I went for a short early morning run in the Khardah countryside today. It was really nice to breathe in the less-polluted air and not see many people on the streets. A man on a rickshaw came behind me and at first I thought he was just getting a closer look at this strange woman running early in the day but as he sprinted ahead, then slowed down, then went fast again I realized he was challenging me to a race. He has a grin on his face and we raced to the end of the street. He smiled again, turned and rode away.
We went to the station with some volunteers from CRAWL that live in India. Today was t-shirt day and we handed out blue shirts to around 60 kids. One of the young girls pulled a volunteer named Bobby (from India) aside and whispered in her ear. Bobby responded and went back to handing out clothes. Ann and I saw the sad look in the child's eyes and asked Bobby what had happened. She responded that a young girl was raped last night and she wanted us to come look at her. Immediately Ann and I were ready to go find her but Bobby said we could go in '10 minutes' or so after we hand out clothes.' TEN MINUTES! There was no way clothing was the priority here so we took off searching the station. We finally returned and found the young girl and her mom sitting on the station floor. She was smiling and eating bread. This little one was no more than 4 years old. We took her aside and did an examination. She had obviously been raped. We cleaned her up, gave mom some medicine and promised to check in on her the next day. At home, referrals to multiple child advocacy programs would have been made but in India this is an everyday occurrence which explains Bobby's lack of urgency. The rest of the morning, this young girl clung to us, giving us hugs and kisses. I wish I could pack her in my suitcase as my most treasured souvenir.
Today on the street we also found a man with severe leprosy. His foot was filled with hundreds of maggots and bugs. His toe bones were dangling on his severed foot like string. We fed, cleaned and dressed his wounds. We did the rest of the 'rounds' and headed on the bus home.
Needless to say, I am more than excited to take a few days in the Himalayas. We leave on the overnight train at 1900. More to come....Katie
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2 comments:
Katie, the enormity of the situation you are seeing & experiencing... how this will affect you personally, professionally...and also be felt by those you are CARING FOR.. and the appreciation, even if not expressed, of "not being forgotten..." Much love to you.. Carol
Katie:
You are doing a wonderful thing. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Love, Helen Sigmond
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