Well, today is our last day before heading home tomorrow. We have three meetings today and will be taking many action plans back with us.
Yesterday, we had a leisurely day of walking around town, stopping in local businesses, and speaking with lots of people along the way. Our friend Luca invited us to see where he stays in Arusha, so he met us in the afternoon. We walked to his house, walking down a narrow dirt road with houses and businesses along the way. It was not an area where people where used to seeing mzungus (white people), so we got many looks and the children were intrigued and excited to see us. One lady said "pole" to us which means sorry. We asked Luca why she said that he said she said sorry because we were walking. He said that they don't think white people walk, so she wa apologizing that we were having to walk. We thought that was pretty funny and very telling.
We wound around the tiny muddy streets until we came to his home. He stays with a family in Arusha, as his family is far away in a remote area of Tanzania. We were welcomed by the family, all dressed in their best clothes. Falista, the mother welcomed us first, then the oldest daughter Kunda, then the two sons Wilbert and Francis. They invited us in their home, which was a living room with a couch, two chairs, coffee table, cabinet for dishes, and a tv. There was a doorway off the living room with a curtain hanging over the doorway. We all squeezed all the couch and Lucas friends Dennis and Edward sat in the chairs. Kunda came in with bottles of soda for us. We have drunk a lot of soda on this trip, as they drink it at all celebrations and is plentiful here. Mostly, Coca-Cola made, but different types than what we have in the US. Luca had prepared them in advance by telling them the types of sodas and food that we like. He was taking notes I guess while we were with him in Longido. He is very kind and thoughtful, so it did not surprise me that he noticed those details. Falista, the mother, then brought in food that she prepared for us. We asked if the children could come and join us, so the family came in, sat, and ate with us. Falista prepared rice, beans, and chipati which is like a tortilla. Falista wanted us to take pictures of us eating the food that she prepared. Kunda is 17 and is still in secondary school. She told us that her favorite subject is chemistry and that she wants to be a doctor. She let us know that she prepared the chipati for us. It was a very special dinner and one that we will always remember. To be invited to one's home is a very big honor and we were honored to be there and to meet Luca's second family. After dinner, we went outside and took group pictures outside the house. Denise brought along Empowerment Bracelets that she got from Avon and gave one to Falista who really liked it and was very happy to receive the gift.
It was a wonderful evening and we all had a great time. It is this type of experience that I treasure and always want to remember.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Crater Safaris
We were picked up on Tuesday by our guide Edmond and we drove about two hours to Lake Manyara. We did an evening drive through the national park where we saw baboons, a blue monkey, lots of giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, cape buffalo, hippos, thousands of flamingos along the shores of the lake, Thompson gazelles, impalas, and two elephants. The elephants were a mother and baby, which was really fun to see. They crossed the road right behind us, so we got some really great pictures.
We left the lake as it was getting dark and headed to our campsite. When we arrived, we were the only ones at the campsite, so we had it all to ourselves. There were tents set up and there were mattresses on cots in our tent. Denise and I had a sheet over the mattress, one blanket each, and no pillows. Bob and Edmond had sheets on their mattress and one sheet to cover up with. Denise and I got the better end of that deal as it got a chilly during the night. We had taken groceries from Arusha with us for food, so we had PB&J (goober jelly) sandwiches for dinner. We also had snickers because when we saw them at the store, we got really excited, as we haven't had chocolate for so long, we had to have them! After dinner, we taught Edmond how to play the card game Golf. He enjoyed it and said that they usually play poker or last card. So, we are going to learn last card before we leave.
In the morning, we left the camp site at 5:30am and headed to Ngorongoro Crater National Park. We drove up to the rim of the crater and then down inside it. It was absolutely beautiful and we immediately saw all kinds of animals. The animals are within this giant crater and very few of them migrate from it. We saw a lot of the same things we had seen the day before, like zebras, wildebeest, cape buffalo, baboons, two elephants, gazelles, impalas, and hippos. As we were driving around, Denise saw something and we stopped. At first we thought it was just another hyena, but it was a cheetah and there were two of them! We watched them walk through the grass and had to keep a pretty close eye on them, as the grass was tall. We thought they were either going to the lake or to the road. We were hoping they were going to the road, as the lake was away from us. We watched them for quite a while and they finally crossed the road. By this time, there were several other cars of people watching Tracker Denise's find. One stopped in the road and was intrigued by the people (that or he wanted to pounce on them, but I don't think so). They crossed the road and the other animals were on alert and going away from them. They sat down and relaxed in the grass and we went on to see some other animals.
