Note: Susan Boiko, MD, is a Kaiser Permanente dermatologist in San Diego. She’s arrived in Bwiza, Rwanda, to perform relief work in support of the Pygmy Survival Alliance, a collection of nonprofit organization that connects pygmy villages in Rwanda with information, leadership, survival and health resources to enable them to transform their health and welfare.
Sept. 12, 2011
How different things are a year later! As we got off our motorcycle taxis after a speedy ride up the mountain via a vastly improved dirt road, a handful of children dressed in school uniforms came to greet us with hugs and happy cries. Last year, only one or two children were attending school. The gentleman whose house we are living in, Innocent, asked them, “How many of you have not eaten today yet?” All raised their hands. A schoolchild faces a hard decision every day: Go to school, and when you come home, all the food is eaten, or miss school and eat. Our dinner table conversation last night revolved around how to support these children. One thought: a school breakfast or lunch program for all students.
