December 23rd
Esther’s neighbor, Akwii, who I’ve known since I first came to the Quarter, quietly enters Esther’s home and kneels before me. She speaks to me briefly in her Teso tribal language. And then just as quietly, she leaves.
Later Esther explained to me that she needed help. She used to earn a meager living selling marua, the local brew, but then open sores on her arm revealed her HIV status and she was banned from continuing to make the drink for fear she’d pass on the infection. With tears in her eyes, she had told Esther that she would take her children and move back to her village in the North. The area, still extremely violent with rebel activity, would put her children’s lives at risk. But she no longer cared. She couldn’t continue this life any longer. Esther persuaded her to stay with the words, “God will provide.”
I tried to absorb everything Esther relayed to me. Why is life so hard for so many people?
December 24th
After finishing tea with Esther this morning, I asked her to invite Akwii in. I inquired about her 3 children (the youngest only 2 1/2 years old). I offered to help - offering to put the 2 older children in school and to buy some paper beads (the local handicraft) to provide her with some extra money to help. She sat very quietly, stoically, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I wasn’t sure if she understood (she speaks little English, and Esther only speaks a little Teso). Then I realized she was too emotional to speak. She was trying to hold back the tears that were flooding her eyes…
