Friday, December 28, 2007

Touched

I met an amazing women today, well I meet amazing women everyday, but today I especially felt touched. She is the mother of 6, all children (including the oldest 25 yr. - studying to be a lawyer) still live with her in her 3 bedroom house. She is the secretary in her village bank, which has existed for the past 4 yrs! She complains of a machismo husband that won't let her do everything she wants. She stays up most nights until 2am knitting, so she can sell a sweater for 5 soles (almost $2). She makes up her own patterns of something that she thinks will look good. She is a health promoter and likes helping out her poor neighbors, and this is a women who lives in a dirt floor house. Her family just moved into this house because in her previous house one of the walls collapsed. She told me how she loves to help new, young moms. "If you don't have money for pants for your kid, then you take your old pants, cut them and make pants for your child, here...I'll show you." She has all kinds of animals in her patio (rabbits, ducks, chickens, etc..) and would love to have some land again. Her family use to live out of town, but they moved into town so that they wouldn't spend so much money on travel expenses for the kids going to and from school. She visits the mayor's office to ask for help for the poor, shoe-less kids in her neighbor. The last mayor gave christmas gifts to the kids in her neighbor, but this year the new mayor won't spend a dime. What can I offer this woman? She is empowered, beautiful, knowledgeable, savvy, kind, giving, surviving, and thankful. I feel honored to be able to work with women like this. Truely, what an honor.

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