small, so we came alongside the FOVC & school staff as they served the children. In the future I am praying for larger teams so we can serve the children lunch and give the staff a break. A huge part of my ministry efforts is to support what these wonderful people are doing in Dale and Shanto as they serve these children everyday. I hope to be a blessing to the staff while we visit.
It was great to bring my son along on this trip. He definitely noticed the differences I described. As a family, we have struggled to be disciplined with our food. Each time I visit Ethiopia I come home with a deeper desire to change our ways, to be more thankful, not waste, to patiently wait, and honor Jevohah-Jireh, Our provider (Genesis 22:14).
No comments:
Post a Comment