About Hopes and Tea - SAATH | TOGETHER
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About Hopes and Tea

About Hopes and Tea

On Friday, 15 December 2017, I had my fourth home visit within the framework of the Hakuna Matata project at SAATH. Accompanied by my colleague, Ms. Ayeesha Joshi, I had the great pleasure to meet an incredible woman and her daughter. I became witness to a well-established team, not only carrying for another but for friends and acquaintances alike.

 

A saying from China says: Hope is like the sugar in the tea. Even if hopes are small, they sweeten everything. This is where the story starts. Our host invited us for tea before having a conversation. I have to admit that this was the sweetest and most delicious tea I have ever had. Then both the 14 years old girl and her mother introduced themselves. When I introduced myself in Nepali I conjured a smile on everyone’s face.

 

Due to their openness and curiosity, I easily got to know about the girl’s hobbies of dancing, singing and drawing as well as about her favorite subject at school which is Math. I get a good feeling when I discover a surprising amount of common ground with people I have never met before. So far, she does not know whether she wants to take up studies at university. At the same time, it is uncertain whether her mother will be able to pay for the studies at all. For her, a dream would become true as she wishes her daughter the best for the future. “She should have a better life”, she stresses out. And without any doubt, this means that her daughter should not live in a state of constant fear of being not able to pay the monthly rent; the fear of being not able to fill the hungry mouths of her own children.

I ask myself how she does not lose her belief in a promising future for her and her daughter. The answer is as simple as difficult to understand: hopes. Her efforts to make an affirmative life possible for her and her daughter is accompanied by deep hopes and by believing that everything will be alright one day. Being connected and supported by other Hakuna Matata families and especially women helps her a lot as she explained. Sharing similar fears and worries helps to not feel disconnected from society; it helps to feel understood. The lessons I have learned is that this is not where the story ends. This is where hopes are born. Hope is like the sugar in the tea. Even if hopes are small, they sweeten everything.

Words by: Marika Riep.