tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3967797688340047232024-03-06T14:01:15.345-06:00Adventure DianeDiane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-39196669030876340682012-02-26T18:53:00.004-06:002012-02-26T21:36:50.401-06:00“We Care” Shipments to Tanzania<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b>“We Care” Shipments to </b><st1:country-region><st1:place><b>Tanzania - August 2011 to January 2012</b></st1:place></st1:country-region><b><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It all began in August when I made a phone call to Richard Mufuko a Tanzanian engineer who works for Andale Ready Mix (my brother, Jim’s family owned company) in <st1:city><st1:place>Wichita</st1:place></st1:city>. I met Richard about a year ago and knew he traveled back to visit his family in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Tanzania</st1:place></st1:country-region> about once a year. I phoned Richard to see if I could send along with him an extra piece of luggage on his next trip to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Tanzania</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I promised I would send to the porters who assisted me on the <st1:place><st1:placetype>Mt.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Kilimanjaro</st1:placename></st1:place> climb clothes for their mountain climbing work if at possible. Richard said he wouldn’t be traveling home in 2011 but maybe I could send the materials with a container shipment leaving <st1:city><st1:place>Wichita</st1:place></st1:city> destined for <st1:city><st1:place>Dar es Salaam</st1:place></st1:city>, a large port city in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Tanzania</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Well the angels must have been listening on this telephone conversation, in a matter of days Richard called and told me; I could send large boxes/suitcases with this shipment. The cost would be about $50 a box/suitcase compared to the $49.95 cost of a box about a boot shoe size with the US Postal Service.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When I received this good news I immediately not only thought of the porters (Arusha, Tanzania) who lack adequate clothing but of the mission schools run by the Adorers of the Blood Christ sisters in Tanzania (Dar Es Salaam, Dodoma and Manyoni) and the St. Joseph Girls Hostel run by the St. Joseph Sisters in Songea, Tanzania,</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I sent out an email and made phone calls seeking educational materials, books, dvd/vhs, puzzles, pens/pencils, games etc, for children ages from nursery school through secondary (high school). And clothing for the porters and mission schools.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I bought (3) 42 “ Flat screen TV’s for the 3 schools so they could use them with DVD/VHS educational tapes, dvd/vhs combo players, surge protectors and heavy duty extension cords. I also sent my laptop computer with a new projector that could be used in the <st1:place><st1:placename>Amani</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Secondary School</st1:placetype></st1:place> for Girls in Manyoni for the teacher’s instruction in the classroom and in the dining room/assembly hall. In this 260 girls school the teachers have<b> no</b> lap tops, power point, projector or TV for educational purposes. Now the teachers have educational DVD/VHS tapes in math, science and other subjects donated by <st1:place><st1:placename>Newman</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype></st1:place> (<st1:place><st1:city>Wichita</st1:city>,<st1:state>KS</st1:state></st1:place>). Newman also donated many items from their lab they were no longer using but could be used by the <st1:place><st1:placename>Amani</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Girls</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>School</st1:placetype></st1:place>. When I visited the <st1:place><st1:placename>Amani</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Girls</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>School</st1:placetype></st1:place> last February, the science teacher sent with me his want list of lab supplies/equipment. Sr. Jo Ann Mark at Newman took the list and was able to secure many items that we wrapped carefully in bubble wrap and packed into a big metal trunk.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words. In the slide show you can see the many kind and generous friends who came to help pack the boxes/suit cases full of educational items and clothing. In all we sent 14 large/boxes/suitcases to the Adorers for the Blood Christ; one of those designated for the St. Joseph Girls Hostel and 5 large/boxes/suitcases for Emanuel Moshi head guide for the porters in <st1:place><st1:city>Arusha</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Tanzania</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are so many good people to thank. My cousin, Leroy Kimminau who drove from Kansas City with a trunk full of books, educational games, computer software, my sisters, Kathryn and June for boxes of picture books for the nursery/kindergarten children, my sister, Joan for her generous donation of money to pay for the TV’s, projector, DVD/VHS players, electric cords, power surgers etc. Steve Jensby who brought a closet full of clothing for the porters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks to Joan/ Dan Bruski, Dennis/ Tami Gates, Doris/Gary Unruh, Tricia Fox, Ingrid Drake, Sophie Lyday for additional books, tapes and clothing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I called on girlfriends to help me pack all the donated materials. The ladies came with a big smile, helping hands and hearts. Nancy Toben, Joann Ryan and Virginia Stump took charge of the project to build heavy duty card board boxes to go around the 42” TV’s that had been packaged in a thin cardboard box. With measuring tape, cutters and lots of tape the boxes got built. Packers included; Sr. JoAnn Mark, Sue Dresher, Sophie Lyday, Mary Tomlinson, Phyllis Davis, Doris Unruh, Lorrie LeBauve and Maggie Osterman. During this process I experienced again the kindness and generosity of my friends and family and the profound lesson of the attitude of gratitude. Without all the kind and generous people this project of “care shipments” would never have gotten off the ground, it would have been good intentions only. I’m grateful to each of them.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A special thanks to Richard Mufato, Dawdi and another friend for transporting the boxes from my garage to the shipper’s warehouse in <st1:city><st1:place>Wichita</st1:place></st1:city>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A big thank you to Gary Wilkerson, Larry Friend, Dennis/Jeannette Vierthaler, Janet Mary Miller, Donald Weisner, Leroy Kimminau, Mary Korsak and David Macindoe for their generous donations which was used to pay for shipping of the boxes/suitcases to the mission schools. Because the boxes/suitcases were over sized the cost of the shipment of each box came to $70 per box for 14 boxes. However, it would have cost about 5 times as much or more through the US Post office. I am grateful that we were able to ship these materials by container. I didn’t have a weight restriction so we packed very tightly and used space bags for the clothing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Now the great news!!</b> All the boxes arrived in <st1:city><st1:place>Dar es Salaam</st1:place></st1:city> in January by ship freighter. The shipment eventually went from <st1:city><st1:place>Wichita</st1:place></st1:city> to <st1:city><st1:place>Kansas City</st1:place></st1:city> then on rail to NY then on a freighter to <st1:city><st1:place>Dar es Salaam</st1:place></st1:city>. Sikmund Sikanda who went to <st1:place><st1:placename>Friends</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>University</st1:placetype></st1:place> in <st1:city><st1:place>Wichita</st1:place></st1:city> and worked in <st1:city><st1:place>Wichita</st1:place></st1:city> returned to his country, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Tanzania</st1:place></st1:country-region> the same time the container left <st1:city><st1:place>Wichita</st1:place></st1:city>. Sikmund was the over seer of the container shipment. He made contact with the Adorers Sisters in <st1:city><st1:place>Dar es Salaam</st1:place></st1:city> when the ship arrived and they picked up the 14 boxes/suitcases. Sikmund personally delivered the 4 boxes to Arusha (about an 8 hour drive from <st1:city><st1:place>Dar es Salaam</st1:place></st1:city>) to Emanuel Moshi for the porters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sr. Theresa Wetta who is from Wichita is presently in Tanzania and reported that the boxes were received by the Adorers and she will keep me posted as they are unpacked and the contents used in the mission schools. I received an email from Emanuel my climb guide. He expressed a <b>big thank you</b> for himself and the porters. He said they were so happy and grateful for the clothes and they were wearing some of the clothes to do the next mountain climb to <st1:place><st1:placetype>Mt.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Kilimanjaro</st1:placename></st1:place>. I know from being with the porters for seven days last year that they appreciate gifts of clothing. One never knows how your kindness has touched someone else’s lives, it might seem small but when it is 20 degrees on the mountain and the porters now have warm clothes to keep warm, it makes a huge impression.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Poupouri of other happenings: <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToxaXmRRu3WJVm_LoBjnheGPmQ3OHWgqN2vP2LpJIcRxl2sD32yU01lGoJKHZjRd5XZcsy9kcz7eIImGFdXJ16nunIm7oyp7z16hhyphenhyphenHRaPILOt4O1oFF5Ph9z5axoQfAYWttgWg1Ga5tC/s1600/DSC01243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjToxaXmRRu3WJVm_LoBjnheGPmQ3OHWgqN2vP2LpJIcRxl2sD32yU01lGoJKHZjRd5XZcsy9kcz7eIImGFdXJ16nunIm7oyp7z16hhyphenhyphenHRaPILOt4O1oFF5Ph9z5axoQfAYWttgWg1Ga5tC/s320/DSC01243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><st1:place><st1:placename><b>Alexandria</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placename><b>Country</b></st1:placename><b> </b><st1:placetype><b>Day School</b></st1:placetype></st1:place>: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I journeyed in November to <st1:place><st1:city>Alexandria</st1:city>, <st1:state>LA</st1:state></st1:place> to present a placque to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Alexandria</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Country</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Day School</st1:placetype></st1:place> in appreciation of their fundraising endeavors for the 5 Charities in <st1:place>Africa</st1:place> for my <st1:place><st1:placetype>Mt.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Kilimanjaro</st1:placename></st1:place> climb. I did a short presentation to the students and teachers. They were excited to see some of the footage of my <st1:place><st1:placetype>Mt.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename>Kilimanjaro</st1:placename></st1:place> climb and visits to the missions. I was delighted to meet the students and teachers. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://sisters-of-charity-federation.org/2011/12/another-successful-nuns-build-week/">Nun’s Build Week</a></b> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGRQ2Yw8sT8J69SnhsH_j7bpulGzCgx-bE-sIaikSUVY4GO0pUu_K90yjAeufCsA9KQBoGLysJS1mXXvVP13K7KILnNXPym5BWkmmQK5WKKN3gCzOr3-N-XSNNtW37LmZhjtdq92i537K/s1600/DSC09397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGRQ2Yw8sT8J69SnhsH_j7bpulGzCgx-bE-sIaikSUVY4GO0pUu_K90yjAeufCsA9KQBoGLysJS1mXXvVP13K7KILnNXPym5BWkmmQK5WKKN3gCzOr3-N-XSNNtW37LmZhjtdq92i537K/s320/DSC09397.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sr. Sue and myself standing in front of the house we helped renovate. </span></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGdsUbLEjxjoTNec-kQiG6bvq0_nBSNOZDSrbLftJa1yq9Jbpsno85WrVU-msC_3qLbi1ZgmKoqXnhouuDo07O_pPnJz4qaHx5NLb8Il16-EKtmT27A40nQlRWbMWYMRs4v1h5V8l5GbW/s1600/DSC09388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGdsUbLEjxjoTNec-kQiG6bvq0_nBSNOZDSrbLftJa1yq9Jbpsno85WrVU-msC_3qLbi1ZgmKoqXnhouuDo07O_pPnJz4qaHx5NLb8Il16-EKtmT27A40nQlRWbMWYMRs4v1h5V8l5GbW/s320/DSC09388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> The crew of volunteers I worked with.</span> </div><br />
I had the opportunity to spend a week in <st1:city><st1:place>New Orleans</st1:place></st1:city> (Nov. 13<sup>th</sup> –Nov. 18<sup>th</sup>) helping rebuild homes in the areas hard hit by Katrina. I worked with nuns and lay people from all over the US (about 100 of us) doing hands on “rebuilding”, from laying tile, painting, spackling, filling nail holes, scrubbing, etc... It is similar to working with Habitat for Humanity. Nun's Build Week works through a non-profit called St. Bernard Project. (<a href="http://www.stbernardproject.org/about-us/">http://www.stbernardproject.org/about-us/</a>. I’ve committed to “swinging a hammer” again for the 2012 Nun's Build Week from November 12<sup>th</sup> –November 16<sup>th</sup>. The Nuns graciously arrange for local accommodations and many of your meals are provided. I stayed with the Dominican Sisters. Your only requirement is to pay for your transportation to <st1:city><st1:place>New Orleans</st1:place></st1:city>, be healthy, able and willing to take instructions. Please let me know if you are interested in joining me. I’d be glad to answer any questions you have and share my experience with you. I found the Nun’s Build Week to be like a “working retreat”; fun and inspiring. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>My next adventure: Trek the 26 mile Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/80_-_Machu_Picchu_-_Juin_2009_-_edit.2.jpg/270px-80_-_Machu_Picchu_-_Juin_2009_-_edit.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="80 - Machu Picchu - Juin 2009 - edit.2.jpg" border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/80_-_Machu_Picchu_-_Juin_2009_-_edit.2.jpg/270px-80_-_Machu_Picchu_-_Juin_2009_-_edit.2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Many of you asked, “What is your next adventure?” My next adventure will begin on May 20<sup>th</sup> to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Peru</st1:place></st1:country-region> to trek the Inca Trail to <st1:city><st1:place>Machu Picchu</st1:place></st1:city> <a href="http://www.incatrailperu.com/">http://www.incatrailperu.com/</a>. I’ll be trekking with another adventurer, David Macindoe. David lives in <st1:city><st1:place>Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> and is friends with several of my church friends in <st1:city><st1:place>Wichita</st1:place></st1:city>. After <st1:city><st1:place>Machu Picchu</st1:place></st1:city>, I’ll head to <st1:city><st1:place>Lima</st1:place></st1:city> for a week then to <st1:place><st1:city>Quito</st1:city>, <st1:country-region>Ecuador</st1:country-region></st1:place>, (plan to volunteer for a week at the BVM’s, mission in <st1:city><st1:place>Quito</st1:place></st1:city> and then cruise the <st1:place>Galapagos Islands</st1:place>. I’ll return June 23<sup>rd</sup>. I’m seeking a cabin mate for the cruise in the <st1:place>Galapagos Islands</st1:place>. If any of you are interested or know of a female who might be, please email or call me. It will be a 5-8 day cruise, dates between June 8<sup>th</sup> and June 22<sup>nd</sup>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-89746366589969078132011-04-22T11:02:00.000-05:002011-04-22T11:02:49.319-05:00Ghana Mission<span lang="EN"> Ghana Mission March 11 to April 1, 2011<br />
