By Kristen Fogg
In our wealthy American society the words “back to school” refer to a time of consumerism at its finest.
Parents shell out hundreds of dollars buying their children new clothes, new shoes, new backpacks, new notebooks, new pencils, pens, erasers, markers, etc., etc., etc.
The cause is culturally affirmed as noble-after all, what better way to show that something is truly important to us than to turn it into a season of commercialism?
Ah, but I have betrayed my cynicism! Let me explain how I got to be such a cultural misfit in American society: I traveled outside America. And most recently, I traveled to India immediately following the tsunami. As a part of a four-person Virginia Baptist assessment team, I saw first-hand the devastation left by this powerful wall of water. Thousands of lives were lost, thousands more were injured, thousands more were made homeless. Despair was in the eyes of many survivors we met-but not so with the children. The uncrushable spirits of the children we met were enough to inspire awe in even the most seasoned of disaster relief veterans.
As we traveled through the tsunami-affected areas, we passed hundreds of children smiling, laughing, playing, continuing to live life amidst the destruction around them. Yet despite their current triumph, they have another battle coming. The school year is done and they are on break-for now. But when June 1 rolls around, “back to school” will take on a meaning for these children that is foreign to our American culture.
For these tsunami-affected children, going back to school is vital. Education is the means to success in Indian culture. Lack of education is the means to failure. In order to be allowed in school, each child must have his or her own uniform, books, notebooks, pencils and pens. And while those schools that were able to finish the school year through March 1 granted leniency to those children who lost all their school supplies in the tsunami, the government has already said there will be no such exceptions made when back-to-school time comes in June.
Many parents are having difficulty feeding their families, and many still do not have homes. There is no extra money to put toward school supplies for their children. In response to this need, our Baptist partner, Kunjumon Chacko, has asked us to help children go back to school. And so the Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia, in partnership with all Virginia Baptists, have sponsored the “Back-to-School Buddies” project. For $25 we can buy two uniforms, books, notebooks, pens and pencils for one child to be able to attend school. What an amazing “back-to-school” blessing for those children and their families!
So there you have the explanation-and the cure-for my cynicism.
Many thanks to all the individuals, churches and small groups who have contributed already, and to the many churches who have already pledged their Vacation Bible School offering to go toward this cause. The sacrificial giving of Virginia Baptists is making an impact on the lives of our brothers and sisters in India who are in need. And though there are many more children waiting for such a blessing to touch their lives, I am confident that we will continue to respond to the best of our ability in reaching out to them as well. Perhaps I am not so cynical after all!
Special to the Herald
Kristen Fogg is multicultural resourcing innovator for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia. She was part of a Virginia Baptist assessment team that traveled to India earlier this year.