Rotary and Friends Sweat Equity - District7070

Building a School and an Online Community

2011-11-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

We're moving.

Our excursion has officially begun as we are now in Day 2 of our journey. While our team here in Cambodia is building a vocational school to support the locals, our team in Toronto has been working on updating the Make An Impact website which is now the new home of our sweat equity blog.

Follow our story, our progress, and our journey at www.makeanimpact.ca.

Looking for the big 5

2011-01-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, while on safari at the Terangeri Safari Lodge, we were unable to blog - no internet access.

Everyone enjoyed their accommodations and the food was well prepared. Unfortunately, we did not see any lions!!

We did see hundreds of elephants, many giraffes, warthogs, ostrich and many many birds.

Hope you enjoy our pictures where we stayed, eating breakfast etc.

On our return we ask the driver to pull to the side of the road to take a picture of Killi which some of us can see from our rooms at the Leopard Hotel.

Roger and Jack put a bid in on a 1956 Ford Anglia, but don't worry they have no room in their luggage.

By Kathy Nimz

Rotary meeting in Kilema

2011-01-13T02:03:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Six Rotarians attended the Rotary Club of Kilema’s meeting with 22 of its own members present. It was held in a hall adjacent to the Church at Kilema. The head tabled decorated with fresh flowers. The meeting commenced at 4:30pm and for our benefit half of the meeting was in English with the other half being in Swahili.

The club was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Alliston and was chartered over one year ago. It appears to be an enthusiastic membership. We wish them well in their continued development as a club for the betterment of the community.

By Kelly McCague

Kilema Primary

2011-01-12T10:07:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Today was a national holiday in Tanzania, Zanzibar Revolution Day.

However it was not a holiday for the 2011 Sweat Equity team as painting continued today on the Kilema Primary school complex.

Kilema Primary was a District 7070 Sweat Equity Team project; along with private donors the project funded the building of the 8 school room complex.

This trip requires the prepping and painting of 3 of the classrooms. Painting continued on Wednesday and should finish up on Thursday.

The four accountants in the group are weary from the physical labour and dream of their laptops back home.

By Bill Wray

Kilema Hospital visit

2011-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Diane and Kathy attended the morning report at the hospital. We listened to prayers and sang “SIMBEYA” in Swahili. No one laughed at us! After report, we were invited to the operating
Theatre to see a cesarean section. A beautiful baby boy was born – mom and baby doing fine.

While there were some differences to Canadian operating room practices, there were many
Similarities.

Dr. Masawe was very pleasant and answered our many questions. He even had a few questions
For us!

By the nurses

Furrow evaluation

2011-01-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

Monday Jan 10, 2011

Queen of the Furrows

One of the projects that Rotary has funded is the restoration of 3 furrows in Northern Kilema. This will help provide water to a large area of Northern, Central and Southern Kilema. Water means crops, crops mean better nutrition and money and money means schooling, so this is a very important project. On Monday we toured the furrows, originally built when Tanzania was under German rule. The project will be administered by the Kilema Rotary. Much of the work will be done by the local villagers. The Rotary money will mostly be used for materials to construct intake and controls.

Joseph, treasurer of the Kilema Rotary club took five of us (lead by Kelly McCague whom we dubbed Queen of the Furrow) on a tour of the furrows to show us their current status and what they hoped could be done to improve them. For example one of the reasons that the furrow walls need to be upgraded is that local crabs (a baby one is pictured here on my glove) burrow under the rock walls and cause the water to spill back to the river. We hiked along a good portion of these furrows for the full morning and experienced spectacular scenery for which they could no doubt charge a fee to tourists. The accompanying trails often had challenging footing, intruding vines and trees, and slippery climbs but the whole walk was exhilarating. We of course struggled to keep up the pace in our hiking boots while local club members who accompanied us had no trouble making the trek in flip flops or equally non-supportable footing. At one bend in the river we happened upon a group of local children washing their clothes in the fast flowing water and laying it on the grassy banks to dry.

One of the additional benefits of the day was that we came upon a local marketplace which was teeming with local commerce. Many of the products were unrecognizable to us but trade appeared to be brisk. Much of the produce arrived on the heads of local women who magically were able to walk and balance their cargo with seemingly little effort.

Although it became obvious that the actual labour was going to be far better carried out by the local inhabitants, we came away with a very good comfort level about how the work would be undertaken and were thankful for the experience.

By Doug Holmes and Irene Byrne

I have seen hope

2011-01-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Jan 9, 2011

Around 10:00 am in the morning we all went to church in our Sunday best! Four men, four children and six women followed the trail through the nun’s residence and up a grade between two huge trees to the Catholic Church.

We walked through the middle door of three wooden doors. All the children were arriving in
colorful clothing. All eyes were on us.

We followed the lead of the elderly and the children sit stand, sit stand. The children’s singing to a drum was breathtaking. The priest had the children (approximately 400) welcome us. We shook hands saying peace be with you. Diane, Audrey and I had communion - Roger was chicken!

Leaving the church the children filed out quickly. We took pictures, shook hands and showed the children our pictures. Sunday was a great day – tomorrow we get to work!!

By Kathy Nimz

Mount Kilimanjaro

2011-01-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Kilimanjaro cooperated this Sunday morning, clearly visible from the hospital compound. Children church service is at 10 AM today which will be part of our next post.

By Bill Wray

Tanzania attire

2011-01-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

Jack Van’t Spyker snapped this picture of some young ladies wearing traditional Tanzania attire.

By Bill Wray

Views from Chapel Hill

2011-01-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

Although a steep climb, the views made it worth our effort. Hope to get a few sunrise pictures in
The next days.

by Kathy Nimz and Diane Allen

Saturday Stroll

2011-01-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

Frankie, Bill and Irene on the road to Chapel Hill (FYI Chapel Hill is the burial site of the last king of this area).

This picture gives you an idea of the lush surroundings along the way.

A view of the compound where we are staying. A number of the buildings such as:
the clinic, Church, and primary schools.

by Kathy Nimz and Diane Allen

Arranging our work tasks

2011-01-08T11:01:00.001-08:00

Saturday was a day of relaxation – While Roger met with the executive of the Rotary Club of Moshi Kilema and Kati – the rest of us occupied ourselves by exploring our surroundings.

Attached picture, Roger shaking hands with the Kilema Rotary Club.

by Kathy Nimz and Diane Allen

Our first day in Kilema

2011-01-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone we’re here in KILEMA!! We arrived in Kilimanjaro airport around 1:30 in the morning.

Kim Wray was very generous with her shillings to the baggage helpers! We proceeded to Moshi driving on the left hand side of the road. When there the restaurant was closed, but a very keen waitress jumped at the opportunity to get Kilimanjaro beer for Roger. Today, we headed to Kilema, everyone walks men, women, children and the odd cow. The one hour trip up to Kilema, was very lush with banana plants, sunflowers and many vendors on the side of the road. Approaching KILEMA, THE LITTLE BUS THAT COULD, maneuvered its way around dust, potholes and people. We’re here ready to work and enjoying the sights, smells and our company. Hello to everyone at home

From Africa. By Kathy Nimz.

Kelly has been very busy reading her Manual of Instruction as Manager of the Furrow projects. There will be more on this later in the week.

By Unknown!!!!!

Sweat Equity 2011

2011-01-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Almost on our way. On Wed January 5th at group of 14 will travel back to Kilema. We are all very excited about our trip and look forward to sharing some of our experiences with you.

Stay tuned.....

We are back! Asante sana all!!

2010-02-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

We are back in Toronto safe and sound after a crazy two and a half weeks. It was an incredible experience where we made friends, built schools, saw more elephants than one could imagine, and haggled prices on the streets of Moshi.

For those that are interested in this participating in future Rotary Sweat Equities feel free to contact Chris Snyder via: http://www.eccgroup.ca/contact.html or any of us who have been on a trip. We are going back to Tanzania in 2011 and there is also a Malawi trip currently being planned for Sept. 2010.

I think I'm going to leave this blog with picture. The significance was for the past two weeks we were painting, and building desks for these two classrooms. But as one could see there is a foundation that is being set for another two more classrooms. I would like to think that as though our time was brief there we made a small difference in this community. That just as we were inspired by the locals who poured their hearts into the future, that we also inspired them that the future has never been brighter.

Kilema 2010
- Andrew

Safari

2010-01-25T07:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

We came back from the Safari and off we went to work today. We did some painting, brick making, desk making and even set the foundation for the next school!

Hope these Safari pictures will hold you over until the next post.

Kilema 2010
-Andrew

View from our lodge

Bird joining us for dinner

A baobab "Upside down" Tree The first of many elephants

Pictures!!!

2010-01-21T10:01:00.001-08:00

Hi Guys,

Pretty tired day today with all the work. So it is a picture post!! Enjoy.

Locals helping us sand

Kilema Hospital

Top of the local mountain

Ariel view of the compound

Some flower.. no idea what it is

Morning hike up the mountain

And the view of Kilimanjaro

Kilema 2010
Andrew Yang

Wed Jan 20th

2010-01-20T09:37:00.000-08:00

Today was a multi facet day. Started with painting our 'favourite' class room. The white paint is slowly starting to show white on the ceiling. The town volunteers showed up in force and helped out. We also started building the school desks - no Ikea kits, just raw lumber and hand saws. Unfortunately the saws needed sharpening so was a slow slog, but did manage to cut some 12+ planks which are used for the desk tops. Also Andrew and Caroline were running computer class for the school principals - have to remember that back to basics is real basic. They have created forms for their standard reports they 'just have to fill in'. The challenge is the people have very, very little computer skills. Time will tell how well this helps them in the days ahead after we leave.

The afternoon had more computer classes, starting the painting in the newest (still in construction) class room and Roger and Dave attending the Kilema Rotary club meeting. A very productive day on all fronts. Hard to believe we left the cold and snow of Canada a week ago.

Kilema 2010 - Barry

2010-01-18T01:25:00.002-08:00

Hi Guys,

We had a busy day on Sunday. We started off the day at church at the kids service. It was literally a sea of kids and quite a sight to see. The Father even gave us a shout out to us thank us for helping build the school.

After that we headed over to the local Hotel for some much needed R & R. There we caught up. Had some cold drinks and found what was happening in Africa Magic. For those that don't know Africa Magic is an extremely popular soap opera. I think they have found a new viewer in me!

Off to the local DVD shop to find the season package.

View of the Church

Children at their Sunday Best

The refreshing pool

Kilema 2010

Andrew

Day 2

2010-01-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Hi Everybody,

Today we began to put the sweat in sweat equity. We began to paint one of the new schools and it was an incredible experience. We had more help than we had paint!!

The most incredible thing here is you realize that the saying that, "If all you have is a hammer every problem looks like a nail." is true. Well in Tanzania, a machette is used for just about everything! From sanding the concrete off of walls to prime them for painting, to creating rolling sticks.

After lunch we had some free time so it was decided to take a hike where the last king of Kilema was buried. The weather once again was not too hot or cold and had a of cloudy Kilimanjaro & we could even see Kenya. To then top off the night we have a movie night which was NSFN (Not Safe for Nuns) but gut wrenching funny. We are off to bed and Roger would like to annouce that unlike himself, his wife doesn't snore.

Us Hard at Work

Us at the top of the Mountain

Ciao!

Kilema 2010
-Andrew

2010-01-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

This will be the first of many updates to the blog. We have arrive at Kilema and we are just getting settled in. The view is incredible and the weather is amazing. Not too cold and not too hot just perfect for us.

We have managed to take a tour of Kilema and looks like we may have found our future dinner!

More Updates to come!

Kilema 2010

Andrew Yang

Toronto Don Valley Rotaract

They Finnished What We Started

2009-12-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

If you look back to our post on November 26, you will see us digging the foundation at the enrichment school for this new classroom. With the help of the local trades, we were only able to complete the walls and pour the floor before leaving to come home. We were just sent these photos from the school to show it's completion. Wow, what a good feeling to see the happy faces of the children and the great job done to complete what we started. It's great to know that what we started and what we funded is appreciated and will be used for the benifit of the children for many years to come. Well done Mr. Togh.

Submitted by: Jim Stewart

The Pure Water Program

2009-11-27T23:23:00.000-08:00

The second presenter was Mieko Morgan, wife of Jon Morgan. Mieko is Siem Reap Water Quality Manager for Health, Pure Water and Literacy Programs and described the process for bringing clean water to villages and homes. A process developed in Calgary, Canada is being used but is built in Cambodia. It involve a form 30” square and 36” high as concrete is readily available. Into this concrete form is a layer of gravel and a layer of sand and has a copper pipe at the bottom, curving up and then protruding to the outside of the fram as a spout.

Water is added to the top and is allowed to settle through the sand and gravel layers. This creates a bio layer on top from the impurities filtered out of the water. Adding water (1 liter/day minimum) keeps the biolayer rejuvenated.

To obtain a filter for a village, a group of 30 families must get together and request it, agreeing to use and maintain it. A contract is made with the villagers which includes that if they do not use or maintain it, it will be removed. Depepending on the usage, cleaning is required about once a month. If the water is very dirty, it is best to let it sit before it is added to the filter and prevent overloading the biolayer. To get more information on this system, visit http://www.waterforcambodia.org/
By Lee Sneddon

The Lake Clinic - Cambodia

2009-11-27T23:20:00.000-08:00

Jon Morgan as the director of the Lake Clinic, Cambodia spoke at a breakfast meeting on the project. Currently they have one boat doing mobile doctor services to floating villages in the south east area of the lake. These villages are extremely poor. They are fishermen who sell their catch to the wholesalers for the market. There are 7 villages in all. The medical boat goes out for 4 days at a time with a staff of 5. As the boat is small, there is no privacy at all and the volunteer doctors are working with Khamer only speaking help making it a very isolated feeling together with the privacy issues. As such, Jon assures volunteers are well aware of the situation and must come from the Angkor Childrens Hospital where he was chief administrator previously.

The boat goes to a common warf where the patients come to them and wait their turn for treatment. As the people are treated, everyone else gathers around to watch – quite a challenge but very necessary to bring healthcare to these people.

The Lake Clinic Cambodia is a non government organization which relies on donations. For more detail and information visit their web site http://www.lakeclinic.org/ Money for their first boat came from donations in Noreay who are now developing a second boat which is much larger and will have separate rooms for operations, dental, examinations plus have small private rooms for staff. With the facilities on board the boat, patients can be separated easily for examinations and medical procedures in private.

Operating costs for this boat mobile clinic runs about $13,000. per month in total. Cost for the larger boat are estimated to be $12,000. per month do to built in efficiencies.
By Lee Sneddon

Transpotation in Cambodia

2009-11-27T07:11:00.000-08:00

As you travel the dusty roads of Cambodia, you are witness to the many modes of transportation used by the Khmer people. The cow pulled carts, a constant flow of bicycles, multitudes of motorcycles, top of the line Lexus SUV's, local buses, luxury coaches and the ever popular Tuk Tuk. All of these compete for a piece of the road.
On an early morning ride, you will witness the scarf covered women and uniformed school children peddling in perfect cadence.One can only look in awe at the many uses of the motorcyle. It is not uncommon to see up to three live pigs strapped behind the driver! The number of people they are able to fit onto a motorcycle is beyond belief. Often a family of four will share one bike with the toddler held right at the front. The record number of people seen on one bike was seven! Six smiling children wearing school uniforms waved at us as an adult drove them to school.
By far, the most popular mode of travel for tourists is the Tuk Tuk. A Tuk Tuk is like a little stage coach pulled by a Honda 125. The ever friendly drivers will weave you through the pot holed streets of Seim Reap for the negotiated price of one or two American dollars. A ride in a Tuk Tuk attacks all of your senses as you navigate through the town or along a country road. A Tuk Tuk ride is a must for a true Cambodian experience!
Travelling the roads of Cambodia is a thrilling life experience. One can only conclude that the most dangerous job in Cambodia is to be a Driving Instructor!!!

By Lynn Ross

Working in a Different Culture

2009-11-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

It has been an interesting experience . Many of us have been on SE teams before in various countries Each has proven to have its own rewards and its own challenges . Each of us brings some skill sets and some job related skills and we think we know what we are doing. In our own setting and environment we probably do. But when you move to another culture things change. . WE are working on projects that we did not define and which we will probably not finish. It will be our host community that not only defines the project and will use the facility but will probably have to finish the work that we start doing. Thus we work with them - beside them and must rely on them for their advice and guidance.
IN addition of course we must work with their materials and their tools. The later are often not what we would have to use at home and - perhaps we are spoiled - expect to have available for use here. This includes not only tools but materials as well.
Today we started the day with a great presentation by Dr Paul Morgan and his wife about providing health care and water sanitation to the floating villages around Lake Tonlap. Earlier in our visit we had seen one of these floating villages but apparently it was “middle class” by comparison
Then a group of us went to a school to work on various improvements to the facilities. Frank installed a new sink and tap. Jim & Brian worked with some locals from BTC to prepare the site for a floor pad for a new classroom and Al and Tom worked on constructing and installing some new bookshelves in the library. I was not expecting to see a power saw , planer and drill there but was eternally glad that it was there. It allowed us to complete the job – well almost – today. The wood was soooo wet that it oozed water with every nail. It was so hard that it split easily and was very difficult to cut by hand. We did get the shelves assembled and installed but there will have to be some doors installed when the wood dries out. On Tuesday we were asked to make a new table for the art room. The natural choice for us Canadians would be plywood – BUT – plywood is not a normal material used here. We had to search for it. We were told that it was very expensive. Well we located some ¾ in plywood good 2 sides for 18.50 per sheet – a small fraction of its cost in Canada Materials and hot weather are 2 of the challenges . Another challenge is language and communication. Fortunately a few of our working companions have a few words of English and we make out very well with sign language and smiles and laughter . It is a joy to work with them . And do they ever know how to work – oh to be 20 years younger!.

By; Tom Sears

My First Bike - THANKS ROTARY

2009-11-25T02:41:00.000-08:00

Thirty five rural school children received new and nearly new bikes thanks to the Rotary Clubs of Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes and Orillia. The bikes were presented to the kids at the ground breaking event for the Bakong Technical School (a Rotary District 7070 supported project).

Lisa McCoy of Gravenhurst Rotary, a retired library worker, who volunteers in Cambodia for 5+ months a year, is the driver of the Bike Project. The bikes, with chain guards, fenders, front baskets, rear carriers, bell, tire generator light, and cable lock cost from $30 to $40 locally sourced and delivered to the rural community. One size fits all!

Local school administrators gave Lisa and her helpers, mature scholarship students from Project Enlighten, a list of needy students who are vetted by a written application followed by an interview and home visit to verify needs and circumstances. The proud new bike owners are in public schools in the Siem Reap and Bakong districts of central Cambodia. The donors will all receive a picture of the new bike and its new owner from Lisa’s team.

The bike becomes the primary means of family transportation. The new bikes take little sisters and brothers, moms and dads to school and market. The bikes are crossovers (or girls bikes in old terminology) so even if you are barely higher than the handle bars of a 30 inch wheel bike you can stand to ride until you grow into the bike.

The roads, lanes and pathways are full of bikes at dawn, midday and again at 5 pm. No car rides to school here! School is 6 days a week and many schools have two shifts.

There are lots more deserving kids who would like bikes. By the end of January, Lisa will have distributed over 140 bikes in many communities through Cambodia. If you or friends or clubs want help donate one or more bikes check out Lisa’s Blog www.thebikeproject.blockspot.com

Anne and Bob Fisher

Volunteering at the Library

2009-11-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

After spending two afternoons volunteering in the library under the able guidance of Lisa and the Chief Librarian, Vuthy, we soon learned how to make ourselves useful (I think!)
Here are a few of my reflections!
- Small cozy room where students love to come and go
- Special new table and benches arriving much to everyone’s delight
- New shelving units built on the spot and set up for immediate use
- Lots and lots of books of all sizes , for all ages, in all categories
- Happy chief librarian, Vuthy, who enjoys his many volunteers, both students and outside helpers
-
Musical instruments and singing in the corners described to us as a “long poem”
- Adhesive tape that was impossible to use
- Sitting on the floor, organizing lower shelves
- Sheer delight at opening boxes of donated books
- Chatting with student volunteers about “What is your name? Where are you from? How old are you? (Nothing is sacred!)
- Happy, beautiful faces all eager to learn

A VERY SPECIAL PLACE TO BE!!!!
Joyce Westlake

A Visit to the Silk Farm

2009-11-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

We visited the Silk Worm Farm today and found the entire production of Silk to be very interesting. The worms are fed a diet of Mulberry leaves from trees that are grown on the property. The worms eat until they are large and then they stop eating and they turn from a white colour to a pale yellow. At this point they are put on twig branches where they will begin to create a cocoon. The entire process takes 47 days. The cocoons are then boiled in water which allows the silk strands to be retrieved and wound around the spools. The outer layer of the cocoon is where the raw silk comes from and the inner layers are the fine silk and most desired silk. The dying process is very interesting as they use herbs and plants to get their colours from.

The weaving of the silk is very labour intensive. This is a skill that requires many months of training and the accuracy level needs to be 100%. The weavers are paid by piecework and the average wage is about $90.00 per month. This is considered to be a well paid profession. The products that are produced are absolutely beautiful.

When shopping in the markets you must be very careful when purchasing items that you think are made of silk, often they are not pure silk but a blend. Pure silk is quite expensive and for good reason.

This tour was informative and gave me a much better appreciation of the value of silk garments.

SUBMITTED BY Joanne Stewart

The Smile Orphanage

2009-11-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

Very close to our work place there is an orphanage with approximately 16 children ranging in age 5 – 19 years of age. These children are very small in appearance and quite immature by western standards.

The NGO running this orphanage is Japanese and most of the funding comes from Japan. Although there is funding in place the operation is still quite basic and there are many areas that require improvement.

We arrived in our Tuk Tuk early in the morning. Our Tuk Tuk was filled with shoes, hair ribbons, toys, soccer ball and beautiful dressed dolls. A friend of Jim and Joanne Stewart (Anne Sargent) made 11 beautiful dolls which we distributed here at this orphanage.

The focus of our visit was to assess the needs of this orphanage however we found the children to be delightful and receptive to our teaching efforts. They were very interested in speaking English with us. We taught them English words. We used many methods such as board work, verbal demonstrations, songs and games.

The time went quickly but before we left we took the eldest boy with us to the local market and with his assistance we purchased a large amount of fruit for a very little amount of money. This was something that pleased the children especially having some apples. We were able to supply them with pineapple, bananas, watermelon, lichee fruit and of course the apples. It seems that apples are a specialty here.

Over the next two weeks that we are here, a number of our group will visit this orphanage to assist the children with their English lessons. Our greatest assets to these children is our ability to help them with their pronunciation.

This was a very special day for us.

SUBMITTED BY; Diane Allen, Joyce Westlake, Joanne Stewart

Visit to Handicap International

2009-11-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

November 20 2009
This morning 5 of us went to visit Handicap International, an organization which helps people with disabilities regain their independence, dignity and legal rights. It started in Cambodia in 1982 in the Refugee Camp and now there are projects in over 60 countries with 11 branches here in Cambodia. People with both acquired and genetic disabilities are treated all free of charge. Prosthetic limbs are made on site and patients [with parents if necessary] stay in the in house hospital with meals, free room and clothing for up to 3 weeks. We had a comprehensive tour that include the processes for making the individual prostheses, the dorms, kitchen, social work office and most impressively the physiotherapy practice area where new mobility/stability skills are honed. For obvious reasons the only photos allowed were of the types of home-made prostheses they arrive with and the units finished products. We were all asked to purchase and wear masks for the tour as an H1N1 precaution. No one is turned away, all services and mobility aides are free and the unit provides out-reach services at home. All very impressive!
Pat B and Widit
FYI: web site…………………..www.handicapinternational.be

A Morning with Poly

2009-11-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

We were asked one morning, to look into the possibility to help a land mine amputee. His home had been damaged by heavy wind and could we help. Chris & I said we would look into it and we were introduced to Poly. It was necessary to hire a Tuk Tuk to take the three of us to Poly’s home that was “not too far” away. After an hour we asked how much further and were told not far. It took just under two hours to get there but that is not the story. During our trip Poly vary openly explained his accident. He was 8 years old and was walking through a heavily wooded area with a friend when he stepped on a landmine. He explained that as soon as it went off, he continued to stand supported by his good leg and looked down to see his leg was missing below his knee. His friend helped stop the bleeding and went off to get help.

Poly continued to tell us that he was laying down staying very still waiting for help to come when he heard some rustling coming his way. He pushed himself up to a sitting position only to see a tiger approaching. Being very frightened, he reached over and picked up his AK-47 and fired off 2 shots and the tiger ran off. It sounded like a Hollywood move as Chris and I could hardly believe our ears. I didn’t know there were Bengal Tigers in Cambodia but have since had it confirmed there are, in the north east part. I was so taken by the story I did some quick math. Poly is 23 and the accident took place in 1994 during the Vietnam occupation so Poly was 8 years old. I asked, what were you doing with an AK-47 and he told me it was for protection. Where did you get a gun like that, I continued and he said from his house. I found it belonged to his father who was also a landmine victim but I don’t know if his father was still living with him.

Poly was taken in by the landmine museum where he was taught to live with his disability and was taught English which he spoke fairly well. Aku Ra at the landmine museum later took Poly and trained him as a mine clearing team member which he did for a while but later left the team to go back to his family home.

This was just one of the many unbelievable hardship stories that we have been hearing during our trip and thought it was worth passing on.
Submitted by, Jim Stewart

We're Making Blocks in Cambodia

2009-11-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

When you volunteer to help build a school in Cambodia as a first time Rotary Sweat Equity participant, you can’t be too sure what that will involve. Well, as we have learned, it involves getting down to basics.

We knew that we would be working with cement blocks, but what we had not fully appreciated was that we would first have to make - yes I said make - the cement blocks. You might not have made cement blocks before, so I will give you the information necessary to make your own cement blocks, if you find yourself in need of doing so.

Many people would expect that you would have a cement mixer and that you would feed the ingredients into a revolving drum that would mix the materials to the appropriate consistency and then fill a cement block mould. But we are in Cambodia and we don’t have a cement mixer at the moment, so we are doing the job in the Cambodia way - simple hard work.

The process is overseen by our Cambodian workmate and 23 year old supervisor Nang, who showed us how to make cement, with nothing more than a shovel and a flat piece of ground and, of course, the necessary ingredients. Fortunately, important preparatory work had already been done at the site of the future Bakong Technical College, where the materials had been assembled and a cement pad had already been made as the assembly and drying area for the cement blocks.

The essential ingredients for a batch, are 14 large pails of medium coarse red sand, 100 kilos of Portland cement and the right amount of water. How do you know what the right amount of water is? That’s where experience comes in and why Nang has his job and why we were on the shovels. First, shovel the 14 pails of sand from the sand pile and place them in the working area - flat ground beside the cement pad - and then add the cement. Dry mix them by shovel until fully mixed - about a 10 minute exercise and then the hard part - add the water to the required amount and mix thoroughly - another 10 - 15 minutes until the perfect consistency is achieved, as determined by our supervisor. We got better as time went on in spelling off each other so that the three shovels were kept in constant use by the five or six volunteer labourers. This gave new meaning to the term Sweat Equity - or as some of the T-shirts said - Sweet Equity.

The moulds for the blocks are either single or double size. They have to be lubricated with kerosene (applied with a paint brush every third use or so). Fill the mould by shovel, drop the mould from a height of about eight inches three times - not two or four - but three times to settle the ingredients and fill the mould fully. With a hand hewn wooden mallet, tamp down the mixture by applying several firm blows, scrape off the excess with the edge of the mallet and voila, you have a cement block ready to go to the next stage. Carry the mould to the cement pad, place it carefully and then turn on its side (if the consistency is right it won’t spill) and then comes the tricky part. With the mould in just the right place, quickly invert it so that the mould is upside down. Too slow and the ingredients will fall out. It is all in the flick of the wrists as we learned with a few failures having to be scraped off the pad and recycled to the mixing area. Remove the mould carefully and leave the blocks to dry for 24 hours. There you have it. Yesterday we did only 137 blocks, but with better organization and technique, we got to 227 today. They get added to the drying pile of blocks and count toward the quota of 2,000 that are needed.

Tylenol and electrolyte consumption is on the increase, but otherwise the work crew is no worse for wear. Frequent water breaks are essential and boy does lunch taste good after all this physical endeavour.

Brian Westlake

It All Begins

2009-11-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

The visitors stopped as the scholarship students blocked the road. It was all about the surprise. At the gate, the brightly dressed musicians and dancers with painted faces eagerly waited. Then the signal was given to begin.
The procession was lively as the honored guests were accompanied into the site, drums pounding, cymbals clanging and piper piping. The visitors shook hands with the bystanders, clapped to the beat and tried to dance and be part of the celebration. Local villagers and their children in school uniforms lining the route bowed and smiled as each Canadian walked by.
The special treatment was to continue throughout the morning: their national flag draped among the others at the front of the seating for special guests; a brightly decorated and draped canopy with rotating fans inside to keep them cool; copies of speeches in English and a translator to ensure they understood what was said; bottles of cool water to keep them comfortable.
Leaders and dignitaries made speeches that affirmed the commitment of those present to the start of the new Bakong Technical College and the need for cooperation and participation from not only government, but also poor families whose children will soon receive a higher level of education. The goal? A higher standard of living for local children than the poverty they have grown up in.
When the ceremony ended, some 30 students received new bicycles thanks to Rotary Clubs in Orillia and Bracebridge. For the first time, they will not be missing school frequently because the dozens of miles in the walk home is just too much to expect a young kid to do every day.
For the visitors from Canada, the hard work was about to begin. The happiness and appreciation they experienced at the ribbon cutting ceremony was a wonderful way to kick off the project and show them just what a difference their efforts will make.

By Debra

Cambodia's Past

2009-11-17T06:22:00.000-08:00

War officially ended in Cambodia in 1998 after 30 years of fighting. Looking around Siem Reap it is hard to imagine that as recently as 11 years ago these people were still fighting. If however you look around you will see much evidence of the war in the form of people without limbs. When you talk to people you will discover they all have horrible stores about those years mainly about the 1975 – 79 period. It is estimated there are still 3-6 million landmines in Cambodia. One out of 275 persons have been affected by landmines. Landmines were created to maim not to kill. If one person is killed you lose one soldier. If one gets caught by a landmine you immobilize 3 or 4 people as takes two to three to help the person who has been injured by a landmine. It is never nice to see a person without a limb however it is great to see a large percentage are trying to make a living and be useful. There are for example many legless booksellers outside of stores, who do not want pity at being beggars. They help each other too. I bought a book from a man who had two straps for arms. His friend who had one leg helped him give me change. As we walked into one of the temples at Angkor Wat there was a musical band all members were without one or more limbs and selling C.D.’s. We also visited the Landmine Museum started by Aki Ra a former child soldier who set thousands of landmines but has since taken to dismantling them. He has personally dismantled over 50,000 and is now training others to do the same. Canadians have played a major role in the museum, partly though funding and by the leadership of Richard Fetussi a Canadian photographer and of the honorable Lloyd Axworthy. They also have 27 school children. Five of our sweat equity team will be helping teach English to these children. Bill Morse a Rotarian from Palm Springs heads up the program. We were all moved by the good work they are doing. The darkest period in Cambodia’s history was the period from 1975 – 1979 when Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge ran the country. Approximately 25% of the Cambodia population was eliminated in a genocide sometimes referred to as the Killing Fields. Many people were simply eliminated by firing squads, others were sent to do hard labour and died of starvation, and many more were shot after they outlived their usefulness. Some survived including our partner Ronnie Yimsut. On Saturday we went out to some of the floating villages, an amazing sight of houses built on limbs and floating along the shore. To get there we followed a channel that in the dry season is still under water. This channel was built by upwards of 10,000 people during the Khmer Rouge reign. Ronnie a boy of 15 was one of them. Both of his parents were killed very close to where we were. We passed a few huts which formerly was a Khmer Rouge garrison. This was only the second time Ronnie had been this way in over 30 years. It was for Ronnie, to say the least very difficult and very sobering for the rest of us.Submitted by Chris Snyder

We Made It

2009-11-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

We Made it. Our flight from Toronto to Hong Kong was a long one leaving at ten minutes past midnight and flying straight through to Hong Kong arriving after three a.m. It was a good flight but long. It was interesting traveling west starting after midnight and never seeing the sun till sun rise in Hong Kong at 7:00am more than 18 hours later. When we got into the terminal we all headed for Starbucks since we had a 4 hour wait for our 3 hr. flight to Bangkok followed by a 1hr 10min flight to Siem Reap.
We were met at the Siem Reap air Port by Lisa McCoy and a number of volunteers to take our bags and arrange special tuk tuk transport to our hotel. This would be our mode of transportation while we were here. In The heat 30-35c the breeze in the tuk tuk was welcome. There is a busy schedule for us and we look forward to the challenge.

Rotary Sweat Equity - Next Stop Cambodia

2009-10-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Rotary Sweat Equity -

Next Stop Cambodia

Overview

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and the second poorest in S.E. Asia(after Burma).

Over the past 35 years, it has been through the extended Vietnam War followed by a civil war and a horrific genocide led by Pol Pot - more than 2 million out of 12 million people were killed making it on a per capita basis one of the worst genocides in history. The war left behind many scars – a decimated infrastructure and a countryside populated by landmines, which continue to affect the civilian population. It is estimated one out of 276 people have been affected by landmines.

Cambodia is an agricultural based economy and schools are badly needed – 80% live in the countryside and many people are without clean water, electricity and poor health care(AIDS is the highest in S.E. Asia). While poor, the Khmer are very industrious and hard working.

On November 12^th, 20 Rotary volunteers and friends from 8 clubs will be going to Cambodia to start building this vocational school (along with local Khmer people). We will be constructing the main meeting and dining area along with a bicycle repair shop. This latter is a small micro enterprise.

We will also be working in an orphanage, a rural school, helping with an outreach portion of the Landmine Museum and helping with the Cow Bank Program (which provides a cow to local poor farmers).

The project, the Bakong Vocational School is located about 30 minutes from Siem Reap. The school is the brainchild of a killing fields refugee, Ronnie Yimsut. Ronnie was plucked from a refugee camp by Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes. Ronnie is now a landscape architect living in Milwaukee. He has donated family land and much of his own money to the school. Ronnie, in spite of his experiences, is an incredibly positive person. He in turn has joined forces with Project Enlighten, a US based charitable organization doing work in Cambodia.

The purpose of the partnership with Project Enlighten is to provide Cambodians with skill sets to work in the newly created eco-tourism industry which is growing in the Siem Reap area. Project Enlighten has a number of Rotarians on their advisory board including Lisa McCoy from the Gravenhurst Rotary Club, Bill Morse from Oregon and Kilong Ung also from Oregon. He is also a Killing Fields survivor. His story was featured in the June Rotarian.

There will be daily blogs posted once we arrive to keep all our friends, families and Rotary Clubs up to date with photo’s and interesting stories and experiences. Register as a follower and be notified each time a blog entry is made. Your comments about the postings are also appreciated by the team members to show your support for the efforts being made. Thank you for your interest.

Posted by: Jim Stewart

A DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE

2009-05-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

OUR BEST AFRICAN MEAL: by Chuck Taylor

Friday May 8th, 2009

Today we had the best food of our two weeks here in Malawi. The story of how that came to be is the result of an incredible project. It is the miracle of developing independence for vulnerable villages in 4 regions of Malawi. We visited one of those villages in Machinga Region.

At the end of a long dusty road lies a typical Malawian village. Until 3 years ago, the village, like most others was dependent on the annual maize crop which, in turn, is dependent on significant annual rainfall. At the start of this disaster mitigation project Malawi had suffered 3 years of drought which brought hardship and starvation to the entire country.

In Machinga, Emmanuel International, in partnership with other local NGO’s, began a program of Disaster Risks Reduction. The community learned to grow some drought resistant crops such as, sweet potato, cassava, and beans. Very slowly the people are learning to change their diets to include some of these other foods. Still, it’s true that Malawians feel they haven’t eaten a proper meal unless it includes maize. But change is coming slowly and another drought will not have the devastating effects as it has in the past.

In addition, they began a program of reforestation to provide fuel for cooking. As wood is the only source of fuel for most Malawians, it has been important to develop methods of cooking to use less wood. This they have done with the use of a clay stove. The villagers make these stoves by collecting clay, forming the shapes and firing them in their homemade kiln. This is a fabulous income generating activity.

The people are proud of their progress and able to place a wider variety of nutritious food on their table. They also have developing a unique "slow cooker" which was an insulated (with leaves and branches) large storage basket and it requires no fuel. Items to be cooked, such as rice, were started on the fire and then pot and all was plunged into these baskets to finish their cooking. Fascinating.

Eating our lunch with them was a wonderful experience. It was gratifying to see firsthand the pride of the people in this village of there successes.. They are reducing their vulnerability to the inevitable droughts to come. The Disaster Risk Reduction Program is a very worthy humanitarian project. It moves the focus from responding to disaster to preparing for it.

MENU (note: no nsema!)

Rice
Bean Casserole w/tomato, greens, potatoes, cassava and other vegetables.
Casava pancake (similar to potato pancake………..YUM!)
Curried vegetables
Casava vegetable casserole

Tangerines and Bananas

SEW ON FIRE - MAKING A DIFFERENCE

2009-05-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

The Compassionate Heart of a Packrat: by Ruth-Lynn Hamilton
Thursday May 7, 2009

Today we drove to an elementary school near Faith Trust. We usually drive under and around the soccer goals, but today we parked. We had 600 pencil cases to give to the children. The pencil cases were made by women in anada and packed with a pen, crayons, pencil, pencil sharpener, toothbrush and toothpaste. We began with the Standard 1 class. 200 children poured out of the classroom and stood in line waiting patiently. Some bowed when given their gift. Several actually fell to their knees in gratitude. As they filed back into their dirt floor, overcrowded classroom, the sound of excited laughter was deafening. We continued class by class until only Standard 7 & 8 remained. They were given pencil cases and hats. The girls hats knitted by loving hands back home. They sure loved those hats. The male teachers received t-shirts and the female teachers hand sewn bags with materials for a skirt, t-shirt, sewing kit, hair pick, and a crocheted wash cloth.

We continued to Faith Trust to celebrate their brand new community centre. The money for this project came from Rotary. The labour from their villagers with a little bit of help from our team for painting. Faith Trust is one of the many community based organizations in Malawi supported by Dignitas. It’s a group of volunteers trained to give Home Base Care. They visit the sick, assist orphans and the elderly and provide counselling for their surrounding area. They are caring for each other under very difficult circumstances. They used to meet under a tree and now they have a building and they are beyond excited.

We experienced celebration today, the like of which we have never seen before; dancing, singing, dancing, drama, hugging and, of course, we had gifts. We left them with baby blankets, infant layettes, bags for the women, toys, hats and pencil cases. So many of my treasured memories will be the faces of these amazing people. The pure joy and gratitude, the love and emotion over our bags of goodies from Canada and those moments are thanks to a unique woman named Wendy Hagar.

Wendy lives in Burlington. She is a self confessed packrat. If you have it and don’t want it, Wendy will take it. She long ago outgrew her garage and had to move into a warehouse. But as much as Wendy loves to collect all manner of things, her real passion is giving it away. About a decade ago, Wendy heard about Mom’s in Africa without so much as a piece of cloth to swaddle their infants. Well, that would not do. She had to do something.
So she got busy sewing. Before her basement was packed with wall-to-wall women, cutting, sewing and knitting – nighties, blankets and sweaters and the bags to put them in. Today, those amazing volunteers stretch from Victoria to Halifax and those layette bags are just part of Wendy’s inventory. She sends thousands of ladies’ bags, packed knapsacks and school kits all over the world every year. If you will carry it, she will get it or make it.

So, when our sweat equity trip to Malawi was planned, and Linda received a list of things most needed, she took it to Wendy. A week before leaving for Malawi, Team 2 spent an evening at the warehouse and left with 12 hockey bags stuffed with love – love that we have poured out every chance we got in the last 2 weeks. Wendy’s mission is to make a difference and I can tell you Wendy, you are doing just that. Your wonderful, selfless women in Canada are reaching out and encourage the women in Malawi, women that are truly the most courageous, hard working women I have met.

Thanks for the memories.

"To laugh often and much: to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children: to know one life has breathed easier because you have lived; this is the meaning of success"

................................Ralph Waldo Emerson

MOTHER MARY COME TO ME

2009-05-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARY: by Scott Barnard

Tuesday, May-05-09

The team had a full day of activities planned for Tuesday. The day started with several team members going to the Zomba Hospital for a tour of the Dignitas Clinic. The rest of the team headed to Kachere where we had completed the community centre the previous day. The purpose of the visit was to deliver 20 each of baby blankets, womens’ kits, infants’ kits and numerous hats for men and women. The items were left at the centre for distribution by Mary, the director of Kachere, to deserving helpers and volunteers from the village.

Most of the team went to Faith Trust to finish painting the community centre there. However, Leo and I remained at Kachere to accompany Mary on her rounds to visit AIDS patients. For the next two hours we walked through the fields of maise, sweet potatoes, peas, etc. constantly climbing as we headed to the base of the Zomba plateau. Along the way we visited the homes of 9 families where at least one of the members was HIV +ve. At each home we received a warm welcome and were invited to sit in a place of honour while Mary described each patient’s situation for us. We were surprised that the patients allowed us to ask questions and take pictures. At one home, the woman who was HIV +’ve was the mother of a 1 week old baby. Mary proudly told us that the woman would be the first to receive one of the blankets donated by Rotary that morning.

Generally we were struck by how healthy the patients appeared. Most had been taking ARV’s for several years. Mary explained to us that as long as they were “good patients” and took there medications regularly, most of her clients or patients were doing well.