Library and Learning Center, Kumasi, Ghana<br />
My 5<sup>th</sup> and last African mission visit.<br />
<br />
I arrived in Accra,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accra">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accra</a> Ghana airport from Abuja, Nigeria. I was met at the airport with the smiles of Sr. Laurene, and Sr. Irene. Cindy a lovely Ghanaian young woman who assists the sisters with housekeeping and cooking joined in my welcome, too. We stayed overnight in Accra. The next day we journeyed by car (hired driver) about a 4 hour drive to the Cape Coast <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Coast">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Coast</a>area of Ghana. It was a “mini vacation” for two days before going to Kumasi. It was a real treat for all of us to relax along the Cape Coast area on the Atlantic Ocean. We walked the lovely sandy beaches and enjoyed this special part of the world. Our cottage was facing the ocean so we heard the sounds of the ocean day and night. This area of Ghana reminds me of Costa Rica. Very tropical with lots of trees and plants.<br />
<br />
I did a tour of the Elmina Castle.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmina_Castle">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmina_Castle </a>It was very hard to see the rooms where slaves were kept before being put on ships. The Cape Coast is known for its very sweet and juicy pineapples. We bought some from a fruit stand to take back with us to Kumasi. Kumasi was about a 5 hour bus ride from the Cape Coast. <br />
Kumasi <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumasi">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumasi </a>will be my home with the sisters for the remainder of my stay in Africa. It is my 5<sup>th</sup>and last mission that I visited in Africa. The sisters live in an apartment on the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor. The land lady has done little maintenance on the building but the sisters make do. It has a nice patio and lots of windows. There is no hot water, so you take cool showers. The weather in Ghana is hot and humid, typical of a tropical climate. There is no air conditioning but we do have fans. Unfortunately the electricity is not reliable but better than the electric service in Nigeria. The sisters walk or use a shared taxi service. They are about 20 minute walk/cab ride away from the Library.<br />
Ghana is a much cleaner country than Nigeria. There is trash and litter but not near as much as in Nigeria. In Kumasi their is garbage pick up service available by private companies. It was good to see a few but at least some garbage cans put out on the curb for pick up. Most trash in Africa is just burned where ever any one once to have a burn pile.<br />
Sr. Laurene and Sr. Irene head up the Library and Literacy mission in Kumasi. Sr. Laurene and I have a long Sisters of Charity, BVM history. Sr. Laurene was assigned to Mt. Carmel Academy in Wichita for her first year of teaching in 1959 when I was a freshman boarding student there. We lived in the same dormitory. We did not remember each other, but our ties with Mt. Carmel Academy brought us together after 52 years. I feel privileged to have been educated by the BVM’s. The Sisters of Charity, BVM are well known for being outstanding educators. And their legacy continues in Kumasi at the library and learning center. <b>The library is an outstanding project. </b>It was a “dream” of Sr. Laurene’s to build a library. Sr. Laurene and Sr. Irene had a make shift library and literacy center working out of a room at the Diocesan Spiritual Retreat Center and a classroom part time at St. Hubert’s Seminary and Secondary School. It was a makeshift “mobile” library. They saw the need for a library and learning center. The Sisters of Charity, BVM Congregation gave their blessings to building a library. It was a two year project. The Diocese of Kumasi donated the land to build the library. They worked with a local architect and general contractor to put their dream into reality. With the wonderful BVM donors’ funding the project, the library was opened on January 15, 2011; the official name is <b>Archbishop Mensah Learning Center. </b>To get this project from an idea into a building in such a short time is really a <b>mini miracle </b>when you see how slow construction projects take in Africa. The library is on the Diocesan Campus next to St. Hubert’s Seminary and Secondary School in a wooded area. It is a beautifully designed one level stucco building painted in cream and green colors setting it off from the typical white or brown buildings. When I went to the library on my first day I thought as we were walking and walking and walking, “where in the world” are we going? It is approximately ¾ mile from the main street. It is “off the beaten path” but it doesn‘t prevent the children from finding the library. <br />
They have registered over 900 children as library users since they opened in January. The children are required to have a form filled out and signed by their parents and a teacher before a library card is issued. Each card holder is given a library number as their identification system then cross filed with their name. This is the <b>first time </b>that most of the children have ever been to a library. And to think they can actually check out two books at a time, take the books home with them and then return them is a whole new experience. What we take for granted in the USA is a luxury in Ghana. It was so much fun to ask them what their library number was and each one could immediately tell me without any hesitation. The smiles on the children’s faces were priceless.<br />
Most of the primary and secondary students do not have what we would considerto be text books. They have exercise books which are notebooks. The teacher writes on the blackboard and the students copy the information in their notebook and that becomes their “book”. Wow, they come to the library and they see, touch, read and check out <b>“real books”.</b>The children start coming about 2:00 - 3:00 pm after school has adjourned. Some of St. Hubert’s secondary students come in the morning to use the library as a quiet place to study and read books. All the children walk to the library (most parents would not have a car) with back packs. Every child has a back pack to keep their exercise books and pencils in them. They don’t keep any of their personal things at the schools. They put everything in their backpacks. I never saw any lockers or personal desks in a “home room” where they can leave their pencils, notebooks etc.<br />
The library also has books for adults. Presently very few adults use the library but the future plans are to get more adults involved in the library; hopefully start a book club where they can meet at the library. The future plans of the library and learning center is to have a computer room with a computer, TV with DVD for educational materials, like National Geographic DVD’s and some fun DVD’s for the little kids and movies. Most of these students <b>do not </b>have a computer or availability of a TV in their home. This will be a complete new learning experience for them.<br />
Just to watch the students open up picture books and see their happy faces is amazing. <b>Having colorful children’s books in English is like a gift from heaven. </b>Can you imagine seeing pictures of words you have been taught but have never seen what it looks like? For instance seeing a picture of a whale, tulips, fire engine for the first time. All the children are required to learn English. The subjects are taught in English however, most revert back to their local dialect which is Twi, when they talk to each other. Some of the schools will have big signs posted on the grounds, Speak English. There is a big emphasis to have the students be fluent in English. All the library books are in English.<br />
I had the opportunity to do “story times” with a small group of students. A donor sent the library large picture books that could be used by a teacher to read and discuss a story with a group of children sitting on the floor. I took the children outside in an area that we could sit and read together. They really enjoyed the opportunity to read to me. I then would ask them questions about the story to see what level of comprehension they had about the story. Many of the children’s parents would not have the English skills to read with their children. To have adult or older students sit with them and listen to them read is so important and can make the difference in getting past the rote learning.<br />
Sr. Laurene does individual tutoring for adults in English and Math. Some of the adults have not attended primary school so they have to start by learning the ABC’s. All the tutoring students are working, a seamstress, a young man who works at an appliance center, a woman who sells produce; another is a carpenter and many more. All these adults have a desire to learn English and Math skills to improve themselves. Some come as early as 7:30 am before they go to work.<br />
I went to the library most everyday, helped repair books, straighten out shelves. relocate books, sort books, check in books, restock books and visit/read with the children. The most favorite part of the library day was seeing the joy and smiles on children checking out books and reading books.<br />
<br />
I had an opportunity to do a market day with Cindy. We went to the downtown area of Kumasi where there is a huge open market area, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch">www.youtube.com/watch</a>much like a flea market. Everything imaginable to man is there, live chickens, dead rats, fruits, vegetables, fish, largest snails I‘ve ever seen, butcher chopping up legs of cows, clothes, kiosks of all types of household wares… It is very crowded with narrow dirt paths to walk with lots of people buying and selling. I had to walk fast to keep Cindy in sight; thank heaven she wore a bright scarf on her head that I could see easily. I had a fear I might loose her and be lost in this maze. It was a “wild” shopping trip. Cindy bought most of the fresh vegetables and fruit that we needed for several days. Another day Cindy took me to a small business of an entrepreneurial woman who started a small bread bakery, a mushroom “farm” (a building) where she grows delicious mushrooms plus she also packages water to sell. The locals buy small plastic bags of filtered water. I’d say about 2 cups of water in the bag. Unfortunately what is happening is that the bags are thrown on the ground and becomes litter. You very seldom will see a trash can. Presently they do not have a recycle program. It was great to see how one person in such small working spaces could develop money making businesses. <br />
<br />
Cindy taught me how to make a local dish called fufu.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fufu">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fufu </a>It is cooked plantains and cassava mashed with a giant wooden mortar and pestle. I took part in pounding/mashing the mixture the consistency of mash potatoes that are real smooth and sticky. You take a portion size like a large dumpling of the fufu put it into a bowl then pour over it a groundnut stew made with chicken and peanut butter. I had never eaten fufu or groundnut stew before. It was tasty and interesting. Cindy is an excellent cook. I taught her how to make a mushroom quiche and a honey mustard chicken dish. We had fun cooking together. Sr. Laurene is tutoring Cindy in English and Math. She did not have an opportunity to attend primary school. She speaks English very well and is very sharp. And a very joyful person. <br />
Sr. Laurene invited me to accompany her to a near by primary school called The Martyrs. Many of their students use the library. They have 1500 students grades K-8<sup>th</sup>. It is spotless. The students are well behaved, teachers organized and the students do have some textbooks. The classrooms were bright and cheerful. It is a private school so the parents are responsible to pay tuition fees which would be about $600 US dollars for the school year. This would be a considerable amount of money. I met the principal who is a dynamic Ghanaian nun. It was amazing to see her leadership skills at work. I can see why the parents will scrape together the fees any way they can to send their children to the Martyrs school. They will all have a good chance in being admitted to a good secondary school.<br />
<br />
<b>Sr. Laurene and Sr. Irene are true missionaries and educators. <br />
