Mountains beyond mountains

There is a proverb in Haiti that has been popularized by Tracy Kidder's book about Paul Farmer's humanitarian work in Haiti and around the world. 

Beyond mountains there are mountains.

Like most proverbs, the meaning has multiple layers. 

In its simplest form, it seems to mean that when you solve one problem, there will be another one beyond it to solve. 

Or, when you surmount a great obstacle, it is only get a clear view of the next one. 

It can also mean that opportunities are limitless.

And so it seems to be.

There is a story to tell that is layered with curiosity, intrigue and pathos. It unraveled over the course of several days and the ending surprised and disturbed all of us that witnessed it.

A woman brought her two-year-old daughter into the clinic. The mother had recently delivered a baby at the clinic and said that the child was a twin and that there was also an older sibling, but that this baby was the only one who was sick. The poor little toddler displayed the edema and split skin that is typical of severe malnourishment and just lay on a bed, whimpering and crying when anyone tried to touch her. The mother told of taking the baby to the hospital the week before and being sent home after only a day. Sarah was concerned for the girl and decided to transport her and the mother back to the hospital and check to see what was going on. Dolly had been attempting to soothe the child by removing her clothes and dressing her wounds, so she wrapped her in a nice, clean blanket and went along to the hospital.

A few hours later, the entourage returned. The baby was admitted and, strangely, the doctor told Sarah that, rather than being ejected from the hospital on her previous visit, the mother had chosen to leave. We thought it was curious, made even more so by the fact that she hadn't shown any affection for the child and that this was the only malnourished sibling. Sarah said that, sadly, sometimes it is almost as if a parent has already given up on a child. We wondered how you could choose which child you would not feed. The other twin was a boy. Male children are often valued more than girls in many cultures and have better survival rates, so we thought that this may have featured into the equation.

A few days later, they were back at the clinic. The little girl didn't look much better, so we tried to give her something to drink and eat. She cried and threw everything on the floor. I was starting to think that maybe she was just ornery and a picky eater. I do not think that one could be a picky child and survive in Haiti. Then, her mother gave her the plate and a spoon and she actually ate a few spoonfuls. When her older sister put some fish on her plate, she got mad and threw it on the floor and stopped eating. I was totally starting to see how a mother would get frustrated with such a child! When you're struggling to feed your children, what would you do?

The mother finally went home after Sarah decided we could keep the baby at the clinic so that we could nourish her for a few days. It was late by now and Dolly was all ready to spend the night downstairs with the baby. I went to bed, as it was getting late. There was a hubbub some time later and I only found out after the fact what happened.

As the real story unraveled, it became known that the child was not the mother's biological child, but that of her husband, who had died shortly before she delivered her last baby and left her with his three other children and no way to support them. 

Mountains beyond mountains.

It certainly explained her lack of natural affection for the girl. 

When the baby's paternal grandparents found out that the mother had left her at the clinic, they threatened to kill her if she didn't get the baby back. Haitians often threaten to kill each other. Whether they ever carry out the threat, I do not know! So mama came back to get the baby so that the grandparents could take her into their home.

We sent her off with some formula and the hopes that she would find a better home with her grandparents. 

It would be easy to judge this woman, but when you think about the adversity she had suffered in just a few months, there must surely be more compassion than judgment. Hardship, bereavement, hunger, discomfort, illness, and deprivation are such a fact of life in Haiti that it boggles my mind to imagine living in such conditions.  And, of course, there are many other countries where life is just as harsh as it is in Haiti.

If you wonder what little-old-you-I'm-only-one-person can do about this, there is a book I would like to suggest. It is called Half the Sky and it will make you mad.

Maybe even mad enough to do something about it.

And then we can talk.