No Parking Mondays - Street Cleaning

Ever since the earthquake, my once clean street has become a trashy mess. With everyone living at the field, people are not sweeping or maintaining the space in front of their homes like they used to. It is truly repulsive, especially when much of the refuse is from food I have given the people.

This Monday afternoon, when I got home from clinic, I gathered the neighborhood children and handed out gloves. "Whoever helps clean the street will get candy!"

Over an hour later, I came out to check on them. What had started as 4 kids had multiplied to 13 and they had brooms, shovels, trash bags, and a wheelbarrow. They had decided to not just remove the trash but also the small piles of rubble! We worked for about 2 hours total before stopping to wash our hands and eat our reward.

The kids come to my house every single day now to get gloves so they can keep the street clean. I don't have to bribe them with candy anymore. They have discovered the joy of ownership and the pride of a job well done. And I have my clean street back!