Thank you Sr. Laurene and Sr. Irene for sharing your home with me and the unforgettable experience of being in Ghana. Thank you for introducing me to Father Michael, Father Mathias, Abby, Olivia, Eric, Amos, Julie, Juliana, Agnes, Alta, May belle, Cindy, Samuel, Stephen, Christian, Theresa and many other lovely Ghanaians. And THANK YOU FOR YOUR VISION OF THE LIBRARY AND LEARNING CENTER AND MAKING IT A REALITY.</b>I am in awe of their dedication. The thousands of children, youth and adults who will use the library will have new “worlds” open up for them. This new learning experience would never have been possible without the library. </span>Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-28737634224502884152011-03-28T16:35:00.000-05:002011-03-28T16:35:18.381-05:00Hope For the Village Child, Kaduna, Nigeria<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hope For the Village Child, Kaduna, Nigeria</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">March 2 – 11, 2011</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I arrived in Abuja <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abuja">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abuja</a> the capital city of Nigeria on March 2<sup>nd</sup> from Nairobi, Kenya via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a distance of more than 2,000 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two staff members, Prosper and Ruth from the Hope for the Village Child (HFVC) met me at the airport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was about a 2 hour drive from Abuja to Kaduna where the HFVC headquarters are located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed along the side of the highway lots of women selling at little stands an interesting vegetable that I thought was a gigantic potato, but it was what they call yams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The yams are white inside and taste somewhat like a potato.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a staple food for Nigerians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They cook it and eat it plain, slice and deep fry and mash it also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a very starchy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped and I took a picture of some of the women with their yams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I showed them the picture in my camera and they were happy to see themselves.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I arrived at Sr. Rita’s home in Kaduna <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaduna%20-">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaduna -</a>she had two sisters visiting from the USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sr. Gemma and Sr. Roberta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sr. Gemma is from the Garden City, Kansas area and is presently in Ohio at the Dominican Sisters head offices.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>days with Sr. Rita and the HFVC staff was another heartwarming experience to see the donors’ dollars going to help so many children, women and families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sr. Rita has been in Nigeria more than 30 years in a variety of ministries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has devoted the past 12 years nonstop to HFVC programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is the director of HFVC which has donors from the USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands and other countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The HFVC has many worthwhile projects including the following:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Rural health;</strong> in particular child immunization,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>prenatal care and health education, i.e. aids prevention, malaria</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Water wells for</strong> remote villages, over 100 wells have been dug since 1999</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Women small businesses,</strong> micorfinacning, some examples are sewing clothing items, making jewelry, batek cloth, milling rice, storing <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>grain and more</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Eye clinic</strong> for examination and fitting of glasses</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Rickets disease,</strong> prevention and surgery to correct the deformed limbs</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Building rural primary schools</strong> and furnishing books for rural schools.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The following day after my arrival, Sr. Gemma and I went with Abigail one of HFVC nurses, an assistant and driver to one of the remote villages to operate a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“clinic day” of immunizations for small children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The roads to the villages are dirt rutted roads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No road repair or grading is done on the rural roads, ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Once they are built the government forgets about them.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The HFVC has an old Toyota Land Cruiser that we bounce around in to the clinic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The villagers do not have cars, unless it might be the village chief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some use a motorcycle or bike and the others walk. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we arrive at the clinic building, women are already waiting with their babies tied to their backs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The typical way African women carry their babies and toddlers is tied on their back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The babies do not wear diapers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each mother has a health record for each child of immunizations etc. She brings it with her so the nurse can document what care was given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HFVC also keeps a health record on each child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mother is required to pay a small amount for the immunization shots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Babies are weighted, shots given and sometimes medicines such as antibiotic or vitamins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It depends on what the nurse feels is needed for the child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sr. Gemma has a nursing background so she assisted the nurse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I helped weigh a few babies and dispensed some medicines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You could tell that the mothers were so grateful to have the nurse come.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This village also had a primary school built by donors of HFVC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I visited several of the classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The school is a very basic rectangle building with large black board in the front, no electricity, water or outdoor toilets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children go till about 12:30 pm. No afternoon classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked why and the only answer I got was the children needed to go home to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The schools don’t meet the standards of the developed countries in any respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">However, I saw many eager children ready to learn.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Progress is being made I tell myself,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>just a few years ago<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>there was not a school here and children received no education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before a school is built in the village, the chief of the village and the villagers have to agree to participate in the building of the school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The donors of HFVC furnish the financial support but the villages furnish the labor and some of the materials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the school is built the government takes it over and it becomes a government school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They furnish the teachers to the school and that is about all they do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If any maintenance is done to the school it will be done by the villagers not the government.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I did two more clinic days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All were important visits for the prevention of childhood diseases like polio, measles, chicken pox etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another bonus is the nurse is able to see how the baby is developing and talk with the mother about the health of the baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the baby is seriously ill the mother is told to take the baby to the local government hospital in Kaduna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The government hospitals have long lines of people waiting for care so you have to get there early in the morning to hopefully be seen that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sr. Rita meets with the village chiefs periodically to keep in touch with what the HFVC is doing in the villages and what progress is being made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day we stopped by to meet with one of the village chiefs about an upcoming meeting/workshop on ecology issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the struggles the area is facing is the cutting down of trees for firewood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Men will go into areas and randomly cut down trees like poachers would do with wild animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Nigeria as well as other countries in Africa their land laws are different than ours in the USA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People can graze cattle on land that is not cultivated whether you own it or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Occasionally you will see some fences but most often the land is open range.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tree cutters treat the trees the same way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately the land is becoming barren, erosion of the soil and loss of valuable trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we went to the remote villages you see small trucks heading to the larger towns loaded down with wood that had been cut in the “bush” country that they will sell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you see the cut wood you know more trees have been cut and none replanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another day we went with Sr. Rita to meet with a District Head Chief at a village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did speak English but was more comfortable speaking the the local language of Hausa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of HFVC staff who spoke Hausa fluently was the spokes person for HFVC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The District Chief invited other men leaders to come to the meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a certain protocol followed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No women except Sr. Rita, Sr. Gemma, Sr. Roberta and me were present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It reminded me how the chief of the village wields a lot of power with decision making for the villagers. He is looked up to as the “go to person” for advice and approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To understand Africa one must understand the tribal culture first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>At the end of the<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>meeting we took pictures with the District Chief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I witnessed how essential it is to walk softly and get the village chief on board to have projects succeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The District Chief expressed appreciation for everything that the HFVC was doing in the villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The HFVC is very careful about making sure the villagers/chief participate in getting the projects up and running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one of the clinic visits I saw that the little clinic building was painted white inside, I asked how that got done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They said the villagers built the mud brick building than painted it too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a simple building but clean and neat. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In another village a local Baptist church allowed HFVC to have the monthly clinic in the church, since they didn’t have a building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each village where they have<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a clinic, they have a village volunteer (health assistant) who monitors the village children and talks with the mothers about health concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He/she is<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sort of a health educator too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HFVC provides<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>training for this person.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sr. Rita asked if I would like to go see a water well being dug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I said, “sure I would”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I met Emmanuel the HFVC staff person who heads up this project about 6:30 am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has been involved since 1999 with over 100 wells being dug.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They write a contract in the local language Hausa that outlines the responsibilities of the villagers and HFVC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The financial cost for the HFVC for a hand dug well including the hand pump is about $1,2000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emmanuel ” witches” for the well and has about at 90% success rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ride with him in an old Toyota pickup filled with gravel to take to the well site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two other HFVC helpers go along too, one fellow is the cement finisher for the well wall concrete forms .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>These three men work in unison with the village men and women, it reminded me somewhat of the Amish putting up a “barn”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></strong>When we arrived at the site, women were carrying water on their heads in big pans and plastic cans and dumping into a barrel near the well site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water would be used to mix the sand, gravel and cement to make concrete walls for the well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dimensions outlining the size of the well had been made the day before and some concrete forms had been made too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The village men took turns digging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some hauled sand in a wheel barrel and others hauled the gravel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They made a circle where sand, gravel and cement were mixed together than water added.