“Here, the day begins early. Since the weather is really hot, people became used to get up before dawn. But many students wake up even earlier, because they have to walk long distances to go to school.
Their main motivation is to get a free meal, which for many is the only meal they have throughout the all day. Our workday started with a discussion about the living conditions of the Chokwe community. Sister Alice, head of the school, told us about the situation of a family living in very precarious conditions, saying they were one of the poorest families in the region. We decided to visit the place where they live.
Today, we saw extreme poverty. It was a “home”, about 6 square meters, built with tree branches, stones, rags and mud. It had no door and was completely exposed to the surrounding dangers. Five children live there, two of them were really young. These children are orphans and their grandfather is the person who takes care of them. He is quite old and sick and the space is so short that he has to live in a tent right next to the house. We told him we would make every effort to help them.
First, we hope to transfer the kids to a school closer to their home. They take 2 hours to go to their current school but they have one much nearer to their home. To experience the living conditions of these children was shocking. We find it unacceptable that someone is living under these conditions.”