As I'm going through my pictures these days I'd like to share some impressions from Makenke Brewery. It was a very touching evening for me being with the "inhabitants" of this place. A place with a lot of of dirt, the air smells because of the brewing process and the wastewater is all around. People there are working in high danger of exploding barrels, which are filled with extremely hot liquids. This can lead to serious injuries and even death - of parents or their children. The brewery is a place where people find work to care at least a little bit for their families, earning around 0,75 Euro a day. Their homes are close by. They are places without electricity, public water supply, medical care and almost no hygienic standards. It seems to be a forgotten world with forgotten people.
Ring of Hope tries to be there for this community, helping some of their children by supporting their education and helping people to start little businesses. This process is slow and takes time. My God-Child Mary used to live at this place too. We're thankful that the family has at least a little bit better opportunities now since her mom found a job as a fish carrier.
But even in a place like this we have met so many great people with big hearts, welcoming us with prayers, playing music, dancing for us and thanking God for their lives! I asked myself what keeps them going. And the answer I could find is the love for their families, a strong and helping community, their faith in God and the prayers and the hope for a better future - maybe one day in this world - and hopefully in eternity.