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They mixed this by hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The concrete would be used for the forms for the walls of the well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emmanuel told me that the concrete walls would go about ¾ of the way up in the well so the well would not collapse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I estimated the diameter of the well to be about 4 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chief of the village was there and spoke with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also shared with me the need for a primary school in the village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Presently the children walk several miles to go to primary school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told him I would share his concern with the person at HFVC who would come out and speak with him and access the situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area was really desolate, very hot and lots of plastic bag debris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were several new stucco homes in the village, however, most were mud brick 2 room homes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No electricity, no water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area was experiencing very dry weather, the corn or maize as they call it looked burnt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were waiting for the rainy season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <strong> </strong></span><strong>I was so impressed with the organization and efficiency of the water well project.</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can imagine the blessing that so many families will receive with clean drinking water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another day I travel with the person from HFVC, Faith , who monitors the schools in the remote areas that were built by HFVC donors or that books were donated to the schools. She is responsible for about 30 schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we will visit two different villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One where books have been donated to see if they are being used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of all primary education is done by writing on the blackboard by the teacher and the students copying into a notebook (exercise book) if they have one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teachers are not use to using any kind of text books or story books to teach the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>primary school we visited had books donated by HFVC but were not being used often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Faith spoke with the teachers I visited with the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children are taught classes in English but of course they don’t speak it at home so their English verbal skills are minimal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">This is a very poor rural area.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were no<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>school desks or benches in the one classroom, another classroom had some benches with desks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only saw 2 classrooms being used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The children sat barefoot on the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most did not have a notebook or pencil to write with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt most of their parents never attended a primary school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took some pictures of the children and showed them the photo on my camera and they were excited about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also said the ABCs for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave them a big applause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was difficult to leave the children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw myself in them when I was a little child, eager to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How lucky I was to have the Dominican Sisters teach me from grades 1-8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes, we had text books and a small library of books in the front book cases of our school rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith told me after we left the school that she gave the teachers until the following week to come up with a plan on how they were going to use the books or she would take the books and give them to a school that would use them properly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith said she has done workshops with teachers on how to use books in a classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, teachers come and go at the government schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the villages are so remote it is hard to get high quality teachers to ride motorcycles out to teach at these schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is much easier just to teach in the larger cities like Kaduna.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next school we visit is much larger about 6-8 classrooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The teachers there have inquired about getting books from HFVC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith meets with them and they seem very upbeat and enthusiastic about getting books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could see a big difference from this village much larger and more progressive than the previous village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again I was encouraged that the donors’ dollars for HFVC is spent wisely and monitored.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another staff person at HFVC heads up working with the village women in getting small businesses started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hope of course is that someday they will be self <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sustainable without HFVC help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most profitable business so far has been a storage building for grain, mostly rice and corn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The corn and rice are stored in large bags with the owners’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>name on it in a building that the varmints can’t get to. When the price of the commodity is higher in price than they sell it; previously they would sell the grain when they harvested it and of course the price would be low, because the market was over supplied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the problems is always the marketing of the products like beaded jewelry, knitted items, soap etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Presently they have market days in the nearby towns that they try to sell their products at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bought several necklaces and earrings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HFVC helped the villagers get started with a small business with micorfinacning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each women has to contribute a small sum of money for the groups’ account then loans are made from that money. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The women are the ones who do the majority of the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really not sure what the men do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another important project is rickets disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickets%20-">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickets -</a> </span>I had the opportunity to see two children who had surgery for the disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a difference in their ability to walk with straight leg as well as more self confidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rickets have affected many children in several villages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A group of German researchers are trying to find the cause of the outbreak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have eliminated the water as a source and are now doing more soil samples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I was there 3 people from Germany were visiting at the HFVC about the project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cost of surgery to correct the deformed limbs <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(usually legs but sometimes an arm, too) is only about $500 US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sr. Rita said they have about 70 or more surgeries to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A local surgeon in Kaduna is having great results with the surgery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A mini miracle for sure. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also had an opportunity to see about 50 people come to the eye clinic which is held about once a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An optometrist with his large eye case filled with lots of lenses for testing your eye sight comes on a motorcycle. He doesn’t have one of the fancy machines that our eye physicians use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be the first time these people ever had their eyes tested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they get glasses, you should see the smiles on their faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can actually see well.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The country of Nigeria has many struggles. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The country seems to be broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have the south and north divisions as well as Muslim and Christian differences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The government spends lots of money in the capital city of Abuja on building fancy big houses, government buildings and roadways but does little for the other areas in Nigeria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Motorcycles are all over the streets in Kaduna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It appears almost lawless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sr. Rita says it is not safe to drive at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A business man, banker in Kaduna that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I met said the government taxes , paperwork etc is so extensive that manufacturers who might come to Nigeria to set up a business are deterred from doing so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said the cost of electricity would be about 40% of a manufactures expenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course you can’t depend that the electricity will be on during the day or night with any regularity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t see one manufacturing business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big business<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is the refinery on the outskirts of Kaduna. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The government schools are poorly staffed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The private schools are better but struggle too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jobs are few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nigeria like many of the other African countries has lots of natural resources including oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the problem always stems back to the government and its misuse of funds and lack of leadership to give the citizens an opportunity to get jobs and be self sufficient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without a manufacturing base, I don’t see how they will progress. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m struck by so many people living in poverty. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a harsh existence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Lots of pollution in the air and a dusty haze. Everything in the home is convered with dust, floors, curtains, furniture, etc. You would have to dust several times a day to have a really clean environment. People just get used to it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I leave the Hope for the Village Child mission and Sr. Rita with thoughts of what great strides they have made to assist the rural people. Your donor dollars are wisely spent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thank Sr. Rita and the HFVC staff for allowing me to shadow them and learn and witness so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">They are truly earth angels.</b></span></div>Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-21567310497030442492011-03-17T04:46:00.003-05:002011-03-29T23:32:49.641-05:00Christian Foundation For Children and Aging, Kenya, AfricaSunday, Feb. 20 to Tuesday, March 1st, 2011 Kenya, Africa<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya </a><br />
<br />
<b>What a wonderful Mission awareness week.</b> I wish you could have traveled <br />
with me; I know in spirit many of you were there. I arrived at the <br />
Nairobi airport about 9 pm on Sunday, Feb. 20th and the CFCA staff was there <br />
to greet me and others arriving from the states. They held up a big sign <br />
saying, <b>CFCA with big smiles,</b> and a warm welcome in deed. We had a total of <br />
17 who were sponsors of children from the states of (North Carolina, <br />
California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maine, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, <br />
Illinois, and New Jersey) who were my traveling companions for the week. Our <br />
ages ranged from 82 years young to about 30 years old. A lovely diverse <br />
group, the best traveling companions’ one could ever want. Stacy who was <br />
part of our group was a representative from the CFCA office headquarters in <br />
Kansas City, Kansas. The local Kenya CFCA staff took care of us with <br />
graciousness and kindness.<br />
<br />
Some of the sponsors arrived earlier in the week to Nairobi<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi </a><br />
or came that afternoon. We didn’t check in to our lodging at the Rosa <br />
Mystica Spiritual Center until about midnight. We were all tired and especially the folks from the states who had jet lag. All the sponsors met each other the next morning along with the CFCA Kenya staff. <br />
<br />
During morning orientation, Peter who heads up the CFCA Kenya staff gave us <br />
an over view of the projects CFCA is involved in and introduced us to some <br />
of the staff from the different departments. Amos, the youth coordinator, led <br />
us in several songs and we got a flavor of the beautiful African music and <br />
dancing too.<br />
A highlight of the day was the meeting of our sponsored children. My sponsored <br />
child is Jaysie and she will be 12 years old next month. I have been sponsoring her <br />
for about 2 years. Her mother, Judy accompanied her. It was a great <br />
meeting of sponsors with children and their families. Several of the <br />
sponsor’s children were older teens; they have been sponsoring them for as <br />
long as 10 years. One young man is now in Nairobi University doing very <br />
well.<br />
After lunch we went outside and got to know each other better. Jaysie is a <br />
shy young girl but very bright and speaks and writes English well as does <br />
her mother, Judy. All the sponsors brought small gifts to give to their <br />
sponsored child. I also had a gift for Jaysie’s mother. <br />
There was a shopping center in walking distance that had an ice cream <br />
parlor, plus lots of stores. In the afternoon we walked over to the <br />
shopping center with two social workers from CFCA who monitor Jaysie’s <br />
progress, and Jaysie and her mother. I treated them to ice cream and we <br />
called it a” girls day out shopping..” Jaysie has two younger sisters and <br />
one younger brother. There was a department type store in the shopping <br />
center so I asked the social worker if I could buy a small gift for Jaysie’s <br />
siblings, she said that would be fine. I had Jaysie pick out a small gift for <br />
each of them to take home<br />
We walked back to Rosa Mystica and said good bye for the day. Jaysie and <br />
her mother, Judy had about 2 hours to go by local bus home, changing buses 3 <br />
times. We would meet them the next day at the Nairobi Arboretum for a <br />
morning of games and a picnic. Jaysie’s mother said they didn’t get to <br />
bed until after midnight because the children were so excited about their <br />
gifts and wanted to play with them. Judy, Jaysie’s mother was wearing my <br />
gift of a light weight crocheted sweater, scarf and sandals. Jaysie <br />
brought me a gift of a locally made purse and bracelet. How thoughtful and <br />
generous of them.<br />
We had a fun morning of “kid’s games” but all the adults participated too, <br />
including a three legged race, jump rope and singing and dancing. The <br />
arboretum morning was a great way to mix together and enjoy our time <br />
together. We also had short talks from some older sponsored children who <br />
were in university telling the younger ones and the sponsors how CFCA <br />
sponsorship helped them. <b>It was very touching to see the potential being <br />
realized.</b> I took Jaysie over to one of the young women who is in university <br />
and introduced her to Jaysie. I said, “<i>Jaysie this will be you in the <br />
future</i>.” Her mother told me that some of the monthly sponsorship <br />
donations I send through CFCA are being used to send Jaysie to a private <br />
school because many of the public schools have 75 to a 100 students in a <br />
classroom and the teachers are not well trained.. She was so thankful for <br />
Jaysie’s sponsorship. I was overwhelmed thinking <b>my small donation each</b> <br />
<b>month is providing this family with so much hope and a brighter future</b>. Jaysie’s, <br />
mother brought pictures of the entire family with her to show me, including <br />
her husband, Robert the children’s father.A very nice family.<br />
<br />
We said our final good byes!!! They asked me if I would return to visit <br />
them. I said, “I will leave it up to the Lord.” I told them I sponsored a <br />
young boy in Guatemala and plan to visit him the year he graduates from high <br />
school which will be around 2013. If God is willing I might be able to return <br />
to see Jaysie go off to University. We had tears in our eyes of joy. I <br />
thought of them as they left to get on the bus to return to their home, <br />
wondering if I might get to see them again. With Skype maybe that can be <br />
arranged in the future, presently CFCA does not offer that to the sponsors. <br />
Our communication is done through written letters and pictures about once a <br />
quarter. I found out how important the letters and pictures are to the <br />
sponsored children and aged, so I will be more conscientious in the future <br />
with writing promptly<br />
<br />
In the afternoon we toured the small CFCA headquarters in Nairobi. They <br />
showed us how they keep each child’s record, finances etc. Presently a lot <br />
is done by hand but they plan to convert a great deal of the record keeping <br />
to computer in the future. The social workers have anywhere from 200 to <br />
275 sponsored children or aged as their clients. To keep track of each of <br />
these sponsorships is an amazing task. I felt very comfortable when I left <br />
the CFCA offices that money wasn’t being spent foolishly on lavish offices <br />
or furniture. Very modest in deed. <br />
<br />
After dinner we all packed and repacked for our next CFCA visits which would <br />
be for 6 days in outlying areas. Our little gray bus and our capable <br />
driver, Richard and CFCA staff, Stephen, Amos, and Regina from Nairobi would <br />
be traveling with us. We had become a CFCA family. They had to load our <br />
luggage on the top of the bus. So it mean’t lifting it up and taking it <br />
down several times in the next 6 days. The guys were great in handling it <br />
all.<br />
On, Wednesday, Feb. 23rd we headed out of Nairobi for about 3 hours on some <br />
paved roads but also some that were under construction. Our driver, Richard <br />
had a lot of work ahead of him with motorcycles, bicycles, big buses and <br />
trucks on the road, plus pedestrians walking on the shoulder of the road..<br />
The Nairobi weather was very nice, warm and sunny but cooler at night. However, <br />
as we journeyed to Nakuru <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakuru">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakuru </a>the heat began plus lots of dusty roads. We got <br />
to Nakuru about noon and just dropped off our luggage and went to the <br />
restroom. Our next stop was to have lunch with some of the sponsored CFCA <br />
community of ladies. These ladies may or may not have a child or aged that <br />
is sponsored by CFCA but they are helped in some way by an extended family <br />
member who might be sponsored. Also CFCA is working with Mother’s/Women’s <br />
groups to aid them in micro financing to start small businesses; such as <br />
raising chickens to sell eggs.<br />
After we left our hotel in Nakuru we headed out on small dusty rutted roads <br />
like cow paths in the country, the little gray bus was having a hard time <br />
trying to go over all the bumps, ditches etc. What you really needed was an <br />
army jeep or caterpillar. We didn’t really know what to expect. We thought <br />
we were just going to meet some nice ladies and have lunch. After about <br />
an hour or so bumping around on the bus a little tired and hungry here we <br />
see a group of ladies on a hill singing and dancing welcoming us. It is a <br />
scene that I will never forget. Out in no man’s land these wonderful ladies <br />
dressed in beautiful African dresses in the bright sun waiting for us with <br />
open arms. They had prepared a homemade luncheon for us. Lots of wonderful <br />
local dishes including mutton, fermented milk, rice, beans, ugali, chicken, <br />
salad, fruits and more. I tried a little of everything. They brought <br />
pillows for us to sit on under trees for shade. How they got all this food <br />
in big pots carried up to this spot I don’t know. But I am sure it was all <br />
hand carried for miles by these ladies. After we went through the buffet <br />
line then the ladies ate. I walked around and tried to shake every ladies <br />
hand and thank them for the wonderful food and hospitality. We took <br />
pictures together with them. <b>I thought of my mother and her lady friends <br />
from the farming community of Willowdale, Kansas. How much sacrifice and <br />
hard work they would do for others.</b><br />
After lunch we visited one of the sponsored children’s home in the country <br />
and saw the chickens that were part of the micro financing business. The chickens were <br />
really healthy looking and kept in clean quarters. The mud brick home was 2 <br />
rooms, living room and another room for bedroom. I’m sure some people sleep <br />
in the living room too. Much of the cooking is done outside on charcoal <br />
fires. Of course there is no electricity or running water. I do remember <br />
seeing a hand water pump which was wonderful to see. At least they have <br />
clean water. Most often a water pump is shared by many families. *It <br />
was a day to never be forgotten.** * We said good bye to these lovely <br />
ladies. On the way back we had to get out of the bus so it could maneuver <br />
up a hill, our weight was too much for it.<br />
When we got back to the hotel in Nakuru someone cleaned the hall floors and <br />
steps which were like linoleum and they put oil on them to make it shine. <br />
Well it was like a skating rink, it is only by God’s graces that one of us <br />
didn’t fall. I proceeded down to the bar and had a cold local beer, Tusker<br />
lager. It was very tasty. We had dinner at the hotel and went to bed <br />
early. We were leaving tomorrow morning at 5:45 am for Lake Nakuru National <br />
Park for an animal safari. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nakuru">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nakuru </a> We saw rhinos, baboons, gazelles, African <br />
buffalo, storks, flamingos and more. We all enjoyed the safari and headed <br />
back about 10 am for a late breakfast then bags to the bus to be loaded for <br />
our journey to Kisumu which is about a 3-4 hour drive. We stopped half <br />
way on the journey in Kericho at the Kericho Tea Hotel which is located on a <br />
tea plantation for a late lunch. You could see that this at one time was a <br />
grand place but no maintenance had been done for years. The same situation <br />
in Kenya as in Tanzania, maintenance of buildings, roads, grounds, plumbing, <br />
and electricity is not done.<br />
We arrived at our next place to stay in Nakura, Santa Anna’s Center. Here I <br />
shared a room with Karen from New Jersey. She was a great room mate. Santa <br />
Anna’s was in need of a new cleaning crew. No AC of course, but we did <br />
have a wall fan that we put on plus used our mosquito nets. The first night <br />
we took cool showers, but they managed to fix the hot water and we had warm <br />
showers the following days.<br />
On Friday, February 25th we meet the Kisumu<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kisumu">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kisumu</a> and Bondo (Bon) project office <br />
staff and sponsored families. Lucy heads up this project with the able help <br />
of Lawrence and other staff. As our bus pulls up to an area a band of <br />
young men are welcoming us. They are dressed in professional band uniforms <br />
but lack the normal band instruments that our USA students would have. But <br />
it didn’t matter, they had a drum some cymbals and plastic made to do <br />
instruments, and performed for us with skill. Some of the band members were <br />
sponsored children. If anyone has contacts with school band/students who <br />
might be buying new instruments and would like to donate their instruments <br />
this would be a great place to do it. I think of all the musical <br />
instruments that are sitting in people’s garages, basements or closets not <br />
being used.<br />
The day was spent in celebration of our arrival to their area. We had lunch <br />
prepared by the women’s groups, reading of poetry by children, singing by <br />
children lots of dancing by everyone including all of us. We had a large <br />
tent so that kept us from getting sun burnt. The ladies made us all “straw <br />
hats”. How nice of them. There were about 300 people in attendance. Lynn <br />
and Terri of our group who are both choir members in their respective <br />
parishes each sang a hymn as a thank you. They did us proud. It was also <br />
very special to meet some of the aged who are sponsored by CFCA. I talked <br />
to many of the children that are sponsored and spent some time visiting with <br />
two bright young ladies who are in high school. One of them is on a tennis <br />
team and is able to travel to different areas of Africa playing tennis. I <br />
asked her how she got on the team; this is not with the school she goes to. <br />
This is sponsored by a private group. She said she tried out for the team <br />
and was chosen. I thought what a wonderful way for her to be able to expand <br />
her knowledge and meet people in different places. So often the young <br />
people in Africa never get out of their immediate area unless they go to a <br />
University or are fortunate enough to go to a boarding school. Most of their <br />
parents do not own cars and cannot afford for them to travel.<br />
<br />
It was a great day!!! Thanks Kisumu CFCA.<br />
The next day we traveled in our bus to another remote area called Bondo town <br />
about 2 hours over dusty road construction roads. We had to shut and close <br />
the bus windows constantly. It became a joke. Lawrence from the Bon <br />
project would shout “close the windows” when we were coming upon dirt roads <br />
with flying dust, then when we would past the area he would shout, “open the <br />
windows”. He knew every little detail about the roads including upcoming <br />
speed bumps. We stopped on the way to visit Kit-Mikayi archaeological <br />
site: This rock formation dates back to pre-Christian times. Most of us <br />
climbed to the top of the formation. After that we made several home visits <br />
to sponsored children families. All the homes very modest with mud floors, <br />
clean and no electricity, running water etc. Seeing some of the families’ <br />
homes is a big eye opener for most of us. We also visited the Bon project <br />
offices. Again very modest.<br />
<br />
It is hard to believe but it is Sunday, Feb. 27th. After Mass we head for <br />
about one hour to Ahero town to another CFCA project called Nyando. This <br />
area has sugar cane farming as a major source of income for the region. Many <br />
people are subsistence farmers. We meet several sponsored families in our <br />
home visits and also meet an aged who is sponsored by CFCA in her home. We <br />
meet about 25 women who are in the mother’s/women’s groups. I walked with <br />
one of the women and she told me that the group recently bought a big <br />
outdoor tent to rent for income and they want to buy plastic chairs also to <br />
rent. They each have to give 100 Kenyan shillings a month to the group as <br />
part of their micro financing project. That would be about $1.20 in USA <br />
dollars. We also saw a goat project that the women are involved in of <br />
selling goat milk. I held hands with these wonderful women, wishing them <br />
God’s blessings. They felt like sisters to me. Very welcoming, generous <br />
ladies who work hard to provide for their families. Many of children in <br />
this area have experienced HIV deaths of both parents. So they have <br />
guardians, older sisters/brothers and grandparents who take care of the <br />
smaller children. The women give us a basket of gifts, mangos and honey <br />
from their bee project. The aged lady who is a CFCA sponsored gave 2 clay <br />
pots for cooking and a gourd to our members. What a generous gesture.<br />
We had a full day and will head back to Nairobi tomorrow morning. Back to <br />
repacking the bags.<br />
<br />
Monday, Feb. 28th is a day of travel back to the Rosa Mystica Center in <br />
Nairobi and a clean room with hot water. Yippy!!!It is about a 6-8 hour <br />
ride. We will stop at the hotel Kunste that had the slippery floors for <br />
lunch which is about midway. Some of the group bought really nice in <br />
expensive gift items in the gift shop there. So I thought I might browse <br />
for a few things. I found some inexpensive jewelry. One of our group, <br />
Lydia who grew up in Kenyan but now lives in California was a great <br />
bargainer. So before anyone made a substantial purchase they would get <br />
Lydia to do the negotiations. Also Regina from the CFCA office in Nairobi <br />
helped with the purchases. Many of our group bought beautiful baskets and <br />
sisal purses. Very artistic and colorful. Lots of beautiful carved wooden <br />
items.<br />
After dinner we had a final reflection time together and a trip review.<br />
<br />
Tuesday, March 1st is our final day in Nairobi. After breakfast the group <br />
heads out to the Mathare Valley subproject for CFCA. It is about a mile <br />
away from Nairobi downtown. The area has about 800,000 people living in the <br />
second largest slum in Nairobi. Lynn from Florida sponsors a child who <br />
lives in this area. I elected to stay back and work on my pictures to <br />
download for my St. Joseph Girls Hostel mission. Unfortunately after about <br />
2 hours I had to give up on the project. Using land line to download about <br />
90 photos and emailing them is a challenge. Many Kenyans live behind walled <br />
structures with security guards around the clock. <br />
We had lunch at the Center then most of us headed out to the Giraffe Center <br />
in a very exclusive area of Nairobi. Beautiful trees and landscaping. It <br />
would be like a country club area in the USA. You can see that Nairobi is <br />
very cosmopolitan town with the real wealthy and then the very poor. I’m <br />
sure there is a middle class too. I was told the land is very expensive in <br />
Nairobi and the cost of living very high.<br />
At the Giraffe center we got to feed the giraffes and learn more about the <br />
three types of Giraffes in Kenya. It was a nice outing.<br />
Kenya is a beautiful country. It appears to have a higher standard of <br />
living than Tanzania. The agricultural areas are more cultivated. I saw <br />
more tractors in Kenya than I saw in Tanzania. Kenya is suffering from lack <br />
of water at the present time. They grow lots of roses for exporting to <br />
Europe. English and Swahili are the national languages. However, in the <br />
more remote areas you will find them speaking first in their “tribal <br />
language”. So many Kenyans speak three languages, Swahili, English and <br />
their tribal language. <br />
We had an early dinner about 6 pm at the center then boarded the bus, bags <br />
on top of the bus for the Nairobi Airport. Most of the group was heading <br />
backing to the USA on flights leaving about 11pm. My flight to Abuja, <br />
Nigeria didn’t leave until 3:30 am but I went with the group because it was <br />
too far for them to take me later. After I checked in about 10 pm I met up <br />
with Lynn and John from California and Terri from Colorado. We had a beer <br />
and wine together before their flights took off about midnight. John and <br />
Lynn were going through Dubai and changing planes and Terri was going to <br />
Sweden on business then back to Colorado later in the week.<br />
It was definitely a memorable 10 days. I would recommend anyone who wants <br />
to see how your donation dollars are spent with CFCA to take a mission <br />
awareness week.<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Thanks CFCA staff for a job well done.</span></b> <br />
Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-23599682004220019082011-03-05T06:01:00.002-06:002011-03-29T23:33:05.659-05:00Greetings from Kaduna NigeriaHello to all.<br />
<br />
I am just sending a short blog because of the limited internet connection I have. I am behind in posting to my blog and I apologize for that....the access to computers to download pictures and post is very limited. I tried desperately in Nairobi, Kenya; but after 2 hours of work I had to give up. I am trying now to download photos from St. Joseph Hostel in Songea, Tanzania. I am at a cyber office but the electricity went out so now they are using a generator to keep us connected.<br />
<br />
Briefly my week in Kenya with the the awareness mission week of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging was such an eye opener. I left Kenya with a new perspective of what one person can do to help someone. I met my sponsored child, Jaysie and her mother. It was heart warming to know so little of a donation can go so far to bring a brighter future to a child, aged and their families. <br />
<br />
I am having a wonderful stay with Sr. Rita in Kaduna, Nigeria. I arrived on Wednesday late afternoon. A special addition was having Sr. Jemma (from western Kansas) and Sr. Roberta (from Ohio) who are in Ohio at the Dominican "headquartes" visiting Nigeria. They will be leaving for the USA later today. Sr. Rita and her staff are doing marvelous work here. I will write a blog later with details on the CFCA Mission Awareness Week in Kenya and my present week at the Hope for the Village Child mission.<br />
<br />
I will journey to Ghana later in the week. Hopefully I can do some blog posting this week.<br />
<br />
I appreciate those of you for blogging and emailing me. It is good to hear from you.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
DianeDiane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-17475673050941433062011-02-22T10:46:00.006-06:002011-03-29T23:33:13.948-05:00St. Joseph Hostel Songea, TanzaniaGREETINGS to all!<br />
<br />
It was hard to leave <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="4.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Manyoni</span>. The sisters, students and teachers made me feel like I was part of their family. But leave, I must on Thursday, Feb. 10th early in the morning for a car drive to <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="5.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Dodomo</span> about 1 ½ hours on a good paved highway. I will take a bus to another town named <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="6.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Morogro</span> about 5 hour bus ride and stay overnight in <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="7.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Morogro</span> at the Adorers retreat/conference center. Sr. Rosemary picked me up by cab, it was about a 15 minute ride. We had a little lunch together than I took a short nap before we walked to a near by <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="9.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Carmelite</span> priests’ chapel for holy hour. Some sisters who I had met in <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="10.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Merlini</span> Center in Dar also arrived in the afternoon. It was good to see familiar faces and meet more wonderful Adorers.<br />
<br />
I spied a small hot water heater in the bathroom in my room. I thought wow what a treat, a hot shower tonight. Well, not to be so…after dinner the electricity and water went out. Sr. Rosemary left a pail of water at my door so at least I could wash up a little. That is the way it is in Africa…so you just accept and go on. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="11.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Morogro</span> has a beautiful mountain range in the distance and tends to be cooler than Dar es Salaam or <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="12.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Manyoni</span>. Sr. Rosemary told me we should leave by 6:30 am for the bus station. The bus started in Dar es Salaam at 6:00 am and the first stop would be <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="13.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Morogro</span>. The bus ride would be about 10 hours long. The Sisters purchased a bus ticket for me in Dar to make sure I would have a seat. Sometimes the bus is completely filled when it arrives in <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="14.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Morogro</span>. I got a ticket with a seat assignment.<br />
When I boarded the bus another lady had my seat and would not give it up. A lady in a full burka, you could only see her eyes invited me to sit next to her, which I did. She spoke some English so we had a nice visit on our journey to <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="16.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Songea</span>. She told me about some of the Islam customs and she read for a while out of her Koran. Friday is the Islam’s day of observance.<br />
<br />
The bus was very old and looked liked something from the 50’s, no air conditioning and dirty, but the scenery was wonderful. It was mountainous as we rode through a national park. I saw a mother elephant with her baby taking shade under a tree. The terrain was a combination of Tennessee, Kentucky, parts of Florida and the mountains in Pennsylvania. Most of the area is all small plots of farms, with lots of pineapple, pears, <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="17.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">mangos</span>, tobacco, rice, corn, and other vegetables. I saw 3 tractors on the entire journey. All the fields are cultivated by a hand hoe. Water is very scarce. I keep looking for water pumps as we go through small farm villages, but I don’t see any. Just women and children carrying pails of water from dirty rivers. The roads on this journey are in need of repair. It is a two lane road with lots of hills, winding roads and very narrow. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ev" goog-spell-original="Busses" id="18.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Buses</span> and trucks know no speed restrictions…they go as fast as they can. The only thing that slows them down are very big speed bumps in the small villages. It is like riding a roller coaster at 6 Flags park, but much more dangerous.<br />
<br />
Tanzania appears to have a wealth of farm land to be cultivated. I don’t understand the ownership system with land and why more of it isn’t cultivated. Of course you need machinery to cultivate large plots of land. The farmer just gets enough from his land to feed his family and purchase a little extra food. There is no way to get ahead the way the farming is done now. I did see a few large plots of land, one was with pineapple but I did not see a sign indicating Dole, like you see in Costa Rica. I could never get an answer from anyone about the farming system.<br />
<br />
The farm houses along the bus ride are typical of what I have seen before. Mud brick homes, very small, cut out holes for windows, no <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ev" goog-spell-original="electricy" id="19.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">electricity</span>, no running water, and dirt all around. No lawns or flowers around the homes, a very dismal sight. I saw children of all ages in uniforms going to school, both private and public, so maybe this is where the hope lies for Tanzania. I have been told that the public education system for primary and secondary is really pretty poor. For days some teachers don’t show up for classes and the headmaster does little.<br />
<br />
<br />
I arrived in <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="20.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Songea</span> at 8pm on Friday. Sr. Jackie was at the bus stop to meet me with a cab. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="21.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Songea</span> is like the old wild west, fairly wide downtown streets mostly dirt with little shops along the way, no sidewalks. Everyone is selling a little bit of everything from food to pots and pans, to auto parts, and of course all the fresh foods, including meat hanging with flies around it. For the next week my home is with Sr. Jackie, (American, Ohio) Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="22.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Malathi</span> (India) and Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="23.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Nilza</span> (Brazil) all of the St. Joseph Congregation.<br />
<br />
The St. Joseph Hostel is for girls mostly high school age. They live at the hostel and walk to school in <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="24.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Songea</span>. Some go to private and some go to public school. Most of the girls are from the surrounding <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="25.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Songea</span> area. At the present there are 46 girls. The hostel is built to accommodate up to 60. Twenty six of the girls have sponsorship from some friends of the St. Joseph sisters in Italy. These are girls who have done well in primary school but don’t have the fees for school, parents are very poor. Some live in houses with dirt floors. The hostel is God sent. The girls get 3 meals a day, a very nice new building, with bedrooms (4 to a bedroom) modern toilets, and showers. Plus classrooms to do home work and also for remedial classes. Most of the girls had to be taught how to use the bathroom fixtures. Flushing a toilet was new to them.<br />
<br />
Sr. Jackie and Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="54.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Nilza</span> have most of the daily responsibility of the girls. Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="58.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Malathi</span> teaches in a local primary school. It is called the St. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="62.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Jospeh</span> Primary School but does not have any connections to the St. Joseph Hostel. Sr. Jackie and Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="66.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Nilza</span> teach English and other courses to the girls in the evening and on weekends. They want the girls to get the best grades possible so they can continue with their education. They also bring in part time teachers for math and science. On my last night at the hostel, I went to say goodbye to the girls. In the dining room a girl who is doing very well in chemistry and would be equivalent to a junior in high school was teaching a class for the younger students. The students had their hands up asking questions and very attentive. It brought tears to my eyes, to see such dedication in a dimly lighted room, with only a black board and chalk and notebooks to copy the information, no text books, no audio visuals. The hostel uses solar, but on rainy days no sun, so very dim at night.<br />
<br />
The sisters live across the street from the hostel, a matron comes about 6 pm each night and stays to about 6:30 am. The girls leave for school starting at 6:30 am. They walk from 30 minutes to an hour to school. At night the matron is not there, Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ev" goog-spell-original="Jacke" id="129.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Jackie</span> or Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="130.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Nilza</span> stays at the hostel. The Sisters house is an older building with few modern conveniences to speak of …they have no running hot water. If you want hot water, you heat it. Cool showers are the name of the day. All wash is done by hand and hung on the clothes lines.<br />
<br />
The sisters are wonderful!!!! They are really missionaries in the true sense of the word. I know the girls are too young to appreciate the sacrifices that the sisters make for them…but when they are adults they will look back to this experience and I’m sure will be grateful. My two aunts, Sr. Emma and Sr. Lillian who were St. Joseph Sisters would be so proud of the Sisters and what they are doing for these girls and parents.<br />
I spent some time with the girls just visiting and also studying with them. I taught a geography lesson by explaining where I came from in the USA and my route to Africa and where I was going after I left Tanzania. Sr. Jackie had just purchased a world atlas. I had them find all the places I have traveled. They thought that was quite fun. They were anxious to point out different countries and cities on the map.<br />
<br />
On Saturday evening they did a special dance and music for me, with drums. It was really fun.<br />
I asked Sr. Jackie what I could do for a special treat for the girls. We decided on buying sodas and popcorn in a big bag that is popped fresh in town. The girls were so happy and very thank<span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="216.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">ful</span> of my little gift to them.<br />
I went with Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="218.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Malathi</span> to the grade school on Monday and visited her classes and taught a little geography too. We went by "picky picky", that is a motorcycle. I rode on one and Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="229.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Malathi</span> rode with another driver. The roads are treacherous and no stop lights in <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="234.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Songea</span>. But we made it safe and sound. Thanks to St. Joseph.<br />
<br />
The girls are given a variety of responsibilities including, doing their own laundry by hand, ironing, cleaning rooms, bathrooms, classrooms, gardening, and grounds keeping. Plus dining room responsibilities. It is great training for them to become ladies who can manage a household of their own.<br />
<br />
I made dinner for the sisters one evening and invited two priests near by and another Brazilian businessman who sponsors one of the girls and is always ready to lend a helping hand to the sisters. We had a nice evening together. I learned how to <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ev" goog-spell-original="sauté" id="272.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">saute</span> chicken with a wood fire in the stove. <br />
<br />
The sisters are up early and don’t usually retire until about 11 pm. They know the girls well and really act as their parents. Can you imagine having 46 girls in your house?<br />
<br />
The hostel is in need of some things to help the girls learn English better and other subjects. As well as recreational equipment such as maybe a bad <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="299.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">minton</span> set etc. I will make a list of needs with Sr. Jackie’s help and share it when I get back home.<br />
<br />
My stay at the St. Joseph Hostel was wonderful. I gained a better perspective of what special people there are in the world like Sr. Jackie, Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="316.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Malathi</span> and Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="317.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Nilza</span>. God Bless them and the work they do daily for the girls and their parents.<br />
<br />
I left <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="324.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Songea</span> at 6 am on Friday for the 14 hour journey back to Dar Es Salaam. It was a more modern bus but a very wild ride. A man even had a box of live chickens on the bus. We only made one restroom stop and that was for 10 minutes. The other break was on the side of the road, but I declined to get off. I didn’t drink much water. The sisters sent me with hard boiled egg. homemade bread and cake that Sr. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="345.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Nilza</span> made, yummy.<br />
<br />
After I arrived at the big bus station in Dar Es Salaam, I noticed 6 goats being taken off another bus from the storage area beneath the bus. How did those goats <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ev" goog-spell-original="survie" id="361.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">survive</span> in heat and diesel fuel? The Adorers sisters from the <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="365.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Merlini</span> Center picked me up and I stayed with them Friday and Saturday night.<br />
They brought me to the airport this morning (Sunday) for a flight to Nairobi at 11 am but the flight had problems so my flight is now going tonight about 8:30 pm. I will be joining the other people from the USA in Nairobi for a mission awareness week with the Christian Foundation of Children and Aging.<br />
<br />
I will download pictures of the Mission of St. <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ev" goog-spell-original="Jospeph" id="389.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Joseph</span> Hostel in <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ew" id="390.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Songea</span> later when I can use the computer for a longer period of time.<br />
<br />
My <span aria-haspopup="true" class="ev" goog-spell-original="expereience" id="398.sc" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">experience</span> so far has been so educational and I am so grateful for the fact that I was born in America. The people of Tanzania have been wonderful to me. I now leave Tanzania for Kenya.<br />
<br />
Blessings to all of you,<br />
<br />
DianeDiane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-90458069000530158542011-02-09T05:17:00.006-06:002011-03-29T23:33:26.473-05:00AMANI GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL MANYONI, TANZANIA<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Greetings from <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Manyoni</city>, <country-region w:st="on">Tanzania</country-region></place></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I traveled to Manyoni <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font: x-small arial,sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #13774a; line-height: 15px;">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/<b>Manyoni</b></span></span> from <city w:st="on">Dodoma</city> the headquarters in <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Tanzania</country-region></place> for the Adorers last Thursday, Feb. 3<sup>rd</sup>. I went by car with one of the sisters and their driver. It took about 1 ½ hrs on a well paved two lane highway. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">There are approximately 15 sisters at Manyoni in Singida region of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Tanzania</place></country-region>. The sisters work in different ministries like catechetical, parish work, nursery school, teaching in schools and health services. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVimIE2GSPo6pTe67jlxt2HFpZ2ngpWQMMiJ21j4XhqzgCpDCf0Z7pG4JOzKxbvqgVhyityGVuZngAi3B9cT7xX-cdbYzXPb-yg_v-l_I-nxFQ62x_OnDTebu_cKSG_4PklqksRDwHeyS/s1600/DSC07709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVimIE2GSPo6pTe67jlxt2HFpZ2ngpWQMMiJ21j4XhqzgCpDCf0Z7pG4JOzKxbvqgVhyityGVuZngAi3B9cT7xX-cdbYzXPb-yg_v-l_I-nxFQ62x_OnDTebu_cKSG_4PklqksRDwHeyS/s320/DSC07709.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amani Teachers - Happy Teachers make Happy Students</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I am staying with the sisters at the <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Amani</placename> <placename w:st="on">Girls</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Secondary School</placetype></place> (Amani means Peace in Swahili). There are about 8 sisters here. Some teach in the girl’s school several do health care work. The sisters have a sister’s home on the property, plus garden and also a separate building for aspirants who are in studies to possibly become a sister.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The girl’s school is a boarding school for approximately 260 girls from within about 150 miles of Manyoni. Some come further away. The girls live in dormitories some large with 50 bunk beds in one room others maybe 20-25 bunk beds. They are very modest rooms. For 50 girls their might be only 3 toilets which would include a shower, sink and toilet in one room. There are no closets. Each girl has a small suitcase, towel and blanket for their things they keep on their bed. Extra clothes are kept in a store room in a metal type suitcase. The girls wear a brown pleated skirt, white blouse and cardigan sweater. Black shoes and white socks. When school is over they change into a T-Shirt and a different skirt sometimes. No slacks are worn. The toilets are what you call Asian style with a hole in the floor. Not a sit down toilet. Often when we think of boarding schools we think of luxury. This is not luxury but adequate for the girls. Most of these girls do not come from wealthy parents. But parents who want to see that their daughters get an education. The fees for one complete year (two semesters) from January to December 1<sup>st</sup> are 1 million <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Tanzania</country-region></place> shillings that include board and room, uniform and books. Some of the parents can’t pay the entire fees so the sisters try to get donors to help sponsor the girls.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">There are 14 teachers including 4 sisters and the rest lay teachers. They teach the typical things we do in secondary school, math, physics, chemistry, history, geography etc. The classes are taught in English (British accent) so I have a difficult time sometimes in understanding them and they me. But we manage. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Most of the instruction by the teachers is done with blackboard/whiteboard. They do not have one audio visual equipment…no projectors, DVD’s etc. The computer teacher has computers about 30-40 none of them have internet access. He does not have power point to give them instructions on Word, Excel etc. He has to go from student to student or uses a whiteboard. Very difficult as you can imagine.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">All the teachers are in need of a lap top that they can use with power point and project on the walls for instruction. Of course they need the ability to show DVD’s that are pertinent to their subject. For instance, I was invited by one of the History teachers to speak on World I. The students had never seen a film on World War I. Hard to imagine.