Happy mother's day... for some

At 10am today, a four-week old baby girl passed away due to malaria and pnemonia. Her mother has four other children, works in the local government and I've been told is a very humerous woman. But today we attended the funeral that celebrated the short life of this baby and it was absolutely heartbreaking to see that woman - on this year's mother's day - to be torn apart by witnessing the death of her child.

We sat outside on colourful, woven mats under a large tree. A group of women dressed in traditional wear approached us and after mutual greetings, the ceremony began. The mother of the child that passed away remained silent for most of the ceremony. She covered her face with her hand but when she did look up, the pain in her eyes was indescribable.

Vicky, a woman dressed in a bright orange dress, spoke with intelligence about the issues that women deal with in Uganda. She explained to us that the population of Uganda is made up of more women than men. Many men will marry three or four wives, leaving the women to compete for the love of the man. This often means that women will do everything they can to provide a comfortable life for their husband, leaving the children with little. The result is malnutrition and often, death.

I'm not sure of the exact circumstances of this particular situation but the loss of a child is likely the most heartbreaking experience a person can go through. I can't say this from personal experience but just looking into the eyes of that woman made me realize how much we take for granted in Canada because infant mortality is so much more prevalent in African countries than back home.

That woman (and many others that have similar experiences) have to move on from the grief very quickly. She has the rest of her family to take care of, her job to return to and her community to encourage. But she appears to be strong and I hope that she heals from this.

On that sobering note, happy mother's day to both the mothers and the children of the world.