A Senior's Reality

This shouldn't be happening, not in a world of iPads and Starbucks. My mind just kept screaming NO! In her hands, she holds a small bowl containing a meager amount of dried leaves. This is her dinner.

Four years ago, this woman and her husband moved to a remote spot (it was a very long hike through the bush to her place!) in Mbayi, then he died. He was buried in the only blanket that they had, and she was left with a small home, framed, but not finished. She's managed to cover it with sacks, but they don't keep out the rain and the cold.

With no relatives to turn to, she is virtually alone in this desperate situation. Somewhere, she says, is a photo of a more robust woman. Now, diminished and undernourished, she's so weak from hunger that she can't walk the distance to church.

In hope of receiving some seeds, she paid for cultivation with a dinner plate. No question we must get her some seeds for her garden, but the need is immediate and she'll require help with food until harvest time.

As I continue my home visits with seniors, I'm encountering similar situations. They are not able to do piece work. They are surrounded by opportunity- land that will yield sustainable crops. They just need some assistance to get started.

They need our help now!

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