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A Day in the Life

Laughing woman Despite their struggles, residents of Grande Colline have strong faith, and therefore, joy and hope. Spend a day in the life of the people of Cherident.

Carole

Life isn't easy for Carole Simone, though her lovely smile and crisp orange blouse might imply otherwise. Carole lives with her large, extended family in a small, weathered, and anything-but-watertight home.

You'll find the Simone home perhaps a quarter of a mile up a path, off the rutted main road of Cherident. You'll pass an occasional horse or sheep, so thin you think of them as one dimensional. You'll walk close to other little houses and huts, for here there are no boundaries of front or back yards. You'll be surrounded by children and villagers—always there are people—struggling with the everyday duties of life.

Carole and her family struggle, too... beginning with water. Perhaps seven of each day's hours are spent walking to the closest water source, fetching water in a five-gallon bucket. Five gallons, forty pounds... Carole, like other women, balances this back-straining load on her head as she walks along the rocky and hilly paths.

Back at home, her five siblings, her parents, and her grandfather huddle together in but a few small rooms. Too many people, too little food. Too much illness, too little medicine. Carole—the eldest daughter—and her mother are challenged to keep an organized home. Daylight seeps through old wooden boards; rain when it falls finds cracks in the roof. Inside, wobbly handmade beds and a table fill up the small space. A few pots and dishes rest on a rickety shelf, placed high up to protect their meagre supplies from rodents. Outside, a makeshift outdoor toilet leans too close to a struggling vegetable garden.

There's not much free time for Carole, a bright but quiet woman with dreams she'll likely never realize. Daylight is consumed with chores, the daily challenges of subsistence living. Darkness falls early in this land with no electricity.

Carole, however, is a gifted seamstress. Every extra moment finds her embroidering a tablecloth, a handkerchief, or napkins. Though there's not a large market for her wares, any occasional visitor is shyly shown her beautiful work and encouraged to buy. Though she's clearly not comfortable with the asking, the money is needed.

Carole has another gift—the love of Jesus Christ. Her faith sustains her, giving her the joy that her smile portrays. Wearing her newly washed orange blouse and white flowered skirt, she gracefully strides to church, grateful for the saving grace of the Lord in her life.

Editor's note: It is with great sadness that we report that Carole Simone died of an undiagnosed illness, several months before the medical clinic opened.

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