Our final visit of the day was heart wrenching. As we approached the house, Mary explained that we were visiting one of her “bad” patients who refused to take ARV’s. When we arrived, the woman was totally covered by a pile of blankets outside on the ground. She was extremely weak, but managed to sit up and welcome us. It was fascinating to watch as Mary comforted her and spoke to her softly. While we didn’t understand the language, it was obvious that the woman was telling Mary about the pain she was experiencing and the parts of her bady that were affected. After a lengthly conversation and many tears, Mary led us in prayer to a place of hope. On the way back Mary joked with us about being tired and told Leo it was because he was an old man. Before we returned to Kachere, Mary honoured us by taking us to her home and introducing us to her mother.

Reflecting back on the day, it occurred to me that it was a day of hope. It was demonstrated to us firsthand that the healthcare system in Malawi, although still rudimentary, is much improved over 5 years ago. This is in no small part to the Mary’s of Malawi………..dedicated, selfless, home care volunteers. It is clear, that the future of Malawi lies with those that will follow in the footsteps of Mary.

BACK TO BLOGGING

2009-05-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

After no internet access for 5 days we are now up and blogging again. We are trying to catch up and will have more posts soon. See everyone real soon!!

Back to Work

2009-05-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

Poop and Paint: By Gordon Timbers and Anne Saunders

Re: Monday May 4, 2009

Re-energized by our weekend away, we returned to sweat equity activities on Monday. We rejoined the group having been involved in a church leaders retreat (Church of Central Africa Presbyterian) in Blantyre for which we were facilitators. The other 10 team members were full of stories of the beauty of Lake Malawi, the lovely resort and the adventure of cross-country travel.

Monday a.m. Scott and Neil took up their painting foremen duties with their crews at Kachere and Faith Trust. While some participated in home visits or a hospital tour, Anne and Marg participated in the first of three EIM sanitation workshops for the residents of Balala village, Machinga District. A group of 22 women – some with babies on their backs – and 6 men (including the village headman) attended. The village water committee members were introduced. The EIM facilitator, Thomas, divided everyone into 3 groups. The first exercise was to map on newsprint their village, showing all buildings, including homes and latrines (chimbudzi), water points, footpaths and vegetable gardens. The most accurate map was chosen as the basis for further discussion. The village relies on river water and, for a few months each year, an open water hole. Thomas informed us that the much needed borehole would be drilled as part of the Rotary water project.

In the second group exercise about the spread of disease (majelemus) from human feces to human ingestion, all groups identified flies (nchenche). There was much laughter and singing throughout the discussions.

When Marg and Anne returned to Faith Trust, Neil’s team was there having completed the Kachere painting. After a hearty lunch of nsima, rice, chicken and greens (ndiwo), we all pitched in to complete the first coat of the Faith Trust building interior.

Monday evening Chuck Taylor introduced Johnny Parrot from Africycle Uxbridge who made a presentation about their work recovering bicycles in Canada for refurbishments and sale in Malawi – 1600 to date. The Uxbridge Rotary Club has already purchased Africycle bicycles for home-based care workers.

FUN IN THE AFRICAN SUN

2009-05-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

R & R Con’t: by Linda Davies

Sunday May 3rd, 2009

Following our stop at the Hippo Lodge we headed north in the Land Rover, packed cheek by jowl, for the long ride to Cape MacClear. Some strange signs on the way included: “Pack ‘n Go” Funeral Parlour, God Help Us Beauty Salon, Fresh Bakery….Everything but Bread, Hip Hop Bottle Shop Razamataz Exclusive, Uncle Charlos Booze Den, Pearly Gates Funeral Parlour, Froggy’s Restaurant, Hiccup Café, Coffin Workshop, Gecko Lounge, Ass of God Church (no room on the sign for Assembly so they shortened it!).

What a fabulous weekend with some more team bonding………spirited games of euchre, a boat ride on Lake Malawi (this lake is bigger than Lake Ontario), shopping trips into the local fishing village, sunsets that only Africa produces, moon rises over the glistening water and some lounging by the pool.

The boat ride took us to an island where iridescent blue fish would collect around our ankles for feeding. Our guide would whistle to the two resident eagles, Tom and Jerry, and they would dive to retrieve the small fish he would throw to them. In the distance, on the far shore, we could see the mountains of Mozambique.

On our walks through the village shopping, we discovered an amazing talent of one of our group. None us will consider purchasing anything now without the assistance of Kris Knoepfli’s negotiating skills. Many of us ordered specially carved key chains. 78 all together in fact. Only 3 mistakes.
Libby’s son in law is now “Gerg” instead of Greg. My son, Bryce, is now “Bryoe” and Ruth-Lynn and Neil’s daughter is now Vanesse. For some reason, this struck all of us as very funny.

Anne and Gordon were at a conference in Blantyre for the weekend and we missed them.

We had a very touching experience which I will try to describe. Team 1 had on4 boys and they asked if I would deliver 4 backpacks to them. I asked on the beach for the boys by name and in short order the message got to them and they presented themselves at the gate. Ruth-Lynn and I (Libby acted as photographer) did a little presentation ceremony and you could not have seen larger grins on 4 Malawian faces. Only the picture can show you how happy they were.

One funny thing I have to tell you. You can drink alcohol anywhere in Malawi. At this lodge, we brought our own wine, plunked ourselves down in the bar, opened our wine and then asked the bartender for chilled glasses. Crazy eh? Can you imagine this happening in Canada?

After a wonderful weekend we left Lake Malawi refreshed and ready for another week’s work. We returned to Zomba looking a little more African than when we left. Even the men on the team were adorned with the locally made bracelets and necklaces.

Down at the Hippo Bar

2009-05-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

FIRST DAY OF R & R : by Neil Hamilton

Friday May 1st, 2009

We left today for some R & R at Lake Malawi. It’s a 3 ½ hr. ride. After about an hour, we stopped at the “Hippo Lodge”, where we had prearranged a boat ride and lunch on the Shire River. We ordered lunch and then went on a 2 hr boat trip. We all went in a pontoon boat with our guide and captain, Maxton. He was friendly and very knowledgeable about plant life, the environment and animal life in the area.

We came across 3 separate families of hippos. For me, as a collector of hippo memorabilia, it was a real thrill to see them in their natural habitat.
We saw 15 – 20 in total, they would all submerge if we got too close. When they surfaced, occasionally, a bird would perch on the hippo’s head, just like the pictures we have all seen. As we moved along, Maxton described the varieties of birds, mostly water and shore birds we were not familiar with.

Then we moved into a marshy area where we saw a bull elephant feeding. He was huge and we were less than 100 feet from him. Then several females and a baby came into view, all feeding and totally oblivious to our presence.

We returned to the lodge, had lunch and continued on our way to Lake Malawi. The trip was uneventful, however, the last 18 kms. into the lodge could be described as an adventure at best, gave us the opportunity to see a pick up truck far beyond its capacity, reminding us of an Indiana Jones movie.

This proves Sandy from Dignitas was right. The capacity of an African vehicle is always “just one more”.

HELPING HANDS

2009-05-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Home Based Care Visits : by Marg Bowra with a contribution by Ruth Lynn Hamilton

April 30, 2009

Today we were warmly welcomed at Faith Trust, a Community Based Organization (CBO) where we were entertained by about twenty women dancers.

Several began painting the office in the new child care centre. Libby worked with local women to cook our lunch. Kristin and Chuck assisted with the sanitation program while Ruth Lynn and Gordon walked with Roderick about 1 ½ miles on a rocky path to participate in a home care visit. (**See Ruth Lynn’s contribution at the end of my blog)

Sandy from Dignitas drove Bev and me with Mary to conduct 4 home visits. Each patient met us on their shaded porch along with a care giver and several curious children. It is impossible to describe the emotions we felt as we observed each of these 4 very ill women who were so glad to see us arrive to provide medical aid and support. Patients seemed to appreciate that visitors showed concern for them which dispelled our fears that we were invading their privacy as they consulted with Mary and Sandy. The hugs we received from care givers and “high 5’s” from the children was heart wrenching as we left each of the homes of these women, three of whom were HIV positive and one ill with cancer.

Since May1st is a public holiday, our team is off to Lake Malawi for the weekend at Cape Mac Lodge for some R & R. No painting required!

**Ruth Lynn’s contribution
Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun. But apparently, Roderick, Gordon and I do as well. A very long hot walk through small villages and lush fields found us at the home of a dear woman struggling with TB and HIV/AIDS. I was touched by the circle of family and friends sustaining her, and holding it all together, gently and peacefully, is Roderick. He has lived it and he feels it and knows. Thank goodness for all the Rodericks in Malawi. God Bless You.

SWEET EQUITY NOT SWEAT EQUITY

2009-04-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

A Day of Celebration: by Kris Knoepfli and Leo Gervais

It was a day of mixed emotions! We arrived at Namasalima School at the usual time for a day of celebration and thanks for all the hard work that had been accomplished over the last few weeks.

There were speeches, awards, the handing over of the borehole (water well) and smiles across everyone’s faces. Among the many highlights were the netball and football (soccer) tournaments, which culminated in a game with all of us “mzungu” out on the field with some of us falling during play. The roars of laughter could be heard in neighboring villages.

We also learned today that approximately 20% of our little friends at Namasalima are HIV positive. A sobering thought. We were comforted some by the enthusiasm of the students’ embrace of the Grass Roots Soccer program (adopted by Dignitas for the Rotary Chachoka-Aids, Kick-a-Ball to Africa program) that focuses on educating the students about HIV and its prevention. The message was clear – “You simply can’t tell who’s infected from looking at them.” A message that appears to be sinking in slowly, but surely! As one of our friends from Dignitas commented tonight - “we ARE winning the battle, every day we’re here!” Positive words that re-energized us all!

Above is a photo showing Sandy from Dignitas and Linda, our fearless team leader, with the children in the foreground. We felt this picture symbolized the partnership that now exists among NGO’s and service organizations that are working together to improve the lives of thousands around the world.

As we waved farewell, the little girls anxiously grabbed our hands to say “good-bye”. Moments that would bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

As a cohesive team, we reminisced tonight about the highlights and challenges the last few days presented. Overwhelmed by how quickly a home away from home can be established, united we look forward to a new adventure tomorrow!

“Richness is not found in the things we have, but the moments we share with others!”

NOTICE TO FRIENDS & FOLLOWERS OF TEAM 2

2009-04-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

We are loving your comments and words of encouragement. For those of you who are not aware, there is an opportunity to comment at the end of each post. Please keep sending your messages. We love to get them!

KIDS, KIDS & MORE KIDS

2009-04-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Amazing day under the Malawian Sun: by Bev Bowra
School was in session when we arrived at 0800 hrs. The students in primary sit on the floor, spilling out the doorway i.e. Grade 1 has 251 students with one teacher. The teacher repeats “silence” 3 times and the lesson begins.

Eight team members shared a teaching experience in 4 classrooms. The team also distributed a package of school supplies to each child. Over 1400 energetic, excited students were eagerly anticipating their gift from Canada. A professional distribution expert had them lining up in perfect order in the school yard.

Marg and Anne continue to work on the books in the new library. Libby and Ruth Lynn assisted in the sanitation lesson to 40 students. Glitter was placed on hands and faces to represent how easily germs are transmitted. This caused so much excitement with the students, both boys and girls, as much for the lesson as for the ornament or decoration that the glitter created.

Painting was a priority today as we completed 9 classrooms including the window openings and blackboards.

We had a wonderful day interacting with the children, teachers and volunteers. Spirits are high. What will tomorrow bring?

FYI: Message to Friends & Followers of Team 2

2009-04-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

The two previous entries were posted by Team 1 after their return to Canada. We would ask you to look at their "before" pictures of the classrooms and then the "after" pics that we will post next.

2009-04-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

STRUGGLE FOR EDUCATION
By: Jeff Kawzenuk & Steve Truelove (team #1)

Misango Primary School –
Namasalim, Zomba District

This is one of the Projects we are working on – Misango Primary School. Fourteen villages send their children to this school – grades 1 – 8. Children walk as far as 8 kilometers to school. Students attending school receive one meal a day through the World Food Program. The Namasalima area frequently floods during rainy seasons, suffers from massive poverty, a high rate of malaria and a 30% HIV/AIDS.
Startling Statistics:
1681 Students
9 Classrooms
8 Teachers
1 Principal
2 Working Latrines (toilets)
Few students have shoes and use the areas around the latrines for toileting – causing huge health concerns.
No desks – students sit on concrete floor
No doors and windows
Classrooms are infested with termites
No school supplies
Grade 1 – 350 students – 1 teacher
Grade 2 – 475 students – 1 teacher
Grade 3 – 340 students – 1 teacher
Grade 4 – 190 students – 1 teacher
Grade 5 – 110 students – 1 teacher
Grade 6 – 100 students – 1 teacher
Grade 7 – 76 students – 1 teacher
Grade 8 – 40 students – 1 teacher
1 text book for every 5 students
School used by community as an evacuation site during flooding
Teachers earn C$150.00 per month and pay rent for homes from the community
School has a PTA and a School Improvement Committee
Primary school is free
Secondary school – students must pay

Although small, but YES we are making a difference here.

2009-04-28T01:34:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Resilience of the Kachere Sisterhood
By: Pat Snyder & Patti Hughes (team #1)

The spirit of the Kachere sisterhood was evident on our first day as we drove up the dirt road to their CBO centre. (community based organization) Twenty women dressed in there colourfull chitangis welcomed us with open arms, singing and dancing with joy and enthusiasm. Every day we saw evidence of mothers caring for their children and grandchildren and supporting one another with daily tasks including;
- Carrying water from the wells
- Hoeing crops
- Cooking meals over outdoor fires
- Chopping vegetables and chicken
- Washing clothes in the river
- Caring for the elders
- Helping with the manual labour to build the community child care centre and latrine
- Sweeping and cleaning indoors and the grounds outdoors
- Participating in the maize harvest which is the main staple of their diet

Maize is used for the main food source (sima) and preparation is more involved than one would think, including;
- Picking the cobs from the corn stalks
- Husking the corn
- Removing the kernels from the cobs
- Separating the kernels from the chaff
- Drying the kernels on large mats in the sun
- Bagging the cobs for fuel
- Bagging the kernels
- Grinding and pounding the dry kernels to make maize flower to make sima (like polenta)

Periodically, while carrying out these tasks, they would burst into spontaneous rounds of song and dance.

PAINTING THE NOSES OF AFRICAN CHILDREN

2009-04-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

First Day at School: by Libby Duncan Team 2 set off at 0730 to travel 40 kms. along a narrow, dusty, rutted road. We were bounced around in a Land Rover – very sore derrieres.

We all split up after a tour of the school: 9 classrooms, 3 latrines, 1675 students, 8 teachers. Initially we were all speechless at the sights that greeted us. The teachers’ living quarters were simply appalling.

Leo and Chuck were involved with reburbishing the well. Anne and Marg organized 700 books in the 5’ x 10’ room. Everyone else picked up where Team 1 left off: painting the walls of the nine classrooms. Each of these concrete classrooms (18’ x 27’) accommodated 300 children sitting on the concrete floor.

The children were definitely the highlight of the day – so much joy and laughter pouring forth. They were fascinated by all of us: giggling girls, shy young ones, beaming smiles, bright eyes, bare feet or shoes that didn’t fit, curious, polite, engaging and open. They simply adored having their pictures taken and burst into peals of laughter when shown the digital image. Their enthusiasm and delight was contagious. Many of us wanted to wrap our arms around them and share a hug. When I put a spot of paint on the tip of the nose of a young girl, hysterical laughter went on for 20 minutes.

Lunch was under a mango tree and was comprised of rice, cooked cabbage and a goat who apparently had seen the sunrise.

I am feeling very tired tonight but know better why I am here. My emotions are many and difficult to put into words. There is no simple answer to the poverty and the extreme problems in Africa. Am I making a difference? Maybe only a small one here but a huge one inside me.

OUR FIRST WEEKEND

2009-04-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

Team 2 is Ready to Launch: by Chuck Taylor

We are rested, organized and forming into a unified team. We arrived in Blantyre Saturday, 37 hrs. after we first met at YYZ. We brought 600 lbs. of “stuff” to give away. We hauled it and ourselves to Zomba and the drive was spectacular. People walking on both sides of the road, bicycles overloaded with huge piles of firewood, tables selling vegetables and crafts, fresh goat meat on a table being fanned to keep flies away. There were many, many children. So much colour. Everyone barefoot. Air is humid and smells different. We drove through a political rally with chanting and dancing.

After settling into Annie’s Lodge we went for a walk in the Botanical Gardens and enjoyed colours most of us haven’t seen since last summer. The people we encountered were shy but gently friendly, responding to “hello” with bright smiles. Later, Libby became our banker and collected our US dollars for conversion to Kwacha. The final results passed audit.

Today, the Team attended church at Malawi University chapel. It was an incredibly lively event with singing and dancing. Kris and Leo opted for a wander through the markets of downtown Zomba, honing their bartering skills and playing the local version of backgammon.

The team is coming together. We are pumped for our first day of work tomorrow at the local school.

ROTARY CLUB HELD A FUNDRAISER FOR MALAWI

2009-04-22T03:12:00.000-07:00

Last week The Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore held a Curling Bonspiel & Dinner - "The Spiel/Meal/Deal". Over $13,000 was raised! The proceeds have gone to the Rotary Sweat Equity Trip in Malawi. These funds will buy the supplies for Team 2 who will continue the work started by Team 1. We have one more day before our departure.

2009-04-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

Kacherry CBO – One mission Accomplished
By: Maureen Bird

I came with only 3 sisters on the trip, gained 8 more plus 7 brothers. By the end of the week, I had 28 more sisters ( the Kachere volunteers) and several new brothers, the brick layers. The CBCC (community based child centre) and CBO (community based organization) offices had all it’s brickwork and roof completed – a wonderful start. Our main job here was to parge the interior walls. There seems to be a special technique – fill up the trowel with mortar, throw it at the wall and hope that 50% of it sticks. Then smooth it out and try not to remove it all. It took days, so we left the final steps and high parts to those who knew how to do it better. At the same time, I joined the brick layers building the 2 hole latrine. They were not so sure at the time, but with lots of mortar slapping and lifting bricks, they were slowly accepting of a woman in the roll. By the end, they called me “best friend”.

The women of Kacherry are unbelievable. Most of them are HIV positive and on ARV’s. They are willing to do anything. They carry 20 – 40 liter pails of water on there heads from 200 meters away for the mixing of the mortar. They joined us in parging, painting and even brick laying. Yesterday we painted.

Today was the formal turnover ceremony. There was in excess of 200 villagers in attendance including the GVH group village headman plus about 10 other village chiefs. There were speeches of thanks from the chiefs, Dignitas, Rotary and villagers followed by lots of dancing and singing. We did the “Hokey Pockey”as our performance and chief Charles joined in . The banners are “all hands together” with the Rotarians hand prints and the villagers lined up to add there hand prints to show unity. I’m the newbee but so many of the more experienced felt that this was the most impressive bonding experience.

Cheers from Team 2!!!!!!!

2009-04-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

Malawi Group 2 Gets Ready to Go

We have been reading the Blog with great interest and are getting excited about our iminent departure. You are definitely getting us fired up!

We got together Wednesday for dinner, distributed tickets and Team T-shirts. We then packed our extra hockey bags full of pencil cases, dental supplies, infant layettes, skirts & toys.

On Friday we had a fundraiser, a Curling Bonspiel and dinner in support of the Malawi trip. I will report the results with some pics shortly.

Meanwhile, any hints about things we should bring?

Linda

2009-04-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

UPLIFTED
By: Chris Snyder

One of the highlights to date has been our participation in the Home Based Care Program. HBC is one of the cornerstones of the treatment of HIV/AIDS in Malawi and many other African Countries. Many of the volunteers who go out by bicycle or foot to visit patients are themselves HIV positive. Pat, Caroline and Widit went by foot. Jim, Brian, Jackie, Penny, Patti, Maureen and I went by Bicycle. Penny has already given you her experiences…here is mine.

Our little entourage consisted of four volunteers and me including Rose, a widowed mother of a 2 ½ year old who has been on A.R.V.’s for about four years. The child does not have AIDS. I was given the best bike that came from Africycle an organization based in Uxbridge Ontario. I felt somewhat guilty accepting it however, I knew I would offend them if I did not ride it. I eventually offered it to Emmy who was struggling on another bike. Riding her bike which had a 24 inch wheel base was fine on the flats however I was forced to walk it up the hills. Our route went along red dirt roads, through fields of maze and small villages. We passed other riders, people carrying sugar cane on their heads, selling tomatoes and pumpkin on the road side, mothers and children with babies on their backs and oxen pulling carts often loaded with people.

We had several stops including one at the thatched roof home of a 46 year old widowed women who had a 10 year old son and a three year old grandson. Rose helped the fragile woman who had much trouble walking. We sat on a mat on the ground and discussed her situation. She earned no money but had a few chickens and goats that she could sell. Her brother was there but on crutches because of a leg deformity. There were also about 15-20 children who were curious about this stranger who had arrived in their village. The woman also had heart problems and has been on ARV’s for about two years. We checked her ARV’s which were made in India. I was asked if I wanted to take pictures. These people had never seen themselves in a picture. The giggles of all including the patient gave these people a lift at least for a short time. I will try to get them pictures.

