Taking heart

Here's a recent exchange between me (Mom) and Elizabeth, who will be an education worker in the village of Guidan Roumdji outside of Maradi.

Mom:

I Googled Guidan Roumdji. Found photos of young, extremely malnourished children there who are being given some kind of (I presume) sustenance through tubes taped to their noses. Their hands are bandaged, obviously to keep them from pulling out the tubes. One photo caption says: "The reason why we're here."

I don't have the heart to Google Earth it right now.

Elizabeth:

Those photos are probably from Doctors Without Borders - they have a couple volunteers in GR. There are also a few Japanese volunteers from their version of the Peace Corps. I don't know whether or not this makes you feel better, but I have seen no children with tubes up their noses (and there are certainly none that would be visible from satellites) - the most "depressing" thing i have seen in the whole country are kids with bloated bellies, which isn't all too difficult to be around, especially when the kids are running around and laughing all day long. You (as in "il faut," not you personally) have to keep in mind that the pictures from Africa that make it back to America are the ones that will shock people the most, not the ones that necessarily represent real life here. Not to downplay the seriousness of problems here, health or otherwise, but there is more to this country than its problems. Not that you didn't know that. :)

I also have to admit that my life here is probably much "easier" than that of a medical worker, who would be confronting these types of "depressing" things day in and day out; in my opinion that's a job that requires a lot more "bravery" than mine.