Leaving South Africa for any other country in Sub-Saharan Africa means entering a completely different world. Approximately 41% of people live on less than $1 a day, average life expectancy is 47 years, 1 in 5 children die before the age of five, and 25.8 million people are living with HIV. These are sobering statistics, so we weren’t sure what to expect when we got to Mozambique.
Fortunately, God connected us with Iris Ministries in Maputo. Iris runs a children’s home for over 300 orphans and street children. It also has extensive programs to help the poor throughout Mozambique. In just the one week we were at Iris, we had opportunities to volunteer with programs for street children, prisons, hospitals, other children’s centers, youth groups, and the people who live at the “Bocaria” (city dump).
Iris Ministries was started in 1995 by Heidi and Roland Baker. Though we didn’t get to meet them (they are both in northern Mozambique opening new orphanages and expanding their ministry) their faith and hands-on philosophy of “love your neighbor” and “there is always enough” was evident despite their absence. And having faith that there is always enough is no small action in Mozambique as it was the poorest country in the world when Heidi and Roland were starting their ministry.
This is Ernest. Though he didn’t tell me his whole story - much of it was probably too hard for him to speak about - this is what I could gather: When he was six years old his parents “divorced". Whatever divorced meant in this case his parents stopped taking care of him or he was kicked out and he found himself living in a local dump. At this time Mozambique was one of the poorest countries in the world and unlike the United States, what people throw away here really is trash. We visited the dump with Ernest though he stayed just outside as it was too difficult for him to be there. At the dump we witnessed the dirtiest, most vile living conditions we have ever seen. At the age of six Ernest was alone, struggling to stay alive by surviving on trash. Heidi rescued Ernest along with many other kids from this dump. Through Iris Ministries Ernest now speaks five languages, has traveled internationally, and wants to help break the cycle of poverty by becoming a teacher.
We met many amazing children like Ernest at Iris. Here are some photos of an unforgettable week where we met many new friends we will never forget.
If you would like to learn more about Iris, visit their website at http://www.irismin.org/p/home.php
- David
