What if mothers each taught ten others?
June 8, 2011 Dear Friend, People are the best part of my job. Witnessing the resilience and courage of families and international Food for the Hungry (FH) staff is what fuels me. Often I have the privilege of following up with families on return visits to communities where we work. Such was the case on a recent trip I took to Burundi. The previous year I had delivered a few letters to sponsored children including a young boy that my wife and I sponsor named Leonce. During that visit, I learned that Leonce’s mother recently survived a miscarriage. FH Burundi staff had encouraged her to receive the medical care she needed just in time. Leonce, his three siblings and his father were so relieved. So this trip I made an effort to see Leonce and his family again. I remember it was grey and misty and that the mud had significantly slowed our travel. Finally, the truck slid to a stop and I spotted his shy smile. Leonce and I sat together on the bumper of the weathered vehicle and I listened as he told me about school and soccer. Then I asked about his family. Silence. The staff had sent me a note but I hadn’t gotten it in time. Leonce’s mother and her fifth child both died during labour. I can still feel the knot tighten in my throat. I wish I could tell you that this is an exception, a rarity. But the fact that it isn’t makes it all the more tragic. That same week, while visiting a clinic, nurses whispered to me as I passed a tearful young mom clutching her newborn. During a home birth, a dirty knife had been used to cut the umbilical cord, and the infection was spreading.
LEONCE AND HIS FAMILY, 2010
BEN AND LEONCE