For several months now, we have been able to help out two remarkable women – Claire and Margarita. Dear Readers, you may remember Margarita. An article was written about her some time ago. She is a ‘Mutwa”… this means one of the Twa tribe of Rwanda.

Margarita spends her days making and firing round clay pots... no easy feat as she must be over a hundred years old. According to her she has vivid memories of many events that took place in Rwanda over these many years! For instance in 1931, when she had already borne some of her now deceased children, she remembers the King who was chased from power....

The making of clay pots, which are fired out of doors in the area in front of her home, is something that the Twa tribe of people are well known for. One can see them – the younger, more agile ones – going off to market with three and even more pots delicately balanced on top of their heads, in hopes of selling them and bringing in a bit of money. Margarita can only make her pots at home, sitting on the packed earth that is in front of her doorway. Margarita remains with perhaps only one grand-child and a number of great-grandchildren, none of whom who are in any financial position to care for her.

You might also remember Claire, the other woman whom we wrote about in a website article is severely physically disabled. Claire spends her days in the nearby town of Gitarama, being pushed in a wheelchair by one of her grandchildren, daily begging for something, anything to help her survive. I don’t believe any of her children are still alive, just grandchildren.

When we learned of the plight of these two remarkable women we began giving food to them weekly – it is not much, but it certainly helps them to live their lives with dignity and with a sense of knowing that someone cares. Neither of these women have families to care for their needs and it must be a tremendous struggle just to get through each day.

It is difficult for those of us who have daily food and a bed to sleep in, to think that there are others out there who are not so lucky. But despite the hardships these two women face, one is always greeted by a smile and kind words of thanks for what they are receiving. They are truly an inspiration to others.