I’ve had this melody looping through my head for the last few days.  It is a children’s song.   The chorus says: what have I done to deserve this, what have I done to deserve this?  You enter a word like “we have land while others don’t… what have we done to deserve this, what have we done to deserve this?”  or “we have food while others don’t… what have we done to deserve this, what have we done to deserve this?”  It is a song of great gratitude for gifts given, gifts that you know others do not have, gifts you know are about grace.

This song was sung to us one afternoon while sitting in the shade of the Matara gazebo.  An impromptu choir of children just began singing this song to us.  It was lovely and playful and we were entranced with the sheer cuteness of these kids.  But when the song was translated for us… we were silenced.  These children know they have good gifts – gifts that can only be accounted for by some great grace.

We know the grace comes from God – His love for these families, for these children.  He has blessed them with land, food, milk, cows, pigs, homes… the chorus rings true each and every time.  This was not the only time I heard this melody riding the breezes of Matara.  The children sang it often… “what have we done to deserve this?”

The song follows me down into the streets of Bujumbura.  I imagine it will graciously haunt me when I make my way back to Arizona.  I can sing it, too!  What have I done to deserve this… so much goodness, so much grace!

The Batwa women bringing handmade pots to us.

On this, the Matara community’s third anniversary, the women paraded forward with handmade pots to give.  They shared that this is an old Batwa tradition, to make clay pots, but that now no one has need of their handcrafted pottery.  In the past three years they have learned other things to make a living – agriculture, animal husbandry, soap making, shoe repair and even honey cultivation.

But the Batwa pots have come to mean something significant to us.  We cherish the tradition, the skill and the story that each hand-hewn pot tells about these people and especially these women.  We value what others might discard or miss because we have eyes to see our friends and see their worth.  We cherish each pot because it comes from the hands of these strong women.

So when these regal women stand before us with freshly fired pots, vessels we shaped together from clay just a day ago, we stand with the recognition that we are on holy ground.

Sherry receives her pot and embraces her friend.

Anna with a friend in her arms and a pot in her hand.

Carol caught in a hug that says more than a thousand words ever could.

Martha and Godis sharing a deep hug after making this pot together.

These clay pots made in Matara by our friends are more than a mere gift, they are symbols of connection.  Their Batwa story comes home with us, cradled in our hands through airport security checks, tight coach seating, customs and through the threshold of our homes.  We are careful to not let them be crushed, to shield them from crumbling under pressure, to ensure these pots make it home so that they may continue to tell the story of these strong, beautiful women.

These pots are ours to have and to hold for the long journey home and for years to come as a reminder of these strong women, our dear friends who have made visible to us deep goodness, neighborliness and love.

Our pots to have and to hold from this day forward.

We will return home with pots and stories to tell about these women whom we love.

We arrived at Matara just as the women gathered to go down to the fields… with extra tools for us!  So we spent a full morning working in two fields, tending to the potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Ready to work… smiles and all!

The ladies seem quite entertained by Carol and Anna!

Martha has done this before…

We also had moments of playfulness – bubbles, jump ropes, frisbees and the constant fun of cameras and videos shared together.

Sherry was entrusted with little Patrick while mama went to her home.

Carol learning neighborhood games… she can teach you when she gets back home!

Martha demonstrates bubbles for the kids.

The mamas loved playing with the bubbles, too!

Cuteness… they are just irresistible!

Then there were moments when the kids broke into impromptu song – which just melted our hearts.

Showering us with songs… “what have we done to deserve this goodness” was the content of the serenade.

A grand finale… one last set of songs for us to enjoy.

So it was a day where we worked hard, played hard, were showered with songs and undeniable cuteness!  More goodness on The Mountain of Love.  We all drove down the rural roads with a song in our heart… what have we done to deserve this goodness?

Last week Kazoza Finance opened it’s doors to the public, offering basic banking services to the community at large.  This was the next step forward in our dream of identifying and cultivating local business people who could become the future leaders in their neighborhood, providing services and employment to their neighbors.

Kazoza began years ago, a micro-finance project of World Vision.  But in the past year they handed off their entire portfolio to us, hoping we could redeem the parts that were not working and continue to offer small loans to the poor of the city.  So for the last year that is what we’ve done; we re-trained the staff, re-structured the processes and took a waning loan portfolio and increased the capital by over 250%.  Hard work, but good work.

Offering small loans to local people helps them access a little capital so that they can begin a  small business – maybe selling fruits, a kiosk for bike repairs, a carpentry shop or a small bakery.  Every so often, if they are faithful with repayment, they are eligible for slightly larger loans when they dream of expanding their business – adding new products, increasing their market space or hiring some staff.  Small loans allow people to try and generate some family income.
What we noticed is that these business people, even when successful, are still creating small amounts of cash, just enough to live on and maybe enough to save small bits here and there.  But the amounts are still considered very insignificant by local banking standards.  This means that these business people cannot take advantage of the banks that are peppered throughout the city because they do not have enough money to meet the basic threshold for opening an account.  And if they do have ample cash, they cannot sustain the minimum amount required by the bank at all times plus pay the monthly fees.  So there is a gap between small micro-loans and entry into the banking system for the working poor.

This is why we are so excited to, at long last, open a bank that is designed for the working poor!  Now anyone who has a valid identity card and $10.00 can open their own bank account.  These business people can have a savings account, even a checking account with their own checkbook.  For someone who has been shut out of the banking system all her life, this is a huge reversal.  Now she can have a safe place to deposit her money, she can write a check and she even has a personal banker!

For these men and women Kazoza Finance is another step forward in their ability to access banking services as they grow their businesses and manage their households.  But Kazoza is something more – it is offering dignity to these hard working people.  Now there is a bank that sees them, recognizes their needs and is committed to helping them move forward into a better future.  Kazoza means future… and that is what we are hoping to help build as we collaborate with them, a better future for their families and their neighborhoods.

So last week was a grand opening.  We opened our doors not just to our Kazoza micro-fiance clients, but to all the working poor in Bujumbura who wanted to open a bank account.  By the end of the week over 140 new accounts were opened!

But the real celebration is each account – because each single account opened represents a family, a business, a community that now has a financial partner by their side.  The true grand opening… is the grand opening of each one of those bank accounts.  We are looking forward to Monday, where the grand openings continue!