Apple Peels

From Aug 10^th to Aug 21^st we had the pleasure of hosting David, a volunteer from Taiwan.  After lunch one day, he peeled an apple to increase his fibre intake.  Siddu, a 7-year-old boy who is often homesick, approached David and pointed at the apple peels as if to ask for permission.  After David nodded his consent, Siddu took a peel and ate it with relish.  David felt sorry for Siddu, so he gave him a slice of apple and watched as Siddu gobbled it down.  Most children from impoverished families, including the kids who are currently residing at our children’s home, have diets of mainly rice.  Rice is not only their staple, but it is also the main foodstuff they eat to satiate their hunger. 

A typical meal consists of 2 bites of really salty and spicy vegetables and some kind of soupy dish.  When I first stayed with a low-income Indian family, I thought Indians just liked their food super salty and spicy.  I later realized that I was eating too many vegetables (compared to what they usually eat), so that’s why I found the food too salty. 

My heart always cries out when I see the children so happy to eat a banana.  Bananas are the cheapest fruit here, and you can get a dozen small ones for 40 cents.  However, if you look at the income of $50-100 of a typical lower-class family, 40 cents is a lot.  If a father of a single-parent family or a widow makes only $50/month, it means they’re surviving on $1/day for food.  And that’s for like 3-4 people.  Things like fruit, eggs, and meat are considered as luxury items consumed on special occasions.

My heart also aches when kids tell me their favourite food.  Most kids back home in Canada might say McDonalds or ice-cream, but at least 4 out of 20 of the kids at our children’s home said eggs.  Can you imagine?  Back home, we always have eggs in the fridge and more often than not, I choose not to eat eggs.  Here, for families living below the poverty line, eggs are a precious commodity.  In March, a dozen eggs were 85 cents.  Even then, many families cannot afford to give their children eggs every day.  Now, in Aug, eggs have inflated to $1.20/dozen.  Absolutely unaffordable.  As around the world, inflation is hitting the poor the hardest. 

I’ve lived here so long that I’m used to eating soupy rice.  The other day, I had the luxury of eating some boiled spinach, and I found that I wasn’t used to chewing the fibrous food.  I usually can afford to buy some fruit for myself, but I always feel guilty when I have to hide to eat fruit because I can’t afford to buy it for everyone.  Financial support is good, but we’re praying now that our micro-businesses can start up.  For starters, we want to purchase 15 buffalos so they can provide milk for our kids, and we can sell the rest of the milk to dairy manufacturing companies.  We don’t know how to procure the capital for our micro-business ideas, but our eyes are on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith.