The early hour didn't matter one bit to me; this is what I had been waiting for for the past 3 years (hell, in a way, for my whole life). I had no idea what to expect, but I surprisingly wasn't nervous (well, aside from, yet again, the possibility of dying on the drive there).
Upon arrival to the village, we were welcomed by maybe 10-15 members of the community. That number would dramatically increase over the next 10 minutes. Word quickly spread that there were some new people here; and it wasn't long before we realized I was the main attraction.
The first part of the visit was a village meeting, held on the front steps of a family's home; the purpose to discuss how the water filters that had been purchased via an MFI a few months back were working. Through the translation I learned that the overall functionality was working well, save for some minor complaints. The main point of concern was, not surprisingly, the price. Those without the filters would be more apt and able to get one if they were cheaper.
It was here that my worries that photographing might be offensive were dismissed. It quickly became apparent it was quite the opposite: they wanted to be photographed. Children, as well as adults smiled and moved into the photo's frame each time I lifted my camera to my eye.
After the meeting, we were invited into four homes to view the filtering device and discuss any feedback the family members had for us. While the father or mother of the home actively engaged with JVG, Tanya, and reps from the MFI, the children became more and more fascinated by me, and increased their effort to be the subjects of my picture-taking. One little boy not only successfully managed to join almost everyone I photographed, but seemed to be gathering other kids to join him in his efforts.
By the time we arrived at the fourth house, we had accumulated quite the following. Tanya remarked that they generally piqued interest and curiosity but this was "unprecedented" and estimated most of the village to be there, following us from house to house.
Quite possibly my favorite moment of the visit came when we were gathered around a large wall painting that was advertising the filters. Surrounded by kids, JVG asked them if anyone knew what the painting said. The boys were quiet, but a girl maybe about 12 years old or so emerged from the crowd and explained that the filter created clean water, which helped people drinking it to feel better. I don't think she knew word-for-word what the sign read, but she knew the reason it was important. She looked at me and beamed a smile, her way of showing her hope that this near-perfect explanation would earn her a photo-op. I happily snapped her photo and smiled back at her.
While all of the attention was obviously very foreign to me, I felt completely honored to be welcomed into this community. I had worried in the weeks, months, years leading up to this moment that I would feel sad or overcome with a sense of guilt for my overly-privileged life when exposed first-hand to the poverty at which my fellow human beings are living at. However, the sense of community witnessed and the warm welcome I received brought about a different, more motivating feeling than I expected; it brought about compassion. Compassion that fuels the love and appreciation I have for the fortunate opportunity to be doing something, even if only something small, to improve the lives of people around the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment