Berta, A Dear Friend

I met Berta a few weeks ago. She cooks for the men who are constructing an addition onto a building at There Is Hope Center. “Jambo,” she said with a wide grin. When we met again, we tried to talk. Berta speaks Swahili, but through a translator I discovered that Berta is Congolese and lives in Dzelaka Refugee Camp.

For several days, we spent our time teaching each other our own languages. By pointing at objects and saying the word in our respective languages, we learned to names of many things. We scratched the words into the red dust, wiped the words away, and tried to write the words from memory. Together we came up with a list of about 20 words. Day after day we quizzed each other.

One day Berta invited me to her house. When her work was finished, we meandered our way through the camp to where she stays. Berta has lives with her husband, Asumani, and their four children. She has two daughters and two sons: Salia, Nonbe, Sofia, and Alonda. They range in age from 2 to 10. They have lived in Dzelaka for five years. Before they fled to Malawi, both Berta and her husband were students. Berta was a community leader in Congo, but now she and her husband do not have jobs, because there are very few employment options available.

Although their situation is bleak, Berta is a beacon of light. A smile radiates from her face, and she is always thinking of others. Berta loves to spend time with people and just chat…which becomes challenging when we don’t speak the same language. Thankfully Berta has some neighbors who enjoying chatting and want to practice their English.

An example of Berta’s kindness is her gift generous gift of a live chicken. Though the language barrier, I eventually convinced Berta to keep the chicken for me so that she could teach me how she cooks it! A few days later we deep fried to chicken, made ugali, and an African version of fried spaghetti. We had quite the feast!

Every day with Berta is a pleasure—whether we walked to the market, waited for hours at the clinic, cooked, practiced languages, or played with her kids. She is an eager learner, generous giver, and joyful friend. I can’t wait for the day when we are reunited!