Touring Hedaru III, Saturday, January 28

The next area we visited was Mabilioni. The name means something like “flowing blood” because it was a German camp that was bombed by the English during World War II. The people here looked much better and lifted my spirits considerably, but there were still reminders of the ever-present poverty, such as a child sitting on the ground staring blankly and hopelessly as we drove by.

The third area, Mpatwa, was even more uplifting. It was on the mountain, so we had to walk a while to get to it. (The van wouldn’t have made it with people in it.) As we approached the building, hiking from below in the blazing sun with temperatures over 100 °F, the children came running excitedly down the hill to greet us. Throughout their songs and introductions, there were eager faces peaking in the windows interested in what was happening.

Our last stop was Majengo, which means “building.” This settlement was built recently when the government relocated many people who were displaced from floods/landslides on the mountain. These people looked very tired, but still better than those at Game earlier in the day. I was eager to leave to give my mind a break from the suffering that was everywhere around me.

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