Doggie Bag

This afternoon, at exactly 1pm when we turn off the generator for an hour for lunch, me and some colleagues went over to the little shop that a Ugandan woman has set up that makes a great meal for about $3. When I was done with my meal, a small group of little boys passed us. They were shoe shiners and were carrying their make-shift bags and little shoe polishes. The oldest could not have been older than 11 years old. As they passed by, I offered the rest of my meal and all 5 of them were so polite in taking the plate and sharing the food. Two other people also give their plates and two half-empty bottles of soda. They even came up with a quick strategy of sharing the soda. 2 divided the smaller quantity and the other 3 divided the bottle that had more. They would put a little finger on the part of the bottle that should how much they could drink and take small sips until they reached the line and pass it on the the next person. When they were done, they piled the plates and took it back to the kitchen area. One of their other friends came too late and had to deal with the teasing of all the food that he had missed.

Can you imagine watching a 7 year old devouring leftover rice because the next meal isn't for a while? The whole thing was so sad and gives whole new meaning to 'doggie bag' and reminds me of just how far Sudan has to go so that their children can be in a classroom instead shining shoes for a living. :(