The resilience of this woman was remarkable and I felt humbled and privileged to have been included in this women’s and her families lives. As we hopped on our bikes, surprisingly I felt energized and uplifted and I realized I had had a beautiful spiritual experience.

2009-04-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Biking To Patients Of Sapaao
By:Penny Eccelstone

The old Public Health Nurse in me was very excited today to be sent on a home visit with a home based care volunteer to visit three HIV positive women. These home based care workers are given 10 days of training and they go out to small clusters of homes to visit patients with HIV/AIDS, occasionally Malaria and also T.B. The purpose of their visit is to ensure that patients are taking their medications and to give them support, also to assess their general well being. If they feel they need more care, they refer them to the hospital. They travel by bicycle (very few people in Malawi own cars). The average annual income being about C$300.00.

We visited three women, two HIV positive women with babies and a granny (she didn’t know how old she was, but thought she was about 70 years old) and had bilateral Breast Cancer which has never had treatment plus HIV. She is also caring for three grandchildren. The two young were breast feeding their babies. In the west HIV women are encouraged not to breast feed but here they are encouraged to breast feed for six months so they are not tempted to bottle feed and dilute the formula to save money. The government pay for all drugs people take in Malawi and the ARV’s. These drugs are now cheap and plentiful. Dignitas originally supported these programs however it has now been taken over by the Ministry of Health. This program is sustainable and allows Dignitas to support other programs in other areas in the country. Three of us, Maureen, Diane and I rode bikes with Emmy, the home based care volunteer and Victor, an interpreter and we enjoyed the experience immensely.

2009-04-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

Building and Sweating
By: Tom Sears

When sweat equity started 10 years or so ago, digging and trenching and laying blocks was a challenge but doable by most of the participants. It is now 10 years later and some of the participants are finding that the heavy slugging is more than a challenge. It is a frustration. So how do we solve the problem. We team up with the communities with whom we are working and work as their assistants. This is much less frustrating – never mind the aching bodies - and it is great to get to know our new friends in Malawi.

We have been working at a small village called Kachere with a wonderful group of local residents who have great ownership on the building on which we are working. We cannot believe how strong the women of the community are. They carry the water, the sand, mix cement and carry the cement to the brick layers – really they are quite incredible. Then they turn around and cook a great (and safe ) local lunch for us .. Usually all this is accompanied by spontaneous singing and dancing. THEY ARE WONDERFUL.

Our other work location is at the Nanasalami school which is located at about a 45 minute drive from our hotel. This school has 8 levels Standard 1 to standard 8. There are 1675 students and 8 teachers - YES thats right - a pupil teacher ratio of about 200 to one!!

Steve, Jeff and Tom have put in a couple of days doing some cement work on the floors and preparing for the arrival of more team members on Thursday to do some painting. It is very interesting to see the impact of termites on mud brick structures. We are sure however that the students and the parents will appreciate the improved physical atmosphere when the return from their March break period. Its great to see the chidren around the school and it is a constant reminder of the importance of the school to these communities. We have had the participation of a number of the teachers and they have given us an insight into the educational program. Believe us – they need help and the government has no resources.

It has been a wonderful and eye opening experience for us and we look forward to completing our two projects next week

2009-04-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Dignatas & Zomba Regional Hospital
by Joanne Stewart and Diane Allen.

On Tuesday April 14th Diane Allen and I visited the Dignatas Office and HIV clinic, also the Zomba Regional Hospital. Our tour was conducted by Rose who works for Dignatas and is a Registered Nurse. Rose explained the process from the very first visit right thorough to the management of HIV/AIDS. Their system is very thorough and well documented. Their philosophy is to train patients so that they may enter the community and educate the people in their villages. The system works very well for many reasons, particularly because the Government is on board with the cost of the ARV medications. The Zomba Hospital is a Government Hospital and treatment is free to all patients. The Malawi people although very poor are receiving some health care. Of course the problem still exists in the fact that so many people live in rural areas and do not have transportation. The CBO program (community based organization) is providing much needed training to many individuals in the outlaying areas and those people are in turn training others in their villages. HIVAIDS is such a large problem here. The Dignatas Clinic and the Hospital work extremely well together, there is little to no duplication with illness that often accompany HIV/AIDS. Dignastas is such a well run NGO and respected in the Zomba District, it made me proud to a Canadian and to be associated with them. .

The Zomba hospital is in many ways very similar to some of our hospitals. There is over crowding which can fluctuate on a weekly basis, as well as limited resources. But the staff seem very dedicated to their patients and are willing to share their learning opportunities with others. The nursing staff consists of different levels as well as nursing students.
While the Dignitas clinics seemed confusing, at first glance they were well thought out and patients flowed from the HIV/AIDS testing area to staging and to the councilling area. Each patient is followed closely and their records can be obtained quickly so that the clinician is able to have a clear picture of their health status with each visit. The community is very receptive to these clinics and Dignitas is pleased with the response. This was a very informative visit and we were pleased to see how well both facilities were being run.

2009-04-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM US TO EVERYONE BACK HOME:

Thanks for your comments on the blog. Everyone here is alive & well, & living in beautiful downtown Zomba! Emailing is proving difficult, so please don’t be upset if we don’t get around to emailing you, but you can keep up with us on the blog.

2009-04-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

A RECIPE FOR A KACHERE LUNCH:
By Diane Allen & Widit McLean.

Today, our 1st work day, some of us helped prepare the noon meal at Kachere, (a CBO Community Based Organization with it's main purpose to identify and treat HIV/AIDS cases) down a very bumpy dirt road not far from Zomba. Kachere is also the location of a new CBCC -Community baced Child Care Centre, where we are helping with construction & brick-laying.
First, I thought we’d go to the IGA that we saw mentioned in our notes from Dignitas---OOPS---IGA stands for Income-Generating Activities!
Next option: pick some pumpkin leaves (& flowers) & scoop up some dried maize.
Get a 30 litre pot (doesn’t everyone have one?), fill from the one “town water” tap in the courtyard, & put it on to boil on one of the 3 fire spots.
While waiting for this oven to heat, prepare greens by stripping all the little fuzzy things off the stems & leaves of the pumpkin greens, then cut into fine pieces, while trying to avoid your fingers.
Add chopped onions, tomatoes, pieces of beef, chicken& lots of salt (!) & place in separate pans to cook over moderate fires which have been pre-lit by the kind ladies of Kachere.
Of course, the piece de resistance is the sima (corn meal mush), made from the ground corn, mixed with copious amounts of boiling water, & stirred vigourously. When it seems thickened enough, add even more ground corn, to make it almost impossible to stir. (I know! I did it. And because the ladies of Kachere always entertained us with song, I did it while singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, much to the delight of the locals. I’ve been practicing my dragon boat stroke in the sima pot!)
Even after all that, it really was delicious. There’s no truth to the old adage that too many cooks spoil the broth.

2009-04-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

EASTER SUNDAY IN MALAWI

By Jackie Davies & Brian Edwards

On Easter Sunday morning 12 members of the team attented the University of Malawi Interdenominational Christian Council service. When we arrived the singing had begun as a call of welcome.

A youth leader led us into the spirit of Easter Sunday with the resurrection of Christ with the singing of He Lives, How Great Thou Art and Shine Jesus Shine. Their joy radiated from their faces. We were moved to join them in song, to clap and sway with the music.

We observed that at one point during the service each person recited their own prayer. At first it was disorienting. When we realized that each person was offering a prayer personal to them. It was quite moving.

We had communion with a wafer and a small sip of juice to represent the body and blood.

As we filed out to the sunshine we were greeted by the pastor and members of the choir who thanked us for attending and gathered for pictures. It was a wonderfull start to a bright and suuny day.

Malowi Team #1 Arrived

2009-04-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, after 22 hours of travel, we are here in Zomba Malowi. We are all tired and it's up at 7:am tomorrow for a full day. The rainy season has ended and everything is very lush. The corn is being harvested and the sugar cane. The road sid markets are plentifull. Paul Jones from Emanual Int. and Sandy from Dignitas picked us up and took us to Annies, home for the next 2 weeks. What a pile of lugage 1500 pounds of supplies for distribution.

Looking at our itinery for the next two weeks confirms we are going to be very busy and tired. We will be puting a blog on every night as long as we have power. should be interesting so stay tuned.

By Jim Stewart

Malawi "Group 1" Ready to go

2009-03-29T10:29:00.001-07:00

Hi Sweat Equity Blog followers. We are getting ready to set out on our next venture to Malawi, Zomba district to work with Emanuel International on water wells and Dignitas at there medical centre. We are also going to work with some schools and do some village sanitary training and home-based care. We have a lot on our agenda for group 1 and group 2 and are now getting excited about the challenges ahead.

Chris Snyder and Tom Sears will be leaving this week as the advance team to make all the final arrangements for the team 1 leaving April 9th and team 2 leaving April 23rd. We hope to have a blog of interesting daily activities posted each day while there and hope they will be of interest to our friends, family and fellow Rotarians.

Just so we don't forget our own weather just a few weeks ago, I am posting some photo's as a reminder. The rainy season should now be over in Malawi and the weather should be good.

By Jim Stewart

Coming Home

2009-01-30T01:48:00.000-08:00

Hello Faithful followers, sorry we have not written this week. The electricity and internet were down at Kilema all week. We are now in Moshi getting ready to head home. WE will see everyone soon.

Dave Green

Photos Tell the Story

2009-01-25T11:03:00.001-08:00

A few photos of the team in action. More updates and stories of our 2 day safari to Tarangire National Park in the near future.

TANZANIAN TIME(S)

2009-01-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

Furaha Kwa Siku Ya Kuzaliwa Tracey! Translation 'Happy Birthday Tracey' (my sister)!

Believe it or not they say Swahili is actually one of the easier languages to learn. Pronunciation & spelling are easier than English as there are no silent letters and every letter is pronounced the same way every time, unlike the English language.

However, even though this is my 2nd visit to Tanzania my vocabulary is still VERY limited which helps to qualify me as a 'Mzungu'. It's a term used in Tanzania & most of E. Africa to describe white people wandering lost & confused through Africa, but I think 'we' have good reason to be confused 'at times', for example... the clock in Tanzania is centred around sunrise & sunset. So 6 a.m. (sunrise) is actually 12 a.m. & 6 p.m. is 12 p.m. Tanzanian time.

So our day usually starts with a 12 a.m. (6 a.m.) walk up the mountain known as Mlima Ngangu to watch an amazing sunrise followed by work on our various projects around the Kilema Hospital Compound. Today, I was in charge of the painting crew at the Kilema Vocational School, in Roger's absence. The crew consisted of two men & one woman from the Kilema area. They were known as PLHA's (People Living with HIV/AIDS). They have voluntarily been tested for HIV/AIDS & have tested positive, however, in doing so they in turn are being provided with medical treatment from the CTC (Care & Treatment Centre) at the Kilema Hospital. This treatment is vital in allowing them to lead as normal & healthy a life as possible, but unfortunately they must also endure the stigma attached to living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania. So we have employed them to work along with us on various projects in order to help provide them with work & they are GREAT workers.

Roger or 'Mr. Roger' as the painting crew has named him spent part of the morning on the job site but then he left with Dave on a trip into Moshi to meet with the Rotary Club of Moshi. The Rotary Club of Alliston & the Moshi club along with CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) are partnering together to provide mosquito nets to 100,000 needy children. This is in an attempt to protect them from contracting Malaria, which is one of the main causes of death among children & 2nd only to diarrhea. I too have been sleeping under a mosquito net & even though it can be a challenge at times it's hard to believe that it's considered a luxury in Tanzania.

Speaking of mosquito nets, I guess it's about that 'time' now, time to say good night or alamsiki!

Kelly from Kilema

GO---GRAVITY---GO A PROGRESS UPDATE

2009-01-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

Many great things are starting to occur today. The team is starting to hit its stride. Here's how:

FISH POND : Three of the more adventurous explored upstream to unlock the water blockages that is preventing the fish pond from reaching it natural water levels. The team found that some parties have decided to divert water from the fish pond for their own favourite devices. Hence, as they worked downstream, they cleared up many water barriers---something very simialr to the American west's early settlers. As of tonight, it looks that more water is reaching reaching the pond slowly so that more talipia can be grown for the community. The next few days will tell the story.

COMMUNITY GARDEN: Kisiluni SecondarySchool is always looking for new ways for feeding hungry students and have found a terrific answer in starting a 1/2 acre garden for a variety of vegetables. So last Friday, all the members witnessed the students of the highschool working in the blazing sun to clear an area of heavy stumps and roots. That project is progressing slowly because the community must take ownership and some of the CACHA group is working with an experienced organic farmer and a nutritionist to develop an appropriate plan. Much more tocome next week.

PAINTING: Three dedicated painters along with some of the community's workers have painting up a storm in two different primary schools----making the learning environment more appealing to all the youngsters and making it somewhat easier for the teachers. The rooms look brighter and cleaner. Most of the painting will be completed by early next week.

ESL OPPORTUNITIES Four team members have initiated teaching in the four primary schools. conducting classes in a way that truly tries to engage all learners in the adventures of trying to learn this challenging language. They are doing that through the use of everyday objects and experiences of the kids. Also, through acting out the actual activity and thene having the students re-enact the same activity. They are trying to change slowly the trditional way that Tanzanian students have learned. That is the usual rote approach-- but lacking in actual experience So far, the students seem to appreciate this "new approach".
As well, we are working with the teachers to enhance their language capacity and expression in order to develop the key communication factor of speaking out in class and answering queries.---giving them more confidence. The key to any success in this effort is to work cooperatively with all the teachers of English.
Will keep you posted on these themes.

COMPUTER CLASSESS: Today, two team members worked with a couple of ladies in elementary basics of computer operations---starting up,e-mail, saving documents and developing ease with thes fangdangled machines. This is early in this project.

DESK REPAIRS: Our capable carpenters have managed to repair more than 36 desks and are starting to build some new ones. ALL under the blazing sun of 36 degree C.

COMING UP Next week, we are planning on inviting several groups and outstanding individuals from Kilema and surrounding area to speak to us about the contemporary Tanzania.

Tonight just the facts. Who knows about tomorrow?

Monday -- Back to work

2009-01-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

Today we had teams out visiting schools, teaching quilting, digging gardens, carpentry repair and visiting kids in the Art Building Children's Dreams project- see their blog at abcdreams.blogspot.com

I was on desk repairs, a bit of carpentry. We rehabilitated about 14 desks with parts of others (tops, seats, runners etc. Think of the oldest schooldesk you can, and then older- 2 kids to a desk, no inkwells )and new parts we made ourselves- chiseling out mortises in 2 x 4 inch eucalyptus wood, and ripping benches and other parts from 1 1/2 inch wood. tough work.

We then found that we need to do about another 35 desks.

Peter will go to town tomorrow and try to source lumber cut to size, but we aren't very optimistic. Here we may not even find screws!

The power outs slow down the communications too.

John Carr

Sunday- a day off

2009-01-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

An extra Hour sleep in for an 8 o'clock breakfast provided by our cook- hired for us by CACHA and the Sisters here.

We get a choice of eggs , and toast and peanut butter (local pb) and a great instant coffee.

Mass was to be at 10:30, but was well under way when we arrived. There were about 1100 people in the church, about 3/4 children.

The Catholic parish sponsors the hospital, and some of the schools, while CACHA runs support program for the people with aids and the orphans.

Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best, naturally, with a joyful noise rising up.

One parishioner was wearing a Chanel headscarf, while her friend had a beautiful plum motif kanga (robe, dress,with scarf). The kids were best of all- lots of young kids taking care of younger siblings, and we had fun with the camera after the service- all the youngsters want their photo taken.

We noted that the adults mostly did NOT want theirs taken, even when we politely asked. In the market, this reluctance went away with the offer of a mall payment. Even in our compound, we found a chill when we brought out our cameras. One of the Sisters explained that the visitors come and take hundreds of photos, but the people here never see them. I saw one chap on a shiny Chinese motorcycle and we chatted for a few minutes.- Even though he was proud as punch of his 'bike, he refused a photo until we promised to mail him a copy- snail mail.

Sunday noon we ate at a hotel about 1/2 an hour away by dalla dalla- a mini bus with about 20 people in it- and visited the local Chagga (local people) museum, took a hike down a gorge to a terrific waterfall, and sat around the pool.

Wheelbarrows and Needles

2009-01-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

Our second day at the Tanzania sight started with the march up the hill (Baby Kilimanjaro) at 6 a.m. Some of us climbed the hill while others slept. I would have climbed but I somehow did not hear the 5 a.m. , 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. church bells next door. However, everyone made it to the 7 a.m. breakfast ready for the half day of hard work scheduled for Saturdays.

A team spent the day painting, another repaired desks, another repaired buildings and others prepared for the quilting lessons to start on Monday. I had the best job today as I tried a few things. I started by filling a wheel barrel with 4 100lb bags of white stuff needed to build the chimney and stove in the new kitchen in the vocational school. Plus, carry metal framing. It was quite an experience considering that anyone that knows me knows that I struggle with a 10lb bag of potatoes and not the straightest driver of a wheel barrel. Halfway to the school the path became too narrow for the wheel barrow so we had to empty it and carry it for about 25 feet. Unloading was so much fun in this heat but we made it. Of course it was great that Sue and I were doing this together and not only is she very strong, but she knows how to handle a wheel barrow and can speak a little Swahili which probably enticed a child to helped us along.

After the first job I staggered in and started to sew patches for a quilt. Those of you that know me please stop laughing as I will admit I am definitely not a seamstress or domesticated. My sewing was pretty straight but I do not know how people have the patience to thread needles. I was then asked to iron the seams of the squares which I think I did okay so I moved onto cutting up material. What a domestic morning.

The others completed a lot of the painting, fixed numerous desks and completed the repairs required to one of the schools. Overall, it was a productive morning.

Everyone had a relaxing afternoon and at 5 p.m, some of us climbed the hill for an evening view of Kilimanjaro. This is a hard one hour walk. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

Although we are not at a 5 star hotel and spend a lot of time working, it is wonderful that everyone is working well together and enjoying each others company. In fact as I typed this, most of the others are playing new card games tonight, rules only known by a selective few, and there is a lot of laughter.

Ester Knight

The Children Greet us!

2009-01-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

We made it!

On January 16th, our team, of fifteen strong, rumbled into Kilema. (You have to have driven on a dry river bed to fully understand the state of the roads for the last few kilometers.) The area is lush and beautiful, even though there were no November rains. It is only after experiencing the blowing red dust that you begin to notice the dryness of the vegetation. The rains expected in around March will be thankfully received.

Immediately upon our arrival, we were ushered up to Mykashi Primary School, one of five schools on the Kilema hospital grounds, to celebrate our arrival. After being greeted individually by the teachers of the area, we were seated before the students circling the outside school yard. After the greetings from each of the five schools, children from Kilema Primary School sang and danced for us in both Swahili and English. (Enchanting! The children are delightful.) Our warm welcome wrapped up with a special cake and tea with the team and the teachers. This was a new experience even for the team members that have worked in the community for the last four years. A truly memorable experience.

Day 2 began with the ringing of the church bells, the barking dog and roosters (I understand!). Within the team, this was the signal for the sunrise Mount Kilimanjaro hike to begin from the front gate....a daily occurrence with our Ironman, George Duffy.

After breakfast and a brief meeting, we toured the site to look at the projects. It was interesting to here the comments from the repeat members as they saw the progress that had been made on a number of projects e.g. the new kitchen at Kitchiloni Primary School boasting an external chimney and no soot covering the walls. (The previous kitchen was an open fire under a precarious lean-to!)

The afternoon had the work begin with the painting of classrooms, fixing of desks, replacement of termite riddled wood, sorting of the generous donations and visiting the first of 30 students involved in the ABCD - Art Building Children’s Dreams project (www.abcdreams.blogspot.com).

I had been warned that the experience would be rustic....but at this time, I can report that the ammenities are working out just fine.....variety in the food (imagine a made to order omelette for breakfast), showers after a day in the dust (some cold...some hot) and a clean bed complete with mosquito net....dorm style. So far...so good...the mishaps have been few and the laughter great. Everyone we have met here is welcoming. We all feel exhilarated....(OK after a GOOD night’s sleep we will feel exhilarated) and raring to go!

Mary Wallace

Team Tanzania - Getting Ready

2008-12-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

The tickets are printed, the passports have returned from the Tanzanian consulate in Ottawa and we have had a good response from clubs, organizations and individuals with money to support the projects. A special thanks to Julie at Chris Snyder's office for co-ordinating all the paperwork.

Another special thanks to Julia Fox, our CACHA contact in Tanzania, for all her help in lining up projects and building the contacts in the community of Kilema.

The team leaves on January 13th and returns on January 31st. Please watch this blog site for stories and updates from the team throughout the trip. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas about the trip as it proceeds, so please feel free to comment on our post.

Dave Green