If you spend any time in Ethiopia, you are sure to see the children's footwear of choice: a cheap plastic shoe that mimics a tennis shoe with fake laces, nike checks, and all. The majority of kids at IEACA wear nothing else. The other day, a little boy came up to me and showed me the blisters on his feet that shoes had caused. I took him to the clinic, washed the cut, poured on some hydrogen peroxide (which hurt us both as he winced and I felt awful), put on some cream, and topped it off with a band-aid. As soon as I finished with him, a crowd of children came to the clinic, showing their bleeding sores from the shoes.
I took care of as many as I could, but in the back of my mind, I knew the treament was only temporary. The children cannot afford a different pair of shoes, so no matter how many band-aids I apply, the sores will come back.
This made me think about all the band-aid solutions with which we try to solve the world's problems. All the aid we send, the gifts we give, etc. may temporarily eas the blow of poverty, but they aren't sustainable. (Sorry to get sociological on you, but it takes me back to the days of Social Class & Inequality and Social Change. Thanks Wheaton!) In dnager of sounding like I am "raging against the machine," it does seem that lasting change will require significiant alterations of systems that have long been in place. But, once again, if you want to hear more of that rant, ask me later.
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