Getting Personal . . . The Journey Shifts

Somewhere along the way I chose the path I’m walking right now. I decided that I was going to stop taking and start offering. I saw clearly that I had lived my live selfishly.

Yeah, sure . . . I knew about those poor children dying in Africa -- everybody knows about them -- but who really stops for a minute and actually thinks about it? You know … to really think about the meaning of war, poverty and injustice? It took me 40 years to start thinking about it.

Yes, it took me a long time, but I’m slowly opening my eyes to the misery of the world.
And now I think that the spoiled life that I lived before was an introduction and a process of growing into the person that I have become. Everything that I was and everything I have experienced was a preparation for this moment.

These words sound honourable, don’t they? Well, that’s not what my search is about. I’m searching for the knowledge, the experience in the field so I can use it practically to help other people. I have been looking for some insights into Microfinance to determine if it is an appropriate vehicle for my journey. I am still not sure, but that is completely besides the point.

To my pleasant surprise, during these days, I have learned something that is not really related that much to Microfinance. A good percentage of Ecuador´s population lives in the “campo” (rural areas) and here in Ambato I have been in touch with them almost every day.
The “campesinos” are very poor and are extremely hard workers. They look at you with their wide brown eyes, with looks that are so deep, so penetrating. They also have the sweetest smiles I ever seen. When I look at them, at these people and at their tender and tired smiles, yes, I realize that this search for knowledge is very much worthwhile.

I have seen people with limited resources before, but now I feel that I have a much greater "feeling" for what poverty is all about. The campesinos of Ecuador have such limited opportunities in the world . . . so it is truly astonishing that these people can actually have smiles with so such depth and dignity.

In this manner, Microfinance has taken a back seat in my journey to something more important.

This journey has become about making a small difference, period.