Rwanda’s aid to Gaza, is in truth but a drop in the Ocean, but it is arguably, exactly what the people of Gaza need now, and what the rest of the world should emulate.
Quietly, without fanfare, Rwanda sent a shipment of aid to Gaza, it was not the first such shipment, and will no doubt not be the last. The statement from the Office of the Government Spokesperson, announcing the shipment, consisted of no more than seven lines.
“The Government of Rwanda, in partnership with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan…delivered a shipment of humanitarian assistance destined for Gaza. The donation in support of ongoing international relief efforts was received by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation in Amman, and consists of over 19 tons of food (including fortified food for children), medicines and medical consumables.”
“Rwanda supports an end to the conflict, and protection of the lives of civilians.”
And that was that. When you give…and do acts of kindness, says the bible, do not let your left hand see what your right hand is doing. Rwanda’s left hand may have averted its gaze, but the rest of the world, should train their sights on what its right hand is doing.
Nineteen tons of supplies is a huge contribution that will make a difference to desperate individuals. For some, in desperate need of the basic essentials of life, it may even be the difference between living or dying. Yet the need in Gaza is so great, that the aid is unlikely to go very far. What will go farther however, is the spirit behind.
Rwanda knows and understands well, what it is to endure great suffering, abandoned by the world which planted the seed of that suffering. Among the lessons the country has drawn from its own tragic history, are two that on the face of it, seem contradictory: you have to depend on yourself, and wherever possible come to others’ aid, so that no one may be left as forlon as Rwandans were. The country takes to heart, its responsibility as a member of the world community.
In its support of Gaza, Rwanda is telling the people of Gaza that they are not alone, that thousands of miles away, in central Africa, their humanity matters, the echoes of their anguish are heard and taken to heart.
We are told often enough that Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in the world. And so, it is, materially, but it is no hyperbole to say that in the choices it has made, in how it responds to its own tragedy, make it one of the richest nations in heart, in humanity.
What, we must wonder, would it mean for the people of Gaza, if the rest of the world did as Rwanda is doing, use whatever capacity they have, to stand with the suffering of Gaza, at the hour of their greatest need.
Gaza lacks everything that is necessary to sustain life, water, food, medicines, shelter, energy, and of course, safety from bullets and bombs. And yet, in spite of such desperate need, what stands out so heart rendingly, is the people of Gaza’s cry to the world community to show them that they are not alone.
From young and old, from prepubscent children, now grown beyond their years, they cry on social media, “where is the world”? “Does anyone care” “I am tired, please show your support and respond with a word…” In the carefully chosen, dispassionate words, “Rwanda supports an end to the conflict, and protection of the lives of civilians,” lies the answer to the anguished calls, that yes, you do matter, yes, we do care.