Later, we saw a black rhino in the distance, which was huge! We also saw three lions, two males and a female, in the distance but got some pictures. They were laying down by some water and there was a cape buffalo who was near them. He walked away from them, but every so often turned around and stared at the lions. We also saw lots of birds like the golden crested cranes, lavender breasted royale (sp?), ostriches, pelicans, and again thousands of flamingos. There was also a huge elephant that we saw who had gigantic tusks. For some reason, only male elephants are found in the crater. It was a beautiful drive and the numbers of animals was amazing. We parked for lunch by a hippo pool and had more PB&J sandwiches. :-)
After lunch we went looking for a leopard, the only big 5 animal we hadn't seen, but no such luck. We headed back to Arusha around 4:30pm and arrived at the Backpacker at 6:30. We were very dusty and sunburned, but famished. We ate dinner and Luca and his friend Dennis came and joined us. Luca brought his college information, so that Bob could take a look at it. His degree is in Natural Resource Management and he wants to get a masters in something like Community Development. He would love to study in the US, so Bob was telling him what he would need to do to make that happen. Luca is very bright and an extremely caring person. He is a Maasai and wants to work with his people to make their lives better, while still keeping their heritage. We are going to meet him this afternoon, as he has invited us to where he lives in Arusha. He told us last night that he bought some cards and has taught his friends how to play golf. He laughed and said that's all they want to play now. So, we're going to have him teach us how to play Last Card, so that we can take it back to the US with us.
We have only two more days before we leave, so we're starting to wrap things up here. We have a couple more business meetings tomorrow, so we'll be heading home with many plans and actions that we'll be taking for the Children's and Mother's clinic in Kibungo Rwanda, starting a health post in rural Rwanda which is in a district with no health facilities, a children's clinic at the Center for Champions (home for street children) in Rwamagana Rwanda, and further down the line in maybe 1-2 years a facility in Longido Tanzania. There is lots of work ahead, but it's not work when you meet the people here and listen to their stories. I feel privileged to have met the people who we've met and to have friends and family in this part of the world. I am already looking forward to when I'll be able to return. Next time though with Brian, so that he can visit the places and meet the people who we've met. Every day is amazing and I'm grateful to be here.
We left the lake as it was getting dark and headed to our campsite. When we arrived, we were the only ones at the campsite, so we had it all to ourselves. There were tents set up and there were mattresses on cots in our tent. Denise and I had a sheet over the mattress, one blanket each, and no pillows. Bob and Edmond had sheets on their mattress and one sheet to cover up with. Denise and I got the better end of that deal as it got a chilly during the night. We had taken groceries from Arusha with us for food, so we had PB&J (goober jelly) sandwiches for dinner. We also had snickers because when we saw them at the store, we got really excited, as we haven't had chocolate for so long, we had to have them! After dinner, we taught Edmond how to play the card game Golf. He enjoyed it and said that they usually play poker or last card. So, we are going to learn last card before we leave.
In the morning, we left the camp site at 5:30am and headed to Ngorongoro Crater National Park. We drove up to the rim of the crater and then down inside it. It was absolutely beautiful and we immediately saw all kinds of animals. The animals are within this giant crater and very few of them migrate from it. We saw a lot of the same things we had seen the day before, like zebras, wildebeest, cape buffalo, baboons, two elephants, gazelles, impalas, and hippos. As we were driving around, Denise saw something and we stopped. At first we thought it was just another hyena, but it was a cheetah and there were two of them! We watched them walk through the grass and had to keep a pretty close eye on them, as the grass was tall. We thought they were either going to the lake or to the road. We were hoping they were going to the road, as the lake was away from us. We watched them for quite a while and they finally crossed the road. By this time, there were several other cars of people watching Tracker Denise's find. One stopped in the road and was intrigued by the people (that or he wanted to pounce on them, but I don't think so). They crossed the road and the other animals were on alert and going away from them. They sat down and relaxed in the grass and we went on to see some other animals.
