Sharing

In Canada you know it is true love when you will share one, maybe even two of your fries; while in Uganda it is a cultural norm to share everything. People share everything here, their families, their food, even a seat on the bus with a middle aged man, a feet licking goat or someones baby.

One day at the market I was buying cassava (sweet potato fried or boiled into long strips costing 1,000 shillings/ 50c) and two small children, no older than three, were watching me. I had some extra money on me so I figured I would buy them each their own small bag. When the first little girl got her bag she started to individually cut each fry into two pieces and give half to her friend.

If someone goes to the market and buys a fish ($5000 shillings/ $2.50) you can be guaranteed that everyone is going to get a share of that fish: your uncle, aunty, grandma, the girl down the street, even the guy who is sleeping, when he wakes up in 20 minutes can be assured his share of fish will be waiting.

Even I am not immune, when I purchase a chocolate bar I may eat one or two squares and share the rest with everyone on the taxi ride home or the children at the house. The odd thing is, I do not miss eating the rest of the chocolate, I am so much happier to share it rather than hoard it all to myself.

So when I see a child with malnutrition or a woman with an infected uterus at a medical camp it comforts me to know that when you help one person with a sustainable development project they will share the benefits with the entire community. Possibly that child or that woman will not see the results, but their grandchildren or maybe even their children, will reap the benefits of the projects we do today.