My good friend Shawn suggested that it would be helpful for me to write some thoughts about my Zambia trip before I go, and then compare those thoughts to the actual experience. Initially I thought this trip was about what I could bring to the children, but as I talk to previous volunteers, it seems that it is about so much more. They talk of the powerful impact of what they learned, and how they were changed by their visit to Zambia. Perhaps the children can teach me more than I can ever share with them.

I’m sure I will better understand what the word poverty really means as I travel to one of the world’s poorest nations, where reportedly 60% of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day. Children are so hungry that they are forced to scavenge for food in trashcans and alleys.

I don’t understand that kind of poverty or hunger.

I have experienced insecurity in my life, but I don’t know what it’s like to be a child who has lost both parents, and is left alone to deal with the grief. I don’t know what it’s like to suddenly become responsible to care for siblings with little or no support from impoverished communities. In Zambia, children as young as 10 years old are forced into the role of “head of household”. They are too young to assume these responsibilities, yet have no choice.

I don’t understand that kind of insecurity and grief.

I was fortunate to receive a great education, but most of the AIDS orphans are forced to leave school to earn a living. Begging, prostitution or manual labors are their only options. They have no access to health care and become vulnerable to malnutrition as resources dwindle. They sleep on bare floors, many with no blankets. Those that have a bed, often have no mattress.

I don’t understand what it’s like to miss the opportunity to go to school or have adequate health care.

What I do know a lot about however, is the power of love. That’s what I understand. It is overwhelming to try to grasp the scope of this tragedy, and it’s tempting to think that one person can’t make a difference. But I know that I have a great capacity for love, I can make a difference, and love works.

I do understand the power of love.