Later, we saw a black rhino in the distance, which was huge! We also saw three lions, two males and a female, in the distance but got some pictures. They were laying down by some water and there was a cape buffalo who was near them. He walked away from them, but every so often turned around and stared at the lions. We also saw lots of birds like the golden crested cranes, lavender breasted royale (sp?), ostriches, pelicans, and again thousands of flamingos. There was also a huge elephant that we saw who had gigantic tusks. For some reason, only male elephants are found in the crater. It was a beautiful drive and the numbers of animals was amazing. We parked for lunch by a hippo pool and had more PB&J sandwiches. :-)
After lunch we went looking for a leopard, the only big 5 animal we hadn't seen, but no such luck. We headed back to Arusha around 4:30pm and arrived at the Backpacker at 6:30. We were very dusty and sunburned, but famished. We ate dinner and Luca and his friend Dennis came and joined us. Luca brought his college information, so that Bob could take a look at it. His degree is in Natural Resource Management and he wants to get a masters in something like Community Development. He would love to study in the US, so Bob was telling him what he would need to do to make that happen. Luca is very bright and an extremely caring person. He is a Maasai and wants to work with his people to make their lives better, while still keeping their heritage. We are going to meet him this afternoon, as he has invited us to where he lives in Arusha. He told us last night that he bought some cards and has taught his friends how to play golf. He laughed and said that's all they want to play now. So, we're going to have him teach us how to play Last Card, so that we can take it back to the US with us.
We have only two more days before we leave, so we're starting to wrap things up here. We have a couple more business meetings tomorrow, so we'll be heading home with many plans and actions that we'll be taking for the Children's and Mother's clinic in Kibungo Rwanda, starting a health post in rural Rwanda which is in a district with no health facilities, a children's clinic at the Center for Champions (home for street children) in Rwamagana Rwanda, and further down the line in maybe 1-2 years a facility in Longido Tanzania. There is lots of work ahead, but it's not work when you meet the people here and listen to their stories. I feel privileged to have met the people who we've met and to have friends and family in this part of the world. I am already looking forward to when I'll be able to return. Next time though with Brian, so that he can visit the places and meet the people who we've met. Every day is amazing and I'm grateful to be here.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Time for Some Fun in Africa
Last night we stayed at the Backpacker Hostel in Arusha. It's pretty basic, but clean and they have a great rooftop deck. The bathroom is co-ed, so that is a little different, but worked out fine. Pretty much everywhere we have stayed has cost between $10-18USD/night. Denise and I are sharing a room, which is nice because like the place we're staying now is about $7/night. All places include breakfast in their rate, although I have to say white bread with butter can get a little old after two and half weeks. ;-)
Today Bob, Denise and I have decided to go on a one-night safari. We will leave this afternoon, drive to a campsite near Ngorongoro Crater, spend the night, then start out at 6am for a 7-8 hour drive through the crater. We've been told we'll likely see the Big 5, which includes lions, elephants, cape buffalo, black rhino, and leopards. It's much cheaper to book safaris once you're here, so we've thought during our trip, that if the price was right we'd try to go. The price is right, so we're off! I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures. So far, I've taken probably 2,500 or so, so I'm keeping up with Brian and his record on our last trip! :-)
Today Bob, Denise and I have decided to go on a one-night safari. We will leave this afternoon, drive to a campsite near Ngorongoro Crater, spend the night, then start out at 6am for a 7-8 hour drive through the crater. We've been told we'll likely see the Big 5, which includes lions, elephants, cape buffalo, black rhino, and leopards. It's much cheaper to book safaris once you're here, so we've thought during our trip, that if the price was right we'd try to go. The price is right, so we're off! I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures. So far, I've taken probably 2,500 or so, so I'm keeping up with Brian and his record on our last trip! :-)
Westminster Students Blog & in the News
Here are the links about the Westminster students who we traveled with in Rwanda. They were able to visit Kibungo with Westminster professor and FFTC Board Member Bob Hansen. They kept a blog during their trip and were recently written about in the Columbia Tribune.
