Hello Everyone,
I departed for South Sudan just as cases of Covid-19 were starting to surface around the U.S. The news reports of panic, empty grocery shelves, and countries around the globe restricting travel went from once-a-day coverage to hourly updates. As I sat absorbing all this, I was forced to relive a difficult period in my African youth.
Before this pandemic, the most frightening time in my life was the four months my family waited for the rebels to enter our city in Africa. As it became clear the Ethiopian government would fall, neither my family nor my community knew what was going to happen to any of us. Needless to say, fear and uncertainty made the situation almost unbearable. It’s easy to assume that during times like that people would fend for themselves. Some did.
However, looking back, quite the opposite happened with the vast majority of the public. Although we were all scared, Ethiopians everywhere stepped up to help one another. Whether it was a neighbor sharing their last spoon of sugar or a stranger hugging a 10-year-old to tell him it would be ok. Love and compassion edged out fear and uncertainty.
As I watch Covid-19 threaten our way of life, I am once again reminded of the tenacity of the community I am a part of. It fills me with hope and optimism to hear stories of Nebraskan’s and the country as a whole coming together. Ordinary people from churches, businesses, organizations uniting to look after the most vulnerable. Over the next few days, Aqua-Africa will also outline efforts to support our local community through partnerships and collaborations such as being a “food pick up location” or delivery to shut-ins. Please let us know if there is any way we can help.
No doubt these are challenging times, and things will most likely get worse before they get better. But, everything in my life also leads me to believe that we will endure, we will persevere, and we will overcome together. God Bless.
Buey Ray Tut.
