Mary's Story

Here is the story of a client IJM served. Hopefully it will give you a sense of the severity of property grabbing and how it affects women and orphans in particular.

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows." Isaiah 1:17 (NLV)

Note: The name of this client has been changed to protect her identity.

Mary lived in a shanty compound on the outskirts with her husband. The family was able to pull together a meager living from a couple stalls at the local market place which they owned. Mary and her husband had five children, of whom three perished prior to 2004. In late 2004, Mary’ husband died, leaving her to figure out how to continue to feed and raise their three surviving children.

Following her husband’s death, Mary’s in-laws took control over the market place stalls, cutting off the sole source of income Mary and her children had to survive. Mary was left without any means to provide for her children, and eventually one of them died from malnutrition.

In May 2005, Mary learned about IJM from the local YWCA. She came to the office wearing a well-worn set of clothing, which we would soon learn was her only set of clothing. Every time she came into the office, she wore a dejected look on her face along with her black t-shirt and chitenge cloth dress. After Mary told her story to an IJM attorney, the offending relative was summoned to a meeting. The law was explained to him, and he recognized that his actions had been illegal. He promised to return the market stalls to Mary. Once he left the office, however, Mary’s relative reneged on his promise, again taking away her hope for her the restoration of her meager income.

An IJM attorney visited Mary’s home one day, only to have his heart broken by what he saw. A small stack of cold coals sat in the fireplace, not having been lit for days. One of Mary’s children suffered from such devastating malnourishment that he could no longer walk. This family was suffering.

After learning about the broken promise of Mary’s relative and his intent to not return her property, IJM brought the power of the law to bear on her situation. On September 27th, about four months after Mary first walked into the IJM office, a court order was signed to compel the market stalls to be returned under the protection of the law, securing an income to provide for her surviving children. The dejected look that used to adorn Mary’s face had now become a wide, beaming smile. This mother had succeeded in her case and now could provide for her children.

question of the day

"How do you rise up against a system that appears to provide you with your home and car, food and clothes, electricity and health care -- even when you know that the system also creates a world where twenty-four thousand people stave to death each day and millions more hate you, or at least hate the policies made by representatives you elected? How do you muster the courage to step out of line and challenge concepts that you and your neighbors have always accepted as gospel, even when you suspect that the system is ready to self-destruct?"

John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hitman, p.256-257

Any suggestions people?

random thoughts

"The old-fashioned slave trader told himself that he was dealing with a species that was not entirely human...He also understood that slaves were fundamental to the survival of his own society, that they were the foundation of his economy. The modern slave trader assures herself (or himself) that the desoerate people are better off earning one dollar a day than no dolllars at all, and that they are receiving the opportunity to become integrated into the larger world community. She also understands that these desperate people are fundamental to the survival of her company, that they are the foundation of her own lifestyle. She never stops to think about the larger implications of what she, her lifestyle, and the economic system behind them are doing to the world -- or of how they may ultimately impact her children's future."

-- John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hitman, p. 213

A profound quote from a book I'm reading. While it might seem unrelated to my experience here, it has everything to do with it. It is because of these types of rationalities that I have to pass straving street children everyday or turn away 2-3 people looking for work, any thing to make a little bit of money, each day. I can't help but think of the ways my own lifestyle, the way I have put my personal comfort above others, allows me to justify poverty and sweatshops. Well, I can't ignore the poverty here by turning of the TV. It's literally on my doorsteps here.

self-declared worst blogger ever...

Yes...I'm the worst blogger ever. And I'm a liar. I promised regular updates and pictures, but this blog is as bare as the day it was born. Anyway, now for a brief update:

I've been crazy busy at work the last few weeks. We've had a lot of large workshops the past few weeks. The good thing about it is that I get to travel and see a lot of the country. Yesterday we held a small workshop in a village in the southern province...no electricy or plumbing. Just simple grass huts. I met with the village chief and his wife, some of the villagers, and played with the children a bit. Anyway, here's a picture of the group we worked with that day. (The chief is the man in the top row on the far right in the blue jacket.)