A JAM staff members first impressions of Angola

It doesn't matter what the situation or the experience, no amount of warnings, discussions or thoughts from someone else can prepare you for your own personal experience in life, no matter what the sphere of context. Well, I never realized this more than my trip here to South Africa, and especially the last week in Angola, and the months that have consumed my life here. Nothing can change your own personal experience, nothing can mold you more than the life you lead yourself.

The heat was pounding down on the hot, dusty road that wound forward and around some huge, concrete buildings. The dust of the buildings shifted off of the bombed out windows as the graffiti painted a picture of hopelessness and even despair. The road was full of potholes and created depressions at each turn, lined with heaps of trash that were indescribable. Over the hum of the truck engine, one could hear the giggles of small, young Angolan children running through the streets, over the garbage and around to the makeshift play area they had created in amongst the war torn school yard. As the truck bounced over and down the road, one could see in the distance scattered mud huts through the small mountains and in the center, a long white building. The truck came to a halt and the door creaked open greeting us with a stench of humidity and a puff of heat. We walked down to the building and inside to see lines of old beds each holding the fate of a Tuberculosis or AIDS patient. Next to the building, a long line of multi-colored buckets stood patiently, as if weary from the days of hoping, lining the hill up to a water tank, one that was empty and dry.

After speaking for a while with the government doctor, greeting some of the people and humming on to the JAM malnutrition clinic, your mind can only wander on what you've done, and what you haven't done; and the choices you can make in future to help change your own world around you. The two JAM malnutrition clinics house some of the most malnourished children in the country of Angola. The moment that can almost not be described came, when I held a 7 month old baby who fit right into my hands, as he looked up at me crying and fighting for his life. Time stops when you realize you can barely hear his cries, when you see him fighting for every breath, and you notice his rib cage through his dark skin. Dominques was a small, innocent, young boy who had a fight ahead; for his life. The small, concrete buildings held similar children, being carried by mothers grasping for hope, praying to God for a moment of mercy. The second malnutrition clinic we arrived at had a dear young child named Janita, also malnourished, lying on the concrete floor, under a mosquito net, crying. She too, like all the others, needed help, needed hope, needed her right to live.

Angola has been ravaged by 27 years of civil war, and at every turn, every moment, you notice, you witness and you realize that life is so fragile and that God blesses us each and every day, with the best gift of all.

On the second day we rolled down the road, through a swamp-like area, passed the small mud huts, around a long road crossing past stray dogs and other scurrying animals as we approached a small school. 186 children came rushing out of the three room school. As we opened the door, we heard the singing of some of the poorest children I had ever seen, "Ola, Welcome to Angola" was coming from excited, smiling faces. They had waited to eat the CSB (corn soya mix blend) that JAM provides so that we could serve them. They pushed and shoved a little bit, stepping on each other's toes and giggling. We hunched down and started scooping the porridge out into bowls as each child passed, getting quite possibly, the only meal they would eat that day. Each child had a different face, a different life story, a different past, and a different future......

"It is a mind blowing concept that the God of the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people" - Bono

"Everyone goes somewhere in life, some just go somewhere on purpose" - Anonymous

Craig James Geddes
Program Development and Grants Officer