The Village People

One afternoon we visited 3 of the villages where some of the now 225 widows come from there are around 6 villages in total.  The villages surround the land where the new orphanage will be built.  Grace told us the numbers increase monthly there were only 125 the last time Rae was here.  Word is traveling fast.

The minute we arrived word quickly spread throughout the village and soon we had an entourage following us throughout the village.  Mum’s and dad’s rushed to great us with their children in arms desperate to have their photo taken.  Unknown to me “chapateeee’ was not like our customary “cheese” it was a term Shobha had used with the children of the orphanage to get them to smile, much to her amusement!

The widows we met were very happy to see us lots of hugs, kisses and thank you’s. Many remembered Rae. They all made us very welcome there was lots of laughter and smiles.  It was quite an experience to see the very basic homes, cooking on open fires and preparation of vegetables and fish on flat stones outside their homes.

 The husband of one of the woman who showed us around their village was very proud and was desperate to have his family picture taken including the goat, his teenage daughters had been rushing to change into their best dresses while we toured the village.  One lady we met ages with ourselves who was supported by the project was not in fact a widow however had never married.  She was crippled with arthritis and suffered from diabetes and was unable to work and therefore her family did not support her. 

One of the saddest things we witnessed was an elderly lady with a broken hip.  Her 3 sons live in 3 adjoining brick homes with their families, the mother is made to sleep in a grass hut opposite.  She sits outside her home on a stone and drags herself in and out it is no bigger than a wendy house.  She is unable to go to the toilet and therefore defecates herself. They threw her food like an animal. Shobha makes sure the lady gets provisions as she is unable to go to the project.  She also gave the son’s a mouthful for treating their mother like a dog!

 One lady we met was 110 years old she was in similar circumstances and is made to lie on a rock at the front of the home.  She is very frail and blind. However still has her sense of humour and urged us to take her with us and go to America. 

We would not expect anyone in our families to be subjected to treatment like this least of all our mothers and grannies.  As you can see the widow project is very worthwhile and is an example of how very little can go a long way, it costs approximately £2.00 a month to feed a widow.