http://www.westminster-mo.edu/news/stories/Pages/Callaway2Kibungo.aspx
http://www.westminster-mo.edu/news/stories/Pages/Callaway2Kibungo.aspx
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Jun/20080602News003.asp
Longido Maasai
Yesterday, Brad and Denise decided to climb Mount Longido. Our friend Julius took them and originally told them it would take two hours to get up and two hours down. They left around 9am and did not return until around 4 or 5pm. They had a wonderful time, but were very tired. Julius told them that they might see elephants along the way, but they only saw evidence of the elephants. Julius is a Maasai and is 27 years old. He is currently in college studying wildlife conservation. He knows all the plants, trees, birds, and other wildlife, so he's been teaching us a lot. He struggles to pay his school fees and had to convince his school to let him take his final exams this year, as he has a balance due. He is the only member of his family who has achieved his level of education. We have been told that usually only one child in a family is educated and it's usually the father's favorite. When we visited the Maasai women who make jewelry, they told us that they make jewelry so that they can have some money. Their husbands only pay for healthcare for their favorite child, so the women are left to pay for the other children and themselves. The husbands will sometimes tell their wife(s) to go to her family to get the money if she needs it. This made me want to buy even more jewelry from the ladies and it also made me realize why they were so pleased and thankful when we bought from them.
While Brad and Denise climbed the mountain with Julius, Bob, Luca, Lakule (Luca's friend) Lodi (driver), and I went for a walk to hopefully be able to see Mount Kilamanjaro. There were too many clouds though, so no such luck. As we were driving back, we saw a giraffe, so Lodi pulled off the road and we started driving through the bush. We then saw three more giraffes and soon we saw eight of them. One began to run towards the larger group and joined them. It was really neat to see so many in one place. As we began to leave, we saw two more.
Bob and I went back to our guest house, I did some laundry and we then we went out for a walk. We walked by some kids playing soccer and Bob joined the group. We've been teasing Bob because while his students were here, they had given him some nicknames like Bobster and Bobboo. Well, in Swahili, Boboo means grandfather and several people called him that not knowing his nickname. We would all die laughing and call out "Bobboo"! So, the kids were quite impressed to have a bobboo play with them.
We walked towards the pavillion where the ladies sell jewelry and as soon as they saw us coming, they got up and started running to the pavillion to put out their jewelry for us. We walked around and shopped. There were about 6-7 ladies there and I tried to buy something from all of them. One lady put on a big headdress/necklace on me and wanted a picture. It was fun and they had a great time.
Last night, Luca stayed in the extra bedroom at our guest house with us. Julius came over and we played cards with them. We taught them how to play the card game golf. After one practice round, they had the hang of it. After each round, Luca would declare who the "worsest" player was and we'd all laugh. He also gave Bob a hard time if he wasn't doing very well with his hand. They wanted to keep playing, but we stopped around 9:10, because the lights go out at 9:30pm. They only run the generator for electricity from 7:30-9:30 every night.
Today, Julius took us to his boma to meet his family. His father is around 90 years old. Julius said that he was born around 1910-15. His mother, sisters and their children were there too. We got to go inside their boma, see where they cook and sleep. While we were inside, Julius' mom took off her headdress/necklace and put them on Denise and me. She then took off her shuka (fabric/sheet) and put it around my shoulders. When we went outside, the other family members laughed and pointed at us. We took many pictures, then Denise and I danced with the girls. They thought it was funny and I'm sure they thought we were terrible dancers, but it was a blast. Julius is engaged and has told us that we'll be invited to his wedding ceremony, so I told him I'll be sure to practice my dancing. He said that we'll have to wear traditional Maasai clothes to the event, and we said of course!
While Brad and Denise climbed the mountain with Julius, Bob, Luca, Lakule (Luca's friend) Lodi (driver), and I went for a walk to hopefully be able to see Mount Kilamanjaro. There were too many clouds though, so no such luck. As we were driving back, we saw a giraffe, so Lodi pulled off the road and we started driving through the bush. We then saw three more giraffes and soon we saw eight of them. One began to run towards the larger group and joined them. It was really neat to see so many in one place. As we began to leave, we saw two more.
