Keep Out of Reach of Children

My first day in Ethiopia was spent sleeping until noon, then having lunch (which was usually PB&J - double decker style as one of my team mates would say), and then we piled into a van and were on our way to Kachini Study Center. This center is located in one of the poorest areas of Addis Ababa and has a very high rate of AIDS.
The drive itself was impactful enough. There seemed to be no sense of order to the driving there - it is absolutely insane! There are no street names, some streets are dirt/mud and have 3 foot pot holes in them. There are no stop lights, no stop signs, and even if there were, no would follow them. Beyond the craziness of the drive, I saw so much; a man crippled by polio who was walking on all fours (elbows and knees), children begging on the street, people sitting everywhere...doing nothing...just squatting on the side of the street watching the cars pass by.

It's interesting to think back on that first day because as our days progressed in Ethiopia, I was less impacted by what I saw...well, at least what I saw in the streets. I suppose it was my introduction to Ethiopia. It seemed to be a place riddled with disease and poverty.

So...I expected the Kachini Study Center to be the same...filled with disease and poverty.

I was wrong. Completely wrong.

Our van pulled up to a bright sky blue gate and it was opened by a male guard. Our van drove in and there were kids smiling back at us all around the center. Some stayed off to the side, while others waited for us outside of the van. Our leader told us to not be shy and just have fun with them. So I did...I walked off the van and I was immediately greeted by two small boys. They held out their hands for a warm handshake. They were the finest little gentleman and they had the brightest smiles. I was lead inside a building where we sat at a table and played with one small piece of playdough. This piece of playdough was gray from being mixed with every color in the rainbow and they were content with this. I even had a pair of earrings made. :)

As I played with the children, a young girl approached me who had a piece of cloth tied in a bow around her forehead. She was a very cute girl with hazel eyes. What hit me was the rash that seemed to have spread all over face. She was the happiest and one of the most outgoing girls there and I kept spying her all over that afternoon. I kept thinking how simple it would be to take care of that rash with some ointment and how bad I felt if she didn't have access to it.

God must have heard my thoughts because a few hours later, she came and sat across from me at a table and in her hand was a tube of prescription ointment. She sat there and rubbed this ointment into the 5 spots on her face in a grown-up like manner. She would catch my eyes once in a while and smile at me. I reached out for the ointment and read on the package, "Keep out of reach of children."

My heart broke.

I wanted to save this little girl with the big hazel eyes and fabric bow tied around her forehead. I didn't want her to have to be so grown-up. I wanted to keep this life that she was living out of her reach. I wanted to keep all of the children out of the reach of poverty and hunger.

But as the days progressed in Ethiopia, I realized that most Ethiopians have been dealt a life that should have been kept out of their reach, but instead of them thinking the worst and being hostile, angry, or depressed, they are the complete opposite. They are the most beautiful and gracious people I have met.

I believe that at one time I had labeled Africa, "Keep Africa out of reach of Americans/Me". However, in reality, we need a heavy dose of a prescription called a "Wake-up Call."

So...I, Dr. Jen, prescribe a prescription for you (with unlimited amounts of refills) to a "Wake-up Call" and get out there...do something...love someone...help someone...listen to someone.

Who knows? Maybe you might start to feel better...prescriptions have a tendency to do that. :)