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Look, it's their lunch. A few sweet potatoes, that's all their meal.
If they are lucky, they sometimes have salt, but usually they have to do without.
While they can dream about meat only on Christmas and Easter.
When they get some money, they can only buy salt and oil,
while all they have at home is sweet potatoes boiled in water.
The first experiences were the most interesting and they determined what was to follow.
The first thing I noted upon arrival was the huge difference between people in Europe and here.
Despite circumstances, the warmth of the local people was obvious from the very start.
As I mentioned before, they are always in the mood and generous.
They would always offer a fellow-traveller to stay over night.
They have a nice saying: "Where people are good-hearted,
five of them can spend the night on a single hare's fur."
They share food, although they don't have much of it.
In spite of difficult life, they neither are depressed, nor fall into despair.
They are not sullen. On the contrary.
When I was learning local language, I used to visit this beautiful lake with the kids.
Once we were getting ready for hiking and I toldthem to take something for the long trip.
When they came to me in the morning, I realised they had nothing with them.
I only had a box with a banana, a slice of bread and water with me.
When we came to the lake again, one girl drew out some freshly baked bread from her shawl.
It was like a miracle for me as they do not have bread.
Most probably they knew I liked bread.
White people like bread.
There used to be a bakery close to the rectory in those days, so...
I was always encouraged by the sincerity of these people.
What made me establish this camp? The young with whom I share the tents now.
From the very start, I based my missionary work on life and work with people.
And, as there was no proper home when I arrived, I lived in a tent with young people
who liked my decision very much.
During my stay with them, I visited other tents, local shacks and needy people.
The young who accompanied me used to say, Dear Priest, we are happy to accompany you,
live in the tents and help people, but, Priest, please help us too as our future is hopeless.
This situation eventually led me to found this home
where they could learn writing, reading or crafts and have a place to stay.
I am myself a refugee from Klaipeda.
The post-war period in Germany was very harsh.
My daddy died in my eyes of the injuries made by a bomb fragment.
I was only five and a half then.
Afterwards, we suffered famine, humiliation, condemnation and severe post-war poverty.
Yet, exactly then I noted so much kindness in people.
Later, thanks to the Lithuanian benefactors, I could attend the
February 16th Gymnasium of Lithuanians.
I am extremely thankful to them.
Their kindness encouraged me to help those who are in need.
Youth village
When I arrived to Rwanda, I knew neither where to begin, nor how
to help these people since the opportunities of both life and activities
are very limited here.
Yet, seeing their geniality and trust in life, I felt better.
Since I was an alien there, it was difficult at first.
It is vital here to know local language well as the language is not
only instrumental in understanding each other, but also in grasping local mentality.
However, Rwandan is not so easy to learn as the European languages.
It is very complex and has strict rules.
Speaking their language, I feel their spirit and mentality.
The majority of local youths see me as one of them
only because I can speak their language.
I am happy I managed to organise this youth group
that has been always accompanying me and still does.
They often usedto repeat to me, Dear Priest, we are happy
to travel and live with you in the fabric home (as they call it), as well as help our people.
But help us too as we have no future.
This made me search for solutions, that is, to develop structures providing help.
These young people encouraged me to take to work.
Some time after the mass killings, the place finally came to life again.
The massacre was not initiated by the locals.
I was nearly killed. I was lucky to be away.
Had I come back, they would have killed me too.
I was warned that I would not be able to return, since there are shootings there
and all roadsides are full of corpses.
I did not expect the situation to be so tragic but I suspected there will be many killed.
I fell into severe depression after these events.
I did not want to live anymore.
I wantedto go somewhere remote to cry, pray and die.
He apologised for his plain outfit as he did not expect guests.
I told him not to worry because working clothes are an honour.
To be well-clad parasite living from other's labour and never work oneself is a disgrace.
It is an honour in the eyes of God for a man to wear dirty and torn working clothes.
He only deserves respect.
In general, they know I respect such people.
He says his wife went to the doctor.
The bogus doctor, the one at whose place we ate earlier.
She will have to walk 13-14km down the hill. It is not that far.
But on her way back she will have to go up the hill with her small baby.
As they have no money, no one helps.
Their child was born recently.
He was born on 25 February.
Today is March.
He says he is grateful to God.
He says: Thank you, Priest, that you are here because no devil gives us medicines.
They need medicines, but they have no money today.
Medicines are sold only with a prescription and they are extremely expensive here.
They tell me their sleeping place is damp, they have neither coverlets nor proper bed.
They sleep on the ground.
They labour hard and feel happy if the rain does not wash away their efforts.
All their life they have been fighting with nature.
Look, is it possible to till here? No way.
You would not manage to till it with a tractor either.
But they manage to till the soil with hoes in gaps among the rocks.
Two vital plants are growing here.
They call them the salvation of Africa and South America:
cassava and sweet potatoes that can grow without rain for 2 months.