Bob and I went back to our guest house, I did some laundry and we then we went out for a walk. We walked by some kids playing soccer and Bob joined the group. We've been teasing Bob because while his students were here, they had given him some nicknames like Bobster and Bobboo. Well, in Swahili, Boboo means grandfather and several people called him that not knowing his nickname. We would all die laughing and call out "Bobboo"! So, the kids were quite impressed to have a bobboo play with them.
We walked towards the pavillion where the ladies sell jewelry and as soon as they saw us coming, they got up and started running to the pavillion to put out their jewelry for us. We walked around and shopped. There were about 6-7 ladies there and I tried to buy something from all of them. One lady put on a big headdress/necklace on me and wanted a picture. It was fun and they had a great time.
Last night, Luca stayed in the extra bedroom at our guest house with us. Julius came over and we played cards with them. We taught them how to play the card game golf. After one practice round, they had the hang of it. After each round, Luca would declare who the "worsest" player was and we'd all laugh. He also gave Bob a hard time if he wasn't doing very well with his hand. They wanted to keep playing, but we stopped around 9:10, because the lights go out at 9:30pm. They only run the generator for electricity from 7:30-9:30 every night.
Today, Julius took us to his boma to meet his family. His father is around 90 years old. Julius said that he was born around 1910-15. His mother, sisters and their children were there too. We got to go inside their boma, see where they cook and sleep. While we were inside, Julius' mom took off her headdress/necklace and put them on Denise and me. She then took off her shuka (fabric/sheet) and put it around my shoulders. When we went outside, the other family members laughed and pointed at us. We took many pictures, then Denise and I danced with the girls. They thought it was funny and I'm sure they thought we were terrible dancers, but it was a blast. Julius is engaged and has told us that we'll be invited to his wedding ceremony, so I told him I'll be sure to practice my dancing. He said that we'll have to wear traditional Maasai clothes to the event, and we said of course!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Rwanda Wrap-up & Tanzania
Needless to say, we've been traveling quite a bit the last five days and internet cafes and time have been hard to come by. We are currently in Longido Tanzania, but I want to recap the end of of our Rwanda adventures before skipping to where we are now.
On Sunday, Pastor John a local Lutheran pastor, took us to see a hospital that he and a community are building in a very remote area in the Rwantonde. We thought that Pastor John was taking us to an area, where we'd walk around, look at the site, what they have built, and then talk to him about his vision for the hospital. What happened though, was quite different. We drove out to the area, which was very remote and you had to have 4-wheel drive. When we pulled up there were lots of people under a big tree next to the building site. We got out of his Land Cruiser and the people were singing. We were guided to where they were and it became very apparent that they had come because we were there. This was pretty hard for me to take and really grasp the magnitude of it. The majority were mothers and children. They were everywhere we looked, probably at least 300-400 people. They asked us to sit on the benches in front of the group. The children were all seated right in front of us. I have never seen so many children and people gathered together here. Pastor John and the community leaders introduced themselves and we introduced ourselves. Everything was translated by Pastor John. I was sitting there, in front of this huge group of people, who have put thousands of hours into building the foundation for the hospital, in hopes that someone will come and help them build the rest. My heart felt heavy with the responsibility, obligation, love, and sadness that I was feeling. There are so many people who need help and these people have put their own sweat, tears, and hard work into what that they have built all so that hopefully someone will come and help them so that they can have access to healthcare. My mind was running the whole time, thinking if we can't help them, who can? There are 13,000 children in this area and they don't have access to healthcare. How can this be the same world that I just left? It seems so far away and so distant. Why are these people any different than other people? They're not, but somehow, they are.... this is why my heart hurts.
After the introduction and meeting, we were given a tour of the work that the community has accomplished. As we walked around, Denise and I took pictures of the children. When they figured out that they could see the image on the back of our cameras, they became even more interested in getting their photos taken. There were so many children and only two of us, so we were surrounded. It got a little intense at times to have that many people around you at once, but they were having a great time and so were we.
