"You are the only who can help me!"

The World Bank ranks Tanzania 131st in the world as a place for doing business, making it the laggard in East Africa. Neighboring Uganda ranks 112, Kenya 95 and Rwanda 67. 

When asked to rate their own happiness on a scale of 1 - 10,  with 10 being the happiest, Tanzanians gave themselves one of the lowest recorded scores: 2.6. Costa Ricans averaged 8.5 and Americans 7.4 (compiled by a Dutch sociologist in the World Database of Happiness as cited by Nicholas Kristof, NYT Op-Ed January 6, 2010). 

Statistics and surveys like these paint the skeleton of a dismal picture, and our everyday experiences add flesh and color. On Monday afternoon, Duncan was waiting outside Bugando Hospital when a man with bloodshot eyes approached him. “Doctah! Doctah! Do you remembah me? You buy green beans from me, doctah!”

Duncan didn’t remember his face, but it was true we had bought green beans from someone at the market the day before. Was this the man? He couldn’t tell.

“I have waited many hours for you! You are the only one who can help me!” 

The man’s story was familiar: His father had just died in Bukoba, and he had no money for transport to the funeral.  Duncan was torn. Was the story true? How could he refuse someone in need? Was he being scammed? How much should he give? 

Afterwards, as we tried to make sense of the situation, we found ourselves frustrated and weary. We know these requests will never end, as long as we live here. And though we take the responsibility of having been given much seriously, we know this doesn’t mean that the right thing to do is to empty out our wallets every time someone needs money for transport. 

And then, perhaps most baffling of all, we wonder, whatever happened to the much celebrated idea of the poor but happy and cooperative extended African family, so unlike cold, individualistic Westerners who care only about themselves? Why did this man come to Duncan for help, claiming no one else could help? Was that happy extended family just a myth? Or, another casualty of colonialism, urbanization, and now, globalization? We’ve no doubt that modern forces have had a hand in unraveling traditional safety nets, but what about the choices this man has made? Is he wasting all his money on beer and prostitutes? What about the leaders of this country who promised, “better life for all”, with their mansions and swimming pools? 

Lord, help us be wise. To seek the peace of this place you’ve called us to, to be generous beyond our natural inclination, but to be wise and effective in how we do that.