From Todd... May 13th

You know you’re not in Chapel Hill when you awake to “come look at the monkeys outside.” Admittedly, being someone who doesn’t normally rise before 7 am, this statement provided an additional motivation to start the day beyond the normal lure of a luke warm shower.
As the day continued on, and our large group meetings commenced, I found that what we learned was so interesting that the events of the morning were quickly forgotten. The majority of our day was spent hearing the life stories of 9 Jamii Bora members who had escaped from a life of poverty. Due to our position in the project, not only were we allowed the privilege to hear these stories, the members actually demanded that we listen to them attentively so that others in the future could benefit from their experiences.

We heard the story of a grandmother whose children had all died, and was left to take care of 12 grandchildren while not even being able to supply her own needs. She spoke of facing such desperation that she considered adding poison to her porridge so that her and the 12 children would no longer face the slow path to death that they were currently living. It was fortunate that the night the desperation reached its peak she couldn’t even afford the ingredients to cook the porridge to put the poison. Shortly there after, a member from Jamii Bora spoke to her, and convinced her to start saving to build a business and accordingly build a future for her children. It was truly amazing to her talk about those same children and the success they were finding in secondary school (all had either graduated in the top of the class or were currently in school with top marks).

This was just one of the 9 stories that were told that day, with every one of them being just as memorable. It was impressive to hear the intelligence, creativity, and ingenuity that these members all had in addition to their incredible perseverance. With almost no schooling among them, and varied childhood experiences, each member seemed to have an innate ability solve problems. In the end, I know I will remember each and everyone of them.

I remind you again of the monkeys in the morning in case you forgot about them as I did. Turns out they were actually baboons.