"Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are
the pride of their children." Proverbs 17:6
Children are a blessing from God – in trying to find this
verse in the Bible, I failed; it may not be there, but it is implied through
many scriptures. This sentiment is revealed
in most cultures and the people groups in South Sudan are no exception.
So, we were surprised our first weeks in South Sudan to
notice women without children on their backs.
We actually discussed this together, “Where are the babies – do they not
carry their babies with them?” We were
astonished that we had not seen South Sudanese women carrying babies on their
backs. We noticed some ex-pat Kenyan or
Ugandan women with babies on their backs, but where were the South Sudanese
babies?
We discovered the answer one morning at church when a woman
walked up carrying a goat-skin carrier under her arm. She put it down on her
lap and lo and behold there was a baby inside!
Imagine our surprise.
Now in our defense, mothers always have a cloth or light
blanket across their shoulder covering the baby as they are walking; so you
really can’t see the baby. The image to
the right shows the way they carry their babies without the blanket covering
and the inset at the top left corner on the picture shows how the carrier holds the baby.
Ingenious – and quite unique, we haven’t seen anything like
it in any other part of Africa.
Not all South Sudanese people groups use this
type of carrier, but the Dinka and the Nuer do.
The Toposa use a goat skin carrier, but they are fashioned so that the
baby is carried on the mother’s back and not under her arm.
Armed with this knowledge, we happened upon another sight
weeks later. While walking through a family
settlement we noticed something hanging from a tree. (See the image at the
left)
The inset image on the bottom left of the picture allows you
see what we saw when we peeked inside.
This newborn is napping quite happily in his goat skin carrier while
gently swaying in the breeze under the shade of their large tree.
Not to be undone – Debbie felt she needed to acquire a baby
carrier – it being so unique and useful, never mind that fact that there will
be no more babies, except possibly grand-babies one day, coming our way.
Since these are not sold in the market, but
are made as needed, we asked a South Sudanese friend if he could procure a baby
carrier for Mama! Grinning, he said he would try, and several weeks later he
brought two baby carriers up to the house.
Here, the lady who made our baby carriers is demonstrating their
use.
Children are a gift from God.
Pray for God’s people to grasp a vision for teaching His
truths to Dinka children that they may grow in the knowledge of God.
The infant mortality rate is high in South Sudan. Good
medical facilities and trained personnel are needed to care for sick and
malnourished children. Vaccinations and medicines are needed to help South
Sudanese children grow healthy and strong.
Pray that God would supply these needs.