Tuesday April 28. This morning was an early departure to go clear across town. We went to amigos do bem to be with the wind symphony group from BYU here on a performance tour. There are 50 young students with several adults as chaperones. They were coming to do a service project and we were invited too go with. We also had one of the young girls from the office with us so we left just after 7.
The uber driver was fun, I wish we could always get drivers like him.
We had a nice hour and a little drive and arrived. The organization mainly helps a group of people who live in the north of Brazil away from the coast into the interior. Think Macay Idaho. Just dessert and desolation. Originally populated by run away slaves native indigenous people and people escaping society in the 1800’s. They have remained isolated for many years ignored and forgotten. Their language is a bit corrupted, and the rain falls in March through June. They raise beans, corn, and cactus. They peel the cactus to make feed for their oxen and donkeys. They have some contact with the world as they have clothes and metal tools they cook with wood in rock fireplaces and live in waddel houses branches woven into frameworks and covered in clay they are warm or cool and tight. Some years in heavy rain some of the mud gets washed out but this year no rain so bad food year. They are living very primitive sort of strange to see so many homemade items. The Church has participated in many projects there. There is no water so water must be carried from a well far away using donkeys with packsaddles or ox carts or the women put 5 gallon containers on top of their heads. The women also gather bundles of sticks for cooking and carry them on their heads. The kids go to school until 10 when they are required to help work on the farm keeping the circle of poverty going. Amigos dos bem started in 1993 and have dug many wells with very limited success. Most are salt water undrinkable and it kills the ground so nothing grows. They are hundreds of miles from anyone so just moving to somewhere else is difficult. They have zero money. And the government is unaware or doesn’t want to know. They have built schools the Church gave 13 school buses built an auditorium and donated an ambulance and the water truck. The organization brings food in twice a month to help out. Some of the young BYU students filled food bags. 22 pounds of rice , 2 pounds of beans, liter of cooking oil, bag of salt, and 2 pounds of sugar. The people don’t appear to have any vices as they don’t raise tobacco make whisky or grow coffee. No money for drugs. The church donated thousands of cashew trees to try and get a cash crop which is having some success. The organization restores toys clothes and baby care gifts. The youth helped clean toys, assemble the food bags and grandma went to help assemble the gift boxes for newborns.
I put the rice in the bags. Pretty impressive place. We stayed until 1:00 then an hour ride back to the office. This uber driver read his cell phone the entire time a bit of a concern but we arrived alive. We hung around a while then home for chicken for dinner. Grandma loved this day. It was interesting. To many pictures. They have a mock village we visited with actual tools and furniture and such. Love to all.
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