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I also taught English in Form 1 and Form 4 class. I discussed where I was from and how our typical USA high school student might be like, differences and similarities. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">There is only one internet connection for the entire school in the principal’s office. It is a land line. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Adorers came to Manyoni in 1969 and started providing education to the children without selection. They first established a home craft school for girls who lived in the little town of <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Manyoni</city></place> and the villages in the surrounding area of Manyoni. Later they established the secondary school according to the needs of the time. The secondary school is a 4 years, Form I through Form 4. In <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Tanzania</place></country-region> the high school is a 6 year program. So when the girls finish here at Amani then they will go back to their homes and hopefully most of them will pursue 2 more years so they can go on to college.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Adorers are in the planning stage of seeking to build a school near by where they have some land for a school that would include Form 1 through Form 6 then the girls would be ready to pursue college if they passed the national exam. The school here is not large enough to house more girls for Form 5 and 6. The school here would continue but would have more vocational courses. Presently they offer tailoring as a vocational course. I spent one morning with the students in tailoring teaching English. We had a great time. The girls have a very good sense of humor. They can read English quite well but speaking it…they are very shy. Of course the problem is like any foreign language you have to speak it to become fluent. The problem as I see it is that they speak in their mother tongue Swahili when they talk to each other so only converse in class with the teacher in English.. That is also a problem with the teachers; they revert back to talking to each other in Swahili. The reason English is encouraged in fact required is that if they want to go on to college they will have to be proficient in English. All classes are taught in English. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The class day begins at 8:00 am and ends at 3:10 pm. The girls have one delapated outdoor basket ball court that needs resurfacing badly. They have a volley ball field which they like playing very much. Their PE courses are really don’t exist as we have them in the <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">USA</country-region></place>. I know the girls like physical activity. Hopefully in the future they could have more PE like tennis and softball. The weather is conducive to playing sports outside all year. They do not have a track or stadium.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I could go on and on but will just a few additional points:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Library very very limited only a few books, no audio visuals, no librarian, books locked up and students must go to secretary to check out or use a book…</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Laboratory for biology etc…very very very limited most teaching by theory because they don’t have materials for experiments</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Teachers need laptop with power point for instruction desperately</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Teachers need better access to internet for their research and lesson planning</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Students need a language lab in the library for developing better English skills (ear phones with computer etc)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Library needs a TV with educational DVD’s for all subject areas taught</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Library needs lots of books relevant to the subjects taught as well as novels etc.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The students have one TV in the dining room which acts as their common room. Their is no recreation area. They are allowed about 1 or 2 hours of viewing on Saturday. A large screen with a projector for showing DVD’s and some TV programs would be a special treat.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The students are not allowed to have cell phones, radios, mp 3 players etc.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The dormitories need some <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">very needed</b> renovation and maintenance. The school buildings have deteriorated due to long period of use without adequate repair. This seems to be a problem in maintenance. Electric and plumbing repair is badly needed. One of the problems is that there are no local craftsman in this area who can do electric and plumbing. You must remember that many of the rural homes do not have electricity or running water. They carry water for miles to their home in plastic large jugs.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The school is fortunate to have good running water.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The pictures are an array of photos in no certain order. But all from the Manyoni area.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">On Sunday, Sr. Lucina and I went with one of the Precious Blood priests, Fr. Geofray from the local parish about 6 blocks from the school to two outlying little villages. The priests 3 of them minister to the parish here in Manyoni and 23 outlying (stations). They might get to each (station) once a month. The people in the village are so grateful to have the priest come to say Mass and be with them in prayer. It was a wonderful experience going over dirt roads in the priest old <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Toyota</city></place> pickup some roads are like cow paths. We left at 8:30 am and returned to the sister’s home about 2:30 pm. The villages were about 5-15 miles away. I only saw one other car on the road during our travels to the villages. Most people walk and some have bicycles and just a few motor scooters. Neither of the two villages have a water pump. People must walk miles and miles to a dirty river to get water. I saw two women carrying 5-10 gallon jugs on their head. I asked father what they are carrying, he shouted out to the women and they said water. I thought it might be grain of some type. I said a prayer for those women. How strong and courageous are these women. Another women walked by caring a little baby on her back covered with a shawl. Father spoke with her in Swahili and then interpreted the conversation to m e. She had come about 8 miles trying to get help for her baby who was vomiting. She came to this little village because there is a maternity center there. However, it was Sunday and the nurse was not in the center. So she went to look for the nurse in the village. I never saw the women again. My hope was that she was able to find help for the baby. It seems impossible at times that life is so difficult for some.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The Adorers have next door a <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Day</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Hospital</placetype></place> would be like an outpatient clinic. They do deliveries as well as take care of out patient type of illnesses. There is a public hospital several blocks away. However, I’ve told it is not a very good hospital. Unfortunately the Day hospital does not have x-ray but does have a lab. A doctor comes and goes. At the time I don’t believe they have a full time doctor. One of the sisters, Sr. Delfina who is a midwife goes to the <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Day</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Hospital</placetype></place> each day. When I was at the hospital on Saturday she was attending to two patients adult women with malaria who was getting IV’s. She would be there for 3 days and a small child about 1 year old possibly with malaria. Sr. Delfina is Italian and has been here for many years. She speaks fluent Swahili but little English.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The sisters take turns cooking each day for themselves. They make very tasty food all fresh. No recipe books, just simple dishes. Typically rice, potatoes, red beans, a Chinese leaf vegetable that is similar tasting to our spinach, sweet potatoes that taste some what like ours but are white in color, bananas, mangoes, pineapple, porridge, stiffen porridge millet hot cereal, cumbers, okra, onions, garlic. They usually only use salt for seasoning.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">They usually only have meat on Sunday and Monday.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I ask them if I could make a dinner for them and they said yes. So yesterday with the help of Sr. Lucy and Sr. Basilisa, I made Chicken Vesuvius, fresh carrots, potatoes with the chicken baked, salad of fresh green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers (they do not use dressing) so I made some with oil, vinegar, salt and oregano. Then for dessert fresh pineapple with fruit smoothie and fresh coconut and cheese. The sisters enjoyed the dinner and it was fun to prepare it with the sisters.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The sisters begin their day with prayer at 6:00 am then Mass and don’t eat their dinner meal till about 7:30 pm. On weekends they might take a siesta in the heat of the day but during the week they are all busy with their projects.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Tomorrow I leave Manyoni for my journey to the next mission in <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">Songea</city>, <country-region w:st="on">Tanzania</country-region></place>. It will take me 2 days to get to Songea. A bus ride about 14 hours. I will be visiting with the St. Joseph Hostel for Girls. A small school of about 60 girls from rural area that live at the school.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I’ve enjoyed my stay with these lovely sisters, teachers and students. Everyone welcomes you with a kind smile and a handshake. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I’m sorry that the post have been infrequent but computer is limited as well as the electricity almost goes off daily sometimes for 5 hours. <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Tanzania</place></country-region> is experiencing very dry weather with a reduction of water generator electricity.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">If any of you reading this blog have extra laptop for power point use please keep <place w:st="on"><placename w:st="on">Amani</placename> <placename w:st="on">Girls</placename> <placetype w:st="on">Secondary School</placetype></place> in mind. I can give you more specifics on a needs list when I get back to the <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">USA</place></country-region> in April. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Blessings to all,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Diane </div><img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVimIE2GSPo6pTe67jlxt2HFpZ2ngpWQMMiJ21j4XhqzgCpDCf0Z7pG4JOzKxbvqgVhyityGVuZngAi3B9cT7xX-cdbYzXPb-yg_v-l_I-nxFQ62x_OnDTebu_cKSG_4PklqksRDwHeyS/s320/DSC07709.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 345px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 235px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-40508301113525232652011-02-03T04:04:00.003-06:002011-03-29T23:33:50.814-05:00Starting My Mission Journey with The AdorersGreetings! I arrived to my first mission stop with the Adorers of the Blood Christ on Sunday, January 30th in Dar Es Saalam, TZ. I was met at the airport by two wonderful smiling faces, Sr. Theresia, headmistress of the Adorers Center, Johana Merlini Nursery and Day Care Center and their driver, Ambrose. They had a placard with my name printed on it. It was a welcome site since I knew no one. I gathered up my luggage and off we went by car to the center about 1 hour drive from the airport. Even though it was Sunday the traffice was heavy, but Ambrose is a proficient driver and weaves in and out of the lanes. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dar_es_Salaam">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dar_es_Salaam</a><br />
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I settled into my room at the Sisters home which is on the same grounds as the school. I met all the sisters (seven) then we enjoyed dinner together. Sr. Stella is the director of the entire center in Dar Es Saalam. (Dinner is about 7:30 pm after evening prayer in the chapel.) They have a daily schedule of Mass at 6:30am about a 10 minute walk, (parish temporary Church building, St. Thomas Moore) then prayer in the chapel at the Sisters' home, breakfast about 7:30am. Breakfast food varies, but it is always common to have homemade bread rolls, with homemade jams, mango, orange and a mixture of fruit jams. Fresh bananas, mangoes, pineapple are always present. They are fresh and delicious. Sometimes porridge which is like our cream of wheat. It is quite tasty with sugar and a fresh orange juice squeezed on it. Most of the sisters drink hot tea, however, they have made me espresso coffee with hot mail; which I like very much.<br />
Children for the school from ages 2-6years old start arriving about 7:30 am and sometimes sooner. The sisters have a mini van that picks up children and parents also walk their children to school or a few have cars and bring them. All the children wear uniforms which the parents are requested to furnish. The tuition fees range about $100,000 TZ shillings a year which would be less than $100 for the year. If the parents can not afford the total fees they are asked to pay a portion. The remainder of the fees come from donors. <br />
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The school is divided into 3 classrooms, Love (2-3yrs), Hope and Peace for ( 4-6yrs.) At the present their are about 60 students enrolled. They go all year except for a break for the month of June and December. And Easter week. Classes start about 8 am and last till about 12:30 am. The school employees 3 lay teachers and then Sr. Theresia is the headmistress(Principal). They have a cook and an assistant who maintains the school grounds and assist the cook. The children have a tea and cