This is Madagascar. A few hours earlier I had waved goodbye to my family and was soon aboard a plane lifting off into the sky and now I had exchanged the cool of Britain for a hot tropical island.
Climbing into a people carrier sent by ADRA Madagascar setting off towards my hotel, already I could see the reason why flip flops had been requested by the ADRA Madagascar team passing several women and children without footwear.
Early the next morning we headed off for my first delivery of shoeboxes. When I stepped out of the vehicle, I was greeted by masses of smiling and excited children. I watched in awe as one of the smaller children danced and sang for me and thought: This is what I've come to see.
Here I was, thousands of miles from home. I had watched the many thousands of shoeboxes being delivered to the ADRA-UK office in Watford in previous weeks and now I was standing in the middle of Antananarivo the capital of Madagascar, seeing for myself what other children's Christmas would be like! Each child waited patiently and then humbly thanked the UK people for their gift.
At another orphanage home to over 100 children, I was shocked to see the very basic conditions that these children live in. The poverty in this country became evident to me; frail children lie listlessly on their mothers' laps whilst they sell or beg in the street.
At another site with over 200 children, before we could even step out of the vehicle we heard the excited shouts and screams, and a crowd of children came running to greet us. One girl eyed me curiously and another clutching a flip flop as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Here the excitement of the children could not be contained and they ripped the gift wrap off the boxes and jumped up and down after seeing the contents of each of their boxes. The teachers from this site were amazed at the generosity of the UK people "People really give you all these presents for our orphans" they asked. "Yes," I replied.
On my final day of distribution we visited a Rehabilitation Centre. Here a husband and wife have taken in not only orphans and street children but all of society's cast aways; the disabled, the deaf, the mute, prostitutes and petty thiefs. They have given these people the tools to provide themselves with an income and a means to live, with an on site craft shop for them to sell their wares. This place and the efforts of this couple truly brought tears to my eyes and in a small way is exactly what ADRA-UK is endeavouring to do not only in Madagascar but in other parts of this world: to "Give Opportunities".
Soon my visit here came to an end and as Africa dropped away below, I had time to think and ponder on all that I had seen. Many hours later I stepped through my front door to be greeted by my family. Yet I continue to think of those children's smiling faces and the women who care for and teach them and the words they'd said to me. "Please thank all of the people in the United Kingdom for these gifts".
What a difference we can make.
By Valerie Austin courtesy of Adventist BUC News
