Pureness of Heart, Depth of Hope
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 12:00AM 
House girls and boys, many of whom are orphans, take on the brunt of household tasks in many homes throughout Rwanda... fetching water from the well and sticks from the ground, cooking food on open fires, washing dishes and clothes in small plastic basins, sweeping and wiping dust from floors twice each day, cleaning the latrine, and carrying young children on their backs. They do this work in exchange for a place to live and food to eat. Some are paid modestly. Few have opportunities to attend school, despite their sincere desire to learn and hope for a better life.
Betty never complained, though she was quiet from time to time. Lost in thought. Orphaned as a child during the genocide, she and her brother, Desire, made their way as refugees from Congo to Rwanda. She's persevered and made her way as a house girl. We'll be sharing more of Betty's story soon, but you should know that Jen and I were truly inspired by this young 22-year old woman – the pureness of her heart and the depth of her hope.
Reader Comments (6)
Betty's physical beauty radiating an inner core of "pureness of heart, depth of hope" is what I witness (and want) as I come to know our new Bhutanese neighbors in Atlanta. Driven from their homeland in an ethnic cleansing, they spent 18 years in refugee camps in Nepal before finally arriving here (and in other places nationwide and a few other countries) last year. And they keep coming, bringing that purity of heart and depth of hope. After living in bamboo huts with no indoor plumbing and strict rules about too many things, they emerged seemingly intact. Healthy spirits, gentle dignity, and vigilant in helping each other compassionately! And this kindness (evident across age and gender lines) extends outside their community, too.
Africans, Asians, people in third-world countries are not reading about torture, rape, oppression, lack of basic human rights. They are experiencing all this. Yet their cultures' better instincts and wisdom lack the craze and greed for material and power that is bringing "developed" societies to their knees. As we continue to meet and listen to our relatives in far-flung places and at home, we might come closer to balanced living, considering not just ourselves but others, too, in our actions and policies.
I've been following your blog posts & am so enriched by your photos & words. Betty glows from within. She and her story can help us remember that "less is more" and that we are all sisters and brothers in this world. Love--in actions (and in words, when necessary)--does make the world go 'round and a better place for everyone. Thank you for sharing & I look forward to more awesome posts to raise awareness about the different cultures and more gentle spirits who are out there.
Great photo--so uplifting and radiant. And I love that the brother is named Desire. If that doesn't say hope, I don't know what does.
How wonderfully beautiful and inspiring. Reading your words and looking at your images make me realize how truly blessed we are. I can not imagine the horrors this brave young woman has witnessed. Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing this world with us.
This is so beautiful...I love how you captured the hope in her eyes looking upward even while her body is crouched down low.
The photos and stories that you and Jen are sharing are so important and so valuable. When I think of how spoiled many young people are in the West, it really puts everything into perspective. Thank you for these extraordinary slices of real life - with all its angst and difficulty - from your heart.