A Home Visit

Thursday was a day I have been anticipating eagerly. It was the day that I went to visit Emmanuel George's home. Emmanuel is a boy that LJCDS students have sponsored for several years, and I, acting on behalf of the students, was able to bring our greetings to him and to his family. I purchased, for about fifteen dollars, a "homepack" that was put together by St. Jude's and I brought that with me to give to the family. (In the sack, I discovered when I gave the items to Emmanuel's mother, was a thermos, shoe polish, vaseline, two packs of chocolate-flavored biscuits/cookies, sugar, beans and tea.) I also delivered to Emmanuel a LJCDS bag, which had a Country Day T-shirt, a Country Day scarf, a LJCDS library pencil and some shoe polish.

Usually the students from fourth grade (known here as "standard 4") walk to the boarding houses when school ends, which is at 3:30, except for club days when everyone stays until 5. The buses take off with the "prep" (Kindergarten), first, second and third graders and the boarders walk up the hill to the boarding houses. But today, Emmanuel met me at the office on the Moshono campus, where he is a student, and together with Mr. Alfred, Emmanuel's English teacher, we boarded the school bus along with the students. We bumped along narrow dirt roads and lanes, winding through villages and suburbs. Mr. Charles, the bus driver, let us off, and we walked across a field. I snapped a photo of Emmanuel holding his Country Day gear and with Mt. Meru in the background. We had to walk through a small heard of cattle and another one of bleating goats. I had to be quite brave, because I don't know what cattle will do, having no experience of them other than in "The Story of Ferdinand," and he is, as you recall, a gentle bull. Then we had to ford a small, flowing stream. Mr. Alfred held my hand and helped in across as we jumped from rock to rock. We walked a bit until we came to Emmanuel's home, and were quickly welcomed with the Kiswahili greeting "Karibu sana," which means "Welcome!" Since St. Jude's takes only the poorest of children, and one of the criteria is, apparently, that the home cannot have a cement floor, I expected the home to be humble. And it was. It was mud and straw, with a tin roof. There may have been just two rooms. I was offered a seat, and served plain cookies from a package and given a choice of soft drinks. And the family gathered round, all having a snack and drink. I could not help but think that it was a strain to offer me refreshments, but, of course Emmanuel's mother wanted to thank and honor me for helping her son. (One of the most touching parts of the weekly school assembly is when the students offer prayers of thanks. The most common prayers are "I want to pray for my dad," "I want to pray for my mother," and "I want to pray for my sponsor.") We chatted, with Mr. Alfred translating and offering me guidance on good etiquette.

Let me tell you about Emmanuel's family. He has two brothers, Joseph and James. I met only his mother, who is not from Arusha, but from another region of Tanzania. A friend offered them the plot of land where they built a house, but they have no farm land of their own. Mama had fine crocheted decorative mats in the room, and was crocheting a bit as we spoke. The younger brother, Joseph, is in the first grade, while James is older. Emmanuel's favorite subjects at school are, in order, Maths, Science, PE, and Social Studies. His favorite soccer team is Manchester United (and mine is their rival, Chelsea, so we had a good laugh), and he likes basketball, too. Mr. Alfred is his English teacher, and he said that Emmanuel is "inquisitive" and listens well and speaks up in class. His mother is very proud of him, and when I asked her if she missed him during the week (the boarders go home Friday night, coming back to the boarding houses on Sunday afternoon.), she said that she was glad that he was getting an education and she hoped he would get a good job on day. Emmanuel expressed his thanks to the students for the gifts, and especially for the sponsorship.

Let me tell you more about the house. On a wall, pinned up, are many photographs, and I saw Mrs. N was in many of them. Mama and Emmanuel and Mr. Alfred all spoke very highly of her. I am with them on this. I think that there is a sleeping room, but I am not sure. What I did see was a LJCDS bumper sticker on the door. Assorted children gathered around the door, and one was introduced as Emmanuel's nephew. There was a papaya tree in front of the house, and we took a picture under this tree.

It was an honor to talk to Emmanuel's family about LJCDS and to represent our school. We can all be very proud of Emmanuel as he is pleasant and willing to talk about his school life. The family were obviously a loving one. The standards for behavior are high at St. Jude's, as they are for academic achievement, and we can join with his family in congratulating Emmanuel for his many successes. Seeing pictures of all this contacts with Country Day was so exciting. If you have ever wondered if you are making a difference, I can guarantee that you are. Emmanuel brings hope for a better future to his entire family.