There were several children who Dr. Brad spoke with about their conditions. One little girl's eyes were very infected. He asked if she had trouble seeing and she said that the light bothers her eyes. He asked her parent how long she had been having trouble and they said three years. Brad said that he thought steroid drops and an antibiotic would clear it up. That's all and she's been suffering for three years! There was one little boy who had broken his arm and had a cast on. We asked how he had gotten the cast put on and they told us that they made a make-shift stretcher for him, carried him from the village to the road which took 24-hours, then to the hospital. The hospital then had to send him to another hospital for care as they were not equipped. At that hospital, they were told that he should come back once a week to have it checked on. That, of course, was not going to happen realistically, so he hadn't been back. They were planning on taking him this week to get his cast off. Dr. Brad began looking at his arm and unwrapping his cast. The arm was healed, so this saved his family money for getting him back to the hospital, which would have been a 2-3 day trip. They were so happy and were extremely appreciative of Brad's help. It was almost as if he had performed a miracle or magic to them.
On Tuesday, we left our dear friends, Earnest, Bishop Josias, Eugene, Valens, and Nancy, in Kibungo. We went to Rwamagana where we attended the grand opening of the Center for Champions. There was a large group of mzungos (the most we've seen) from my church in Bellevue who were attending. First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue funded the $600K project building a campus and vocational school for up to 600 students. It was quite an event and lasted for 3-4 hours. There were traditional drummers and dancers, which was very fun. Nancy and Valens came along with us and were nice enough to be our transportation to the event.
We then hired a minibus driver, which turned out to be Valens' brother, which was great. He and his driver partner drove us to Kigali where we stayed the night. We left the next morning at 8:30am for Arusha Tanzania.
Arusha is a pretty large city, which we've decided we like it much better out in the rural areas. There are so many people in the cities and they aren't very clean (w/the exception of Kigali which is amazingly clean). We spent our first afternoon walking around, then ate dinner at a Mexican/Italian restaurant. On Thursday, we met with the leaders of MWEDO (Maasai Women's Development Organization). They have many great programs for Maasai women, like selling their jewelry, educational scholarships, literacy programs, education on maternity health, etc. They are looking for a way to market their jewelry products and were approached by Macy's but very little of the money would have actually gone to the women who made it, so they did not go through with the deal. Debbie, from our group, bought a pair of the beaded sandals that they make and is hoping to see if she can talk with someone from Nordstrom's or another retailer. I would love to see the jewelry and some of the textiles we've seen be sent to the US to support the women here. I had an outfit made while we were in Kibungo and have bought several pieces of fabric to take home. The women wrap the fabric around them and it's used for all types of purposes. The colors are beautiful and so brilliant.
Yesterday, we drove with a driver and translator from MWEDO to Longido. It is a rural area where the majority of people are Maasai. We visited the hospital yesterday and then drove out to one of the rural healthposts. On our way back through the bush, we saw giraffes, which was really cool!
This morning, we visited a boma where a Maasai family lives. This was the first time that I have seen so many flies all over the people. They show commercials in the US with African children with flies on them, but I had never actually seen them until today. The children were very cute and they warmed up to us after we had been there for awhile. There were goats, dogs, and cows around too, including baby goats who kept going under our car. Luckily, we have Luca and Julius who have been helping us translate.
After that, we went to the pavillion where the women sell their jewelry. It was fun and everything is so colorful. There were women there of all ages. We asked one lady how old she was, as she was by far the oldest, and she said that she didn't know. After we purchased jewelry, and half of our group went to order lunch, Brad, Bob, and I stayed to talk to the women. We asked them about access to healthcare, their top concerns, etc. They spoke to us at length about the difficulties they face, primarily being able to pay 1,500 shillings (almost $1.50) to visit the doctor and get medicines. There are also many issues with maternity care. Many women who attempt to go to the hospital while in labor die on their way there because it is so far. Some women might have to walk 20-30 kilometers to the hospital while in labor. The children are prone to pneumonia, malaria, and many skin and eye problems. After we were finished with our meeting, the ladies sang and danced for us. All of the women participated and even put on more necklaces and jewelry before the song began. We got some or all of it on video, but that will never capture actually being here.
