Thank you so much for visiting, thank you so much.

I have had the experience to study other cultures in college. I have read in text books that grandparents raise their grandchildren because the parent's generation have died from AIDS. Words written on a page do not give it justice, as I am sure my words will fall short. I had the experience of visiting grandmother houses. It broke my heart. The first lady that we visited had difficulty standing, I do not know what was wrong but she said her legs were bad. She cared for 8 grandchildren under the age of 9 and one great grandchild. Her great grandchild was there when we visited- the rest of the children were in school- The poor boy. He was malnurished and could have been the face of a child you see on tv, asking you to donate money. He clung to his grandmother and found no comfort when put down. "Thank you so much for visiting, Thank you so much" She said this over and over again. The need is so great. We gave her some food and a gift bag. "Thank you so much". We then went to another house. This experience was equally as heartbreaking. This woman's trade was rug weaving, but her eyes are bad now. It takes her a month to weave a rug. A rug sells for 15,000 shilling, equavelent to approximately $7.50 US currency. That is her only source of income for an entire month and she cares for 8 grandchildren. We gave her food and a gift bag as well. Thank you so much for visiting, thank you so much.

I wonder where these children would be if they didn't have a grandmother to care for them. I also wonder where the grandmother would be if she didn't have to care for her grandchildren. The selflessness is amazing. These grandmothers are literally starving because they are caring for so many children-- they might eat everyday if they didn't have 9 mouths to feed. They do not turn their backs on their family.
-Patsy