They mellow among these rocks.
Quite an evidence.
When I visited the place a month ago, a man was felling bushes.
You can still see the felled bushes.
And now, as you can see, the potatoes are already growing.
That is how they are "conquering" this soil.
The soil is fertile under the bushes.
Everything here is their handwork: they fell the bushes with machetes, then loosen the soil.
After a few months, they will have sweet potatoes.
She had to bring water every day.
There is some kind of quasi-spring somewhere in the valley.
Children also have to toil here until they break.
Once I saw an eleven year old shepherd who was carrying a huge sack
of hay for the cow but could no longer walk.
In our camp we have one girl. She lives here, where you see the banana.
I was invited to inspect her. I saw that her hand is festered and swollen.
I asked them if she was their daughter.
They told me no, they found her after the war and took her to live with them.
15-year-old girl did not attend school. We lodged her with us and she recovered.
So, you see, slavery still exists. They took the child and made her work.
They ask ten for the goods.
They dry both cassava and their hut.
Five children with their parents live here. Seven persons in total.
At night, they also keep chicken inside.
They say the sky is so beautifully starry. It seems you can almost touch it.
The locals have a saying that God walks somewhere during daytime,
but at night he returns to Rwanda.
Why they say so, I don't know. They do not engage in nature observing.
This lady here says that only after meeting me she started observing the sky
and the moon and saw that beauty exists.
Some time ago one fellow asked me, Priest, why do you, Europeans,
plant the flowers, they are inedible, you cannot cook them, what's the use?
Besides, you have to pay to gardeners for their tending.
So, that is their bond with nature.
You can see how much work it takes to plant them.
If I took it to the market now, I would get 300 francs.
It would be big money here. 300 francs equal one Lithuanian Litas.
But so much work has been done to earn it here. They cannot buy medicines for one Litas.
So what do they do? You can see he is shivering, tired of chill.
Small children die, and so will they, too. That's their life.
Where will they get money from? It is really difficult life.
But you have to see it with your own eyes. Because when you tell it, no one believes you.
Now I give them 10,000 francs.
That's how much they earn per year. That will not solve the problem though.
People should survive on their own.
Let me explain. When someone gets sick, that's it.
They will try to sell their products with every last ounce of strength.
Then they will starve and get even more sick.
When someone becomes ill in our country, they buy light cereals, milk or yoghurt.
But these people have nothing, no money, too.
You heardthe prices of agricultural products, didn't you?
If they are lucky, they will get 300, perhaps 150 francs. That's how it is.
You work hard, earn peanuts and cannot buy medicines.
Avisit to the doctor costs over 500 or 1 ,000francs.
That is how people succumb to fate and die very quickly.
In many cases young people become ill.
You visit them next day and see that they are no longer here.
Many say that the locals only bide their time in the sun
and do not concern themselves with anything.
But look how hard people work here, what calluses they get to have a bit of food.
And all this fight with diseases.
Malaria is especially cruel. Since it is rather cool at night here,
almost everyone has severe rheumatism.
A lot of children up to 3 years die here. Most often it happens as a result of colds.
But many think that it is warm in Africa, that it is paradise here.
Looking from our perspective, it is impossible to survive here
because life is very miserable here. But their spirit is remarkable.
I know only about two cases of suicide in thirty years.
They are just from the market. In their baskets you can see sweet potatoes and fish.
Cassava is more expensive, so they earned 700 francs.
They walked 17 km. So, they walked this distance to earn 1.5 Litas.
For their tomatoes they earned 2,000 francs.
She also had tomatoes and earned 1,300 francs.
Here are bits of land. Earlier they left steep places uncultivated,
they used to slide down with the rain.
In theory, this is private property, but the authorities do what they
want and now I understandtheir fatalism.
If you know you are going to work here only temporarily,
why bother with planting those trees?
If not for that, there could be plenty of trees here.
Here is a small mango tree, here is an avocado.
The soil is fertile, so you really should not starve to death here.
Common people would not starve to death if they were left alone.
The situation in Africa is the result of colonisation.
I think those who are interested and would like to know more what causes local conflicts,
those horrible manipulations taking lives of millions of people,
can read more on the Internet searching for a single word:
COLTAN.
There you can also learn what is going on
in Central Africa in relation to the plundered minerals.
The future of Africa could be brighter if those who are tearing it apart
(I mostly mean capitalist countries here) would provide genuine help,
would stop this hypocrisy which is declaring help while simultaneously robbing the country.
I would like to go back to the minerals in Congo.
It is well known that this mineral costs twice as much as gold,
that is, about USD 950 per unit.
The Africans get USD 1 for it.
With a little bit of justice, Africa may advance.
These people, like the rest of the world, have the same rights to life,
to clear water, to food and to education for their children.
I do wish this film contributed to the welfare of Africa since this place,
this African land has suffered the biggest wrong.