On Sunday, Pastor John a local Lutheran pastor, took us to see a hospital that he and a community are building in a very remote area in the Rwantonde. We thought that Pastor John was taking us to an area, where we'd walk around, look at the site, what they have built, and then talk to him about his vision for the hospital. What happened though, was quite different. We drove out to the area, which was very remote and you had to have 4-wheel drive. When we pulled up there were lots of people under a big tree next to the building site. We got out of his Land Cruiser and the people were singing. We were guided to where they were and it became very apparent that they had come because we were there. This was pretty hard for me to take and really grasp the magnitude of it. The majority were mothers and children. They were everywhere we looked, probably at least 300-400 people. They asked us to sit on the benches in front of the group. The children were all seated right in front of us. I have never seen so many children and people gathered together here. Pastor John and the community leaders introduced themselves and we introduced ourselves. Everything was translated by Pastor John. I was sitting there, in front of this huge group of people, who have put thousands of hours into building the foundation for the hospital, in hopes that someone will come and help them build the rest. My heart felt heavy with the responsibility, obligation, love, and sadness that I was feeling. There are so many people who need help and these people have put their own sweat, tears, and hard work into what that they have built all so that hopefully someone will come and help them so that they can have access to healthcare. My mind was running the whole time, thinking if we can't help them, who can? There are 13,000 children in this area and they don't have access to healthcare. How can this be the same world that I just left? It seems so far away and so distant. Why are these people any different than other people? They're not, but somehow, they are.... this is why my heart hurts.
After the introduction and meeting, we were given a tour of the work that the community has accomplished. As we walked around, Denise and I took pictures of the children. When they figured out that they could see the image on the back of our cameras, they became even more interested in getting their photos taken. There were so many children and only two of us, so we were surrounded. It got a little intense at times to have that many people around you at once, but they were having a great time and so were we.
There were several children who Dr. Brad spoke with about their conditions. One little girl's eyes were very infected. He asked if she had trouble seeing and she said that the light bothers her eyes. He asked her parent how long she had been having trouble and they said three years. Brad said that he thought steroid drops and an antibiotic would clear it up. That's all and she's been suffering for three years! There was one little boy who had broken his arm and had a cast on. We asked how he had gotten the cast put on and they told us that they made a make-shift stretcher for him, carried him from the village to the road which took 24-hours, then to the hospital. The hospital then had to send him to another hospital for care as they were not equipped. At that hospital, they were told that he should come back once a week to have it checked on. That, of course, was not going to happen realistically, so he hadn't been back. They were planning on taking him this week to get his cast off. Dr. Brad began looking at his arm and unwrapping his cast. The arm was healed, so this saved his family money for getting him back to the hospital, which would have been a 2-3 day trip. They were so happy and were extremely appreciative of Brad's help. It was almost as if he had performed a miracle or magic to them.
On Tuesday, we left our dear friends, Earnest, Bishop Josias, Eugene, Valens, and Nancy, in Kibungo. We went to Rwamagana where we attended the grand opening of the Center for Champions. There was a large group of mzungos (the most we've seen) from my church in Bellevue who were attending. First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue funded the $600K project building a campus and vocational school for up to 600 students. It was quite an event and lasted for 3-4 hours. There were traditional drummers and dancers, which was very fun. Nancy and Valens came along with us and were nice enough to be our transportation to the event.
We then hired a minibus driver, which turned out to be Valens' brother, which was great. He and his driver partner drove us to Kigali where we stayed the night. We left the next morning at 8:30am for Arusha Tanzania.
Arusha is a pretty large city, which we've decided we like it much better out in the rural areas. There are so many people in the cities and they aren't very clean (w/the exception of Kigali which is amazingly clean). We spent our first afternoon walking around, then ate dinner at a Mexican/Italian restaurant. On Thursday, we met with the leaders of MWEDO (Maasai Women's Development Organization). They have many great programs for Maasai women, like selling their jewelry, educational scholarships, literacy programs, education on maternity health, etc. They are looking for a way to market their jewelry products and were approached by Macy's but very little of the money would have actually gone to the women who made it, so they did not go through with the deal. Debbie, from our group, bought a pair of the beaded sandals that they make and is hoping to see if she can talk with someone from Nordstrom's or another retailer. I would love to see the jewelry and some of the textiles we've seen be sent to the US to support the women here. I had an outfit made while we were in Kibungo and have bought several pieces of fabric to take home. The women wrap the fabric around them and it's used for all types of purposes. The colors are beautiful and so brilliant.
Yesterday, we drove with a driver and translator from MWEDO to Longido. It is a rural area where the majority of people are Maasai. We visited the hospital yesterday and then drove out to one of the rural healthposts. On our way back through the bush, we saw giraffes, which was really cool!
This morning, we visited a boma where a Maasai family lives. This was the first time that I have seen so many flies all over the people. They show commercials in the US with African children with flies on them, but I had never actually seen them until today. The children were very cute and they warmed up to us after we had been there for awhile. There were goats, dogs, and cows around too, including baby goats who kept going under our car. Luckily, we have Luca and Julius who have been helping us translate.
After that, we went to the pavillion where the women sell their jewelry. It was fun and everything is so colorful. There were women there of all ages. We asked one lady how old she was, as she was by far the oldest, and she said that she didn't know. After we purchased jewelry, and half of our group went to order lunch, Brad, Bob, and I stayed to talk to the women. We asked them about access to healthcare, their top concerns, etc. They spoke to us at length about the difficulties they face, primarily being able to pay 1,500 shillings (almost $1.50) to visit the doctor and get medicines. There are also many issues with maternity care. Many women who attempt to go to the hospital while in labor die on their way there because it is so far. Some women might have to walk 20-30 kilometers to the hospital while in labor. The children are prone to pneumonia, malaria, and many skin and eye problems. After we were finished with our meeting, the ladies sang and danced for us. All of the women participated and even put on more necklaces and jewelry before the song began. We got some or all of it on video, but that will never capture actually being here.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
People of Kibungo
Yesterday, we ventured to the local market which is held every Wednesday and Saturday. There is no grocery store in Kibungo, so this is where everyone goes to get their food. As soon as we walked to the street from our guest house, you could tell it was market day. The street was crowded with people carrying their produce to and from the market. We are amazed by what they carry on their heads. We've been told that they like to have their hands free, so they put things on their head to carry. We have seen everything from backpacks on their head to a full bunch of bananas (plantains). The market was very colorful with people, produce, and clothing. There were many tomatoes, potatoes, beans, rice, flour, sardines, fish, pineapples, sweet bananas (like ours but smaller and much sweeter), meat, and live chickens. We enjoyed looking at everything and everyone checked us out too, as we were the only mzungos (white people) there. We bought some of the beautiful fabric that they ladies wear as wrap skirts, they cover their shoulders with it, strap a baby on their back, shade the baby, or wrap the fabric and wear it on their head. One of the girls, Jane, at our guest house wrapped the fabric on my head like the locals wear the night before. They thought it was very funny to see a mzungo with the headpiece on.
Last night, Nancy McCue who is from Fulton MO, had us over for dinner. Her cook Crementine cooked us pizza, which was quite a treat. It was the last night that the students were with us, so we had a celebration. Our friends, Valence (our interpreter), her gate keeper Jean Claude, and Earnest from the church joined us. The students were very sad to be leaving and have on many occasions said that the people they've met here are the nicest people they have ever met. They have grown very close to the people here and were very emotional last night and this morning when they left.
This morning, we went to the english church service where Nancy gave the sermon. We then said goodbye to Gina, Sam, Clayton and Scott as they headed to Kibungo with Eugene one of the drivers. All the children came out to say goodbye to them. Brad, Bob, Denise, and I then went to the regular service where there was lots of dancing and singing. Everyone was dressed in their best and having a good time. The children's choir sang, which was great, so I hope my video turns out. It was very fun and the singing was amazing.
Last night, Nancy McCue who is from Fulton MO, had us over for dinner. Her cook Crementine cooked us pizza, which was quite a treat. It was the last night that the students were with us, so we had a celebration. Our friends, Valence (our interpreter), her gate keeper Jean Claude, and Earnest from the church joined us. The students were very sad to be leaving and have on many occasions said that the people they've met here are the nicest people they have ever met. They have grown very close to the people here and were very emotional last night and this morning when they left.
This morning, we went to the english church service where Nancy gave the sermon. We then said goodbye to Gina, Sam, Clayton and Scott as they headed to Kibungo with Eugene one of the drivers. All the children came out to say goodbye to them. Brad, Bob, Denise, and I then went to the regular service where there was lots of dancing and singing. Everyone was dressed in their best and having a good time. The children's choir sang, which was great, so I hope my video turns out. It was very fun and the singing was amazing.
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