Struggling Through the Panemic

This week I learned first hand about a struggling small business (a tailor shop) in my city. I asked the owner, a female Asian immigrant, how business has been during the pandemic. She said it is OK but not great. I figured her business was off when she told me the pair of pants I had taken in for hemming would be ready next Monday. Every previous time she needed a week to finish the job. She said she hasn't seen things this bad in the 23 years she has been in business, and she hopes she can hold on until business picks up. Although the shop is open six days/week, she said that after paying rent and utilities, there is very little left over. 

The next morning I received an e-mail from a young man whom I met a couple of years ago during my visit to Ethiopia. He and a couple of other local young villagers had been hired to assist my group for a few days. He carried my heavy camera and big lens, helped me over rough, uneven terrain, etc. We have stayed in touch with the occasional e-mail. He asked how I, my family and my village are doing during the pandemic. He said the civil war in Ethiopia has stopped, but the war bordered his village. The big problem is lack of food due to tourism being non-existent, and the government isn't supporting its people. He said life is difficult and boring, and many guides have moved out of the country.

This is such a sad commentary about the suffering of people in a country that struggles even in the best of times. He asked that I pray for his country.

 

I provide a scholarship for a female Kenyan student so she can attend high school. She is from an extremely poor family in rural Kenya. When the pandemic hit, students were sent home (my student attends a residential high school).  Remote learning is not possible, as the rural areas lack electricity, and none of the students' families can afford a computer. They were sent home with written materials and homework, but I'm sure their education suffered after schools were closed for several months. My student will be sitting for her college entrance exams later this month.

So although I complain about the difficulties of life in America during the pandemic, I realize that mine are definitely First World problems. There have been shortages of certain foods, but I have not gone hungry (although many Americans have had difficulty affording food). I have electricity, running water and Internet access. There is not a civil war raging near my city. I am not at risk of losing the small business I worked so hard to build. The rollout of vaccines to protect us against this horrible virus is excruciatingly slow, but it is happening. Kenya administered its first 10 vaccinations today.

As sad as it is to hear these stories of struggle by people I know, I am grateful that these people have shared their experiences with me and reminded me how this pandemic has affected so many people around the world. And their stories remind me how fortunate I am.