Growing up in one of the world’s poorest countries, Paul Ceesay knows the hardships of life in the tiny West African nation of The Gambia.
As a child, he walked 10 miles to and from school each day. Although his parents never owned a car, they nevertheless had the drive to ensure he and his siblings received an education, grew up with correct values, and had food and safe shelter. Many families, forced to survive on a daily diet of rice, and lived in mud houses that were often destroyed by heavy rainfalls.
Ceesay’s daily commute typifies the rigors of life for thousands of children across Africa, who trudge barefoot for miles in searing heat whether to fetch water or to attend ill-equipped schools that offer a rudimentary level of education.
Who would have thought that from the dusty and dirty, red clay-covered landscape, Ceesay would one day be setting foot on the immaculate clay-colored artificial track of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, competing in the 800 and 1500 meter track events.
The strides he has made are a source of inspiration to the Gambian youth who see sporting glory and promises of wealth as an escape from a cycle of abject poverty. Estimates indicate that about 1.7 million people, nearly 60 percent of the population, are poor.
Ceesay, who moved to Kansas City, MO, 20-years ago, sees a different kind of poverty in America, not in the vein of the stereotypical portrayal of malnourished African babies, but in a more subtle way, that belies the country’s standing among the global elite.
“Most people in The Gambia are poor, but the main difference is that this sense of poverty doesn’t stop them from trying to become better, even if it means walking a mile to fetch a bucket of water,” Ceesay says. “They would do it to have something to have a drink. They would trail the forests to try to hunt for food. You can’t say they wouldn’t try to feed themselves and their families. Over here, it’s different. I’ve often thought people rely on other people too much. I’m not criticizing, but poverty is just one aspect of our lives. We can be poor, but remain very rich in spirit and potential.”
One American who embraces such enthusiasm is Ceesay’s former parish priest, Fr. Matt Ruhl, who is actively taking a stand against poverty – from the seat of his bicycle.
The Jesuit pastor left the St Francis Xavier Catholic Church on a quest to cycle across America with 11 other riders to reduce the number (by half) of people facing poverty by the year 2020.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are nearly 40 million people in the United States who face poverty. Blacks and Hispanics each have poverty rates above 20 percent – more than double that of non-Hispanic Whites at 8.6 percent and Asians at 11.8 percent.
Ruhl and the team started on Memorial Day, May 31, 2010, riding from Cape Flattery in Washington State, to Key West, Florida, by Labor Day, September 6, 2010. A journey of over 5,000 miles that is expected to last 100 days, and correspond with the centenary celebrations of Catholic Charities USA, the sponsors of the ride.
Asked his impressions about the impact of poverty on particular ethnic groups, Ruhl tells USARiseUp that poverty transcends racial boundaries.
“There’s a comedian that once said: How come it is that Martin Luther King Boulevard never runs through a rich, white neighborhood? Unfortunately, the truth in our urban reality often reveals the face of poverty is black. However, as this ride is going to illustrate, the face of poverty changes throughout the different states and regions of this country. As we move through the Northwest, the face of poverty belongs to the people wearing lumberjack shirts who are part of the logging industry. In Wyoming, the faces of poverty live in trailers and are Native American. Moving into the southern region, we will find a lot of white poverty. Does poverty have a particular face? Yes, it’s the human face.”
It’s a journey filled with optimism – a belief that each rider can and will make a difference in the lives of the indigent, regardless of color. It is also a journey filled with the prospect of lasting camaraderie that are forged in shared experiences, and a sense of renewed faith in service to God.
However, it’s also one of trepidation – the unbearable heat, the duration of the ride, strained muscles and perhaps, even strained relationships that will test their resolve as Christians.
Although the riders face numerous challenges, their overriding preoccupation is the hope that they can give our nation a hand in fighting this social evil that creating a debilitating effect on people’s lives. Ruhl, who has worked for many years among the inner city poor, dwells on the impact poverty has had on people’s lives.
“If people were just hungry that’s bad enough, but the simple truth is that wherever you see poverty, you find more abuse within families,” Ruhl says. “Wherever there’s poverty, there are more children in jail. Wherever there is poverty, there are more kids killing each other. So poverty is a nefarious reality, and I think many Americans are distanced, or don’t appreciate what poverty does to the human mind, the human spirit and the community at large. It is a nefarious reality that kills a lot of people, both physically and emotionally, and it needs to be understood.”
Co-rider and physician, Dr Deborah Hellinger, says she has treated patients who were unable to buy food, let alone afford healthcare, and she sold her practice to embark on this pilgrimage. She believes the sacrifice she made pales in comparison to the struggles of the poor.
“Having read the poverty paper, knowing the statistics, and knowing that one in two people can be in trouble at some time in our lives, as well how many people Catholic Charities helps, any suffering I do along the way is immeasurable when compared to what other people are experiencing,” she says. “Everyone is affected by it, not just children or men. In addition, if I can do something to help, I am humbled to do it. I look forward to our experiences on this ride, the people that we’re going to meet, and the community that we’ll share and form is going to be priceless.”
Another team member, Bethany Paul, gave up her job at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, and by the end of the ride on Labor Day, she will most likely be unemployed. Her work with the church’s emergency assistance program put her in touch with families who relied on food aid given by the parish.
“Through my experiences here in Kansas City, I definitely know the names and faces of people who live in poverty, which makes it that much more personal for me to be able to do this,” Paul says. “I know I’m going to experience so much more on this ride, from the different places we’re going to the social services agencies across the country, we will see the real faces, which makes it very personal for me.”
In the aftermath of a gloomy economic climate, selling your business and giving up your job might not appear the most financially prudent decisions to make, but their choices are not of faith in the market forces, but in the belief that altruism is grounded in Christian teachings.
If consumers are heartened by recent media reports showing the U.S. economy is finally starting to turn a corner, it will also be encouraging news for the cyclists who are hoping that Americans will find more disposal income to donate to a worthy cause. With each turn through the valleys, mountains, rural towns and cities across the country, they can help reverse the scourge of poverty.