When I'm thirsty, what do I do? I get up off of my comfortable couch and get a glass of ice cold milk, juice, soda-pop, or water. I can just turn my faucet on and have cold water. Whe I'm dirty I just go back and take a shower. I have plenty of hot water at my disposition to clean myself off. I really never have to worry about the lack of water.
Unfortunately, these Rwandan refugees are all about waiting. They have to wait for everything: medical assistance, food, water, supplies to build a shelter. Life is hard. As they are waiting they see people suffering and dying with the constant thought in the back of their minds of when IT will happen to them. Unfortunately the meager conditions drive some to live a life of crime; they start to steal and re-sell those items as a way of survival.
The bottom picture is of more Rwandan refugees in Zaire. The local watering holes and lakes that sustained their lives for so long have dried up and now they are forced to walk 12 miles to obtain the elixir of life.
Luckily, the situation in Africa has become a lot better since 1994 when the Rwandan Genocide happened. They are working towards peace every day and live well together nowadays. The refugees have resettled in Rwanda and are no longer living in these difficult situations.
Salgado, Sebastião. Photograph. 1996 Migrations: Humanity in Transition. 4 March 2010
Ilibagiza, Immaculee. Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. Hay House, Inc. 2006
It is so interesting how much of a difference the conditions are for people living in other parts of the world compared to our own personal living standards. I hope that one day these refugees will be blessed enough to enjoy the same opportunities and standards of living as everyone else. I thought you did a great job getting the point across that these refugees dont have it very easy. The language you used created an image in my head of me sittng on a couch and easily getting water, and then also created the image of someone waiting in line for hours. I'll definitely think twice next time I complain about a long line at my favorite restaraunt.
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