We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.

As humans, I believe that we often find little to no difficulty in quickly recognizing differences between ourselves and others, and our judgment of these differences creates a sort of organized ranking system from which some of us draw a part of our identity and self-worth. This skin tone is better than that one; the religion of those people is inferior to that of ours; my gender is more powerful than yours; our way-of-life is superior to theirs. It can be easy to fall into the routine of judging others and finding security and stability in your reasoning. After all, people are different, right?

One of my main motivations for applying to serve in the Peace Corps (aside from the simple desire to help others) is that I wanted to experience something different. As someone who had spent the first twenty-three years of his life in Northern California, I was excited to venture far from home and begin something fresh and completely new.

Upon arriving here in Mali, I, like most people, instantly noticed the strangeness and unfamiliarity in the physical environment, climate, animals, activities, and people that surrounded me. This, I initially thought, is the different kind of life I had imagined. As my first several weeks passed, however, I began to recognize something that had, up to that point, almost entirely escaped me. In observing the Malian people around me each day—men, women, children—I started to see many similarities emerge from beneath the glaring differences that had first seemed so abundant and overwhelming.

What I saw were children playing in the streets, lost in laughter and the joy of youth; friends greeting each other in the market, sharing in a moment of genuine connection. On many occasions, I saw people come together to help a stranger in need, and on one unfortunate day, I witnessed a family gather to offer strength and support to a woman mourning the loss of her young daughter. I saw values being taught and put into action, and the behavior of people clearly dedicated to their faith. I saw compassion and kindness; I saw humanity.

Years ago, I remember reading a poem called “Human Family”, by Maya Angelou, which focuses on the many differences that exist between people all over the world. What struck me the most about this poem was the final line, which captures Angelou's belief perfectly: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”

Since being in Mali, a country that is very different than the United States (and many other areas of the world), I have seen the truth in Angelou's words. We are alike; we do share common values, experiences, hopes, fears, and dreams with people everywhere. Spend time considering the differences between people, genders, countries, religions, etc., but set aside more time to focus on ways in which we are alike. You might just discover a feeling of comfort in knowing that you share something special with the rest of the world.

Jigiya

A note about the disabled: In the country of Mali, the physically and developmentally disabled receive absolutely no assistance-- monetary or otherwise-- from the government at neither the national nor local level-- an example of this being when a group of disabled citizens went to the local government office in a small village to ask for help, and were told to leave immediately and not return. Aside from this, many disabled Malians are completely shunned by their fellow citizens. This leaves them with little choice but to become beggers in order to receive the money and food necessary to survive.

A note about Jigiya: Jigiya, which means "support" or "help" in the local language of Bambara, is a group of more than 200 physically and developmentally disabled Malians-- both men and women-- from the Segou Region who have organized themselves in order to come together and provide encouragement, inspiration, and support to each other so that they can all improve the quality of their lives. The members of the association teach each other technical and business skills and share in the joy of music, dance, and laughter. The group has also pooled their resources together in order to provide small loans to members in need-- another way that they are improving lives and helping fellow disabled Malians. Jigiya, with the help of current Peace Corps Volunteer Stephen Andersen, have connected with the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SA), a group of similarly-disabled Americans, and the two groups now exchange regular communication, thoughts, stories, and support. Please visit THIS site to learn more information about Jigiya and SA.

Last night, about a dozen or so members of the Jigiya group performed a showcase of singing and dancing for the current Peace Corps Trainees. It was inspiring to see a group of people so full of energy, joy, and life despite the struggle and discrimination they are faced with each day. It was also great to see the connection and companionship that these otherwise-ignored individuals have found in each other.

Click HERE to see a short video of the performance. Enjoy:)