Chapter 408: The Tour(3)
The village had a very fertile land and water and more importantly fresh air, but the people there were really impoverished. Talia talked to the kids there and asked where they go to school and she was stunned when they said they work in the fields.
Those kids weren’t that old; most of them were around eight or nine. She was surprised to learn that kids these young already work, supporting their parents.
There were at least two kids and a few adults she saw who were affected with polio. She thought polio is eradicated since the vaccine is not patented and most governments offer free polio vaccinations. But these people didn’t even have access, or they weren’t educated enough, to take the vaccines to protect themselves from an easily avoidable disease.
They have brought antibiotics, vaccines and a team of doctors to have a free medical camp. They provided free spectacles for those whose eye-sight is bad. Seeing those people leaving with a grin in their face, gave Talia an unexplainable joy. She understood why her mother was so interested in various kinds of charities. Seeing someone getting better because of one’s help gives an immense joy.
Talia learnt a lot of things visiting this country. The things that she thought as rights like schools and healthcare are in fact privileges some people in the world cannot afford. Also, she regretted her decision not to cut her hair.
This place is hot... terribly hot, she felt like she was on fire all the time. She wanted to undress and soak in ice cold water at the end of each day. But there weren’t bathrooms with big tubs here and they’d make make-shift showers for her every day. She felt like she was not entirely clean as she sweated a lot.
But still she was glad she made this trip.
As she was conversing with the kids, the reporter who’s been questioning her for the few days came for more questions. Talia had gotten comfortable with the cameras watching her all the time and Mr. Thomson who’s been conversing her in the interviews. The TV crew already had more than ten hours of footage and it was only the fourth day of their tour. They’d edit the footages to a two hour documentary, which was the plan.
The reporter talked about some of her charities and Talia answered them. But she always circled back to the charity that works on building schools for the children and medical facilities in impoverished nations as she was in one such place.