What if You Can’t Read

At the beginning of July, a woman, F., came by the mission house asking for help filling out the form to register her oldest daughter for classes this school year. F. is a frequent visitor to the mission house; she usually comes to ask for food and other basic necessities. We have begun giving her work and paying her for her work instead of only giving her handouts. She appears to have grown in confidence and dignity and is grateful for the opportunity to work. She has five children. The oldest one is in sixth grade this year and has been attending school the past several years (thanks to the help of previous missionaries here); she seems to be doing well. The next two girls are ages nine and six and have not attended school more than a day here and there. The nine year old especially has been bullied in the past at school and has been terrified to go to school. Elementary school is compulsory here but there is no enforcement. F. is (culturally) married and her husband, C., has work off and on, but it is not always sufficient to pay for food and other basic needs. We have been able to provide her husband with work also at times through different construction projects. They have started attending Sunday Mass as a family, and C. sometimes participates in the men’s bible study Jeremy started at the mission house on Friday evenings.

The reason F. needed help filling out the form for her daughter is that she does not know how to read and write. When I asked her for her daughter’s birthday so that I could fill it in, F. didn’t know the date or year. I must admit I was initially appalled; how does a mother not know her child’s birthday? Then it hit me. When you can’t read or write and have no print/number awareness, its not just books that have no meaning to you. You can’t use calendars or record important dates and names. You don’t attend meetings or come back when asked because you don’t have any way of helping you remember when you are supposed to be somewhere. 

When we visit villages and neighborhoods, we have been trying to let people know in advance so they can plan ahead to attend prayer in the chapel. But this does not seem beneficial. We still need to walk door to door inviting people and then many of them will drop everything (whether laundry or whatever else) to come pray together. When you can’t read/write, you can’t plan ahead. Even if all I’m planning is to put away laundry and go to bed, its annoying to me to have to change plans for a last minute invitation. Yet those unable to read/write are more than willing to drop everything (whether laundry or whatever else) to come when invited.

F.’s nine year old and six year old daughters have begun going to school this year. Jeremy has been able to walk with them to and from school in order to help encourage them. The nine year old has been placed in the same class as Jaylyn. Jaylyn noted the way several of the girls whispered about F.’s daughter the first day. Jaylyn had the opportunity to tell the other girls that F.’s daughter is her friend (and to also get laughed at). This experience has increased my awareness of the challenge it is to go to school when you don’t come from a literate family and when you are an outcast of society; it has also increased my awareness of the powerful impact a father figure can have on the life of a child. As the school year is now underway, let us all be more cognizant of those who may have a more difficult home life and provide extra encouragement and support. The value of a simple smile and saying hello to someone should never be underrated. Lincoln comes home from school everyday right now and is excited to share that he had a good day because a new friend smiled at him or asked him what his name is. Let us be Jesus to our fellow humans through our simple acts of kindness.

I’m humbled by so many things: by the greater realization of what a huge blessing and privilege it is to have an education, to know how to read and write, and to have the ability to plan ahead; by my temptation to judge another and the realization of the grace needed to have empathy; and by the realization of the grace required to be flexible enough to accept a last minute holy invitation.

Waiting for the assembly to begin before Jaylyn and Lincoln's first day of school