IMPACT APRIL 2016
Bernard takes delight in demonstrating the basket-weaving skill he has honed over the course of a lifetime.
RESILIENCY
A WEAVER OF BASKETS AND STORIES W
hen he works, Bernard’s fingers
Born with sight, Bernard contracted
very supportive. She encouraged me and I
see what his eyes cannot as
measles as a baby and became blind at
he deftly weaves strands of palm into
the age of 3. Though he is now 75, he
His mother also taught Bernard the
beautiful baskets. Sitting outside his one-
still remembers what it was like to lose
basket-weaving craft that has sustained
room house in a village in central Kenya,
his vision.
him throughout his life. Supplemented
he hums to himself, happy to still be able to ply his trade.
never felt [like the] odd one out.”
“I was sad because I previously was able
by the benefits he receives as a sponsored
to see,” he said. “However, my mother was
(continued)
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(continued from front) elder in Unbound’s Meru program, income derived from basket weaving allows Bernard to live his senior years in relative comfort and with a sense of purpose.
One of his favorites is a fable about a bat. He tells it with delight. “Once upon a time there used to be a bat. He was so wise. He attended an animal meeting here on earth and got some
Bernard has been sponsored since 2013 by the Toben family from Missouri. A man of simple pleasures, he is grateful for what he has received through sponsorship.
teeth. He later attended an animal meeting in the skies and got some feathers. “When he died, he was taken to the skies, but the animals
“I am so happy to be part of the Unbound program,” he said.
there said they do not know him because he has teeth. He was
“I can now sleep comfortably since Unbound helped me get a
brought back to earth but the animals said they do not know
new bed, a mattress and bedding.”
him because he has feathers. At the end, he was buried on
But as appreciative as he is for those material goods, what
top of the mountains, because he did not belong anywhere.”
Bernard is most grateful for is the human contact that has
The moral of the story, Bernard shared, is to be yourself.
come with being a member of the Unbound community.
“You might lose everything as you try to belong.”
“I have made friends with other [sponsored] aging in my area,” he said. “We meet up once in a while, talk and eat rice together.”
Without trying, Bernard does indeed belong. He is content with who is he and grateful for what he has. He is a man at peace.
Being able to interact with others is of vital importance
“I am blind, but the eyes of my soul see the beauty around
to Bernard. In addition to the friends he has made through
me,” he said. “As I weave my baskets, I smile. I thank God for
Unbound, he loves having visitors to his home. Whenever
being part of the Unbound family.
he has an audience eager to hear one of the stories he has collected over the course of his lifetime, his face lights up.
“Unlike the bat, I am happy where I belong, and I have accepted myself just as I am.”
blind, but the eyes of “ Imyamsoul see the beauty around me. As I weave my baskets, I smile. I thank God for being part of the Unbound family.
”
Bernard proudly stands next to a recently finished basket.
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