Breaks My Heart

Slum, as defined on dictionary.com: a thickly populated, run-down, squalid part of a city, inhabited by poor people.

What I witnessed was exactly that, but the dictionary definition is definitely jazzed up a bit. It doesn't mention the wild dogs and emaciated HIV positive inhabitants nor the blue-blackish bubbling substance existing in the depressions of the streets. As we entered the boundaries of the slums behind PIO orphanage, it became apparent that kids will do anything for fun, in a creative sense-which was intriguing yet saddening. Two boys, strapped at the waist with ropes, pretending to be oxen in the rice fields, carried Angkor beer cans behind them, giggling as if the fun would never end. Continuing on, it was not uncommon to see rotting teeth, sunken eyes, naked babies, and mounds of spoiled trash; Words cannot express the stench that was ever-present in the air.

What I did not notice during our visit, but was disclosed to me in quiet conversation, was the fact that the slums are filled with raging alcoholics and wife-beating husbands. We stopped in to meet several of the orphanage children's mothers and younger siblings, all polite and grateful for the supplies we distributed. Needless to say, my sunglasses were a "must" on this journey, as I was sickened at the thought that babies are continuing to be born into this detestable environment-born into poverty with a minimal chance for a successful future. Thank God for orphanages and volunteers!

On the contrary, I detected one glimpse of hope, a man scooping trash from the mini-swamps outside his shack. Although rare, may it be possible for his actions to rub off on his neighbors.

Food for thought...what happens when it rains?

xoxo