The Human Spirit

The power of the Human spirit is a force that we were create with to push us through adversity and circumstance that is not at all fair and definitely does not match the creator’s vision for us. 

We have just spent time with the most incredible people I have ever met. These were girls who have had to resort to transactiontional sex to feed themselves as well as their 
families. Most people in this world would have given up but these young women, living in the 3rd poorest country, have managed to find a resilience that is both inconceivable yet inspiring. 

The girls, aged between 14 and 22, job was to to sell whatever their family could scrounge together in the local 
market. The market is indescribable. It is like  mud slum with bamboo and straw shelters where people sit on the dirt behind their produce and wares waiting for someone to buy their “yams”. They know they are one of scores of yam sellers in this market and the chances of getting a fair price is virtually non- existent. At the end of the day, if they haven’t made enough to by sufficient food to feed their hungry siblings and parents they resort to selling themselves to make up the difference.  It is the norm for these very young vulnerable and innocently naive women to soon find themselves pregnant or carrying an STD.  

Rather than give up the, under the encouragement of Word 
Alive’s  development arm and a real saint named Stella ( the young woman who had the dream of rescuing these young girls) they formed groups to support each other and find ways out from their circumstance.  One group went to their village chief and asked for a plot of land to plant crops. They worked the land and watered their crops and have created a viable business selling their produce directly and or wholesale to other vendors in the market. They take incredible pride in their venture and the pride is seen on their faces. 

Other girls have taken training in cooking, tailoring or hair dressing. They also have been able to start their business and achieved an impressive level of success. One such girl took an $10 micro loan three months ago,  rented a small booth in the market and started a small eatery in the market. In three months she has paid off her loan and now employs two other people to help run her thriving business. As we stood and watched the production of preparing food we realized we were in the way of her clients wanting to come in and buy lunch. It was very heart warming to see.  

These girls, as does everyone in the world, know there is a 
huge divide between the materially rich and the materially poor. They know that the white mazungu looking at them likely had the equivalent of what for them would be two full years income in cash in their pocket. They know that they will never in a lifetime spend the limit on this white boy‘s Visacard, but there was no hint of request for anything - instead they were just so proud of what they were able to accomplish on their own. They were totally empowered on what they could accomplish on their own. 

We were created with this drive to deal with a struggle for survival and there is no better place to see it in action than in the materially poor world. 

God grant us the grace to always remember we are they in your eyes.  

Word Alive is a local independent Church organization- one of four main partners that World Renew works directly with providing funds, educational support and programs to help the partner minister to the people they are involved with. The Developmental Aid program in the Word Alive organization employs 27 full time paid staff (one of which is Stella) as well as 17 volunteers.