Disturbing

Today was sobering. It's our last day in Korah and I find myself feeling sad to say goodbye to the sweet children I've met and yet, I'm not sure I could take much more.

I am here to arrange a medical brigade to Korah for my physician group but I am also here to bare witness. So here I go...

We fed the kids and families from the Hope for Korah program. As they finished eating each person brought their plate to the front of the room and dumped any leftover scraps into a plastic dishwashing bucket. Eventually the pile of garbage fills about a third of the bucket. When the last person leaves the Ethiopian woman who has been helping us to serve the food takes the left over injera and drops it in the dish bucket. She then dumps the remaining wot (a sheep stew) into the dish bucket. I think she is going to throw it all away or feed the stray dogs in the alley. She isn't. She starts mixing and I notice one of the men has brought in 9 boys. I haven't seen them before. The Ethiopian woman stops stirring and places the bucket on the floor. The 9 boys rush to their knees and huddle around the bucket.

And they eat.

PLEASE STOP AND IMAGINE THIS. THIS REALLY HAPPENED. THIS SHOULD NOT BE.

Sigh....

And finally....The center of this sad part of the world...The Korah Dump.


There are no words.