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My eyes have seen, ears heard, mouth still wide open

Posted by Guest Blog By Collins Kaumba, World Vision Zambia on June 27, 2012

Today’s heartfelt reflection comes from Collins Kaumba, a World Vision journalist in Zambia (pictured above with his wife and daughter). While his job often involves gathering stories of hope, he is also routinely exposed to the pain and suffering caused by poverty — a reality made all the more personal to him because of his own background. Collins shares about a difficult experience that continues to affect him and makes him grateful for the ways he has been blessed by God.

*     *     *

It could have been my brother or sister. It could have been me.

Recently, I visited a place called Chiwoma to do a story about malnutrition. I was meeting a 5-year-old child named Betty. My encounter with her gives me the chills, even now. I think about Betty, time and again.

Betty died a few moments after I had met her. I had not taken any photos, and wouldn’t do so after she passed. The story just ended there. Betty’s mother and grandmother were sharing her story with me when it happened. We were at Betty’s bedside. They were in tears, wailing as Betty closed her eyes.

It was over.

Betty died of malnutrition — a slow killer, but a treatable and avoidable disease because we live in a world of plenty. I wondered how she could reach such a critical level. She died when her life could have been preserved. She is no more.

I joined her mother and grandmother in mourning; I could not hold my tears. Her story is just one that represents thousands of other children. Access to adequate healthcare, food, and medicine is a major problem confronting Zambians across the country.

Stories like Betty’s keep ripping through my heart. Questions keep popping up. I wonder why such deaths and illnesses continue to afflict innocent children, when we can do something to prevent or treat these diseases.

To continue reading, http://blog.worldvision.org/stories/my-eyes-have-seen-ears-heard-mouth-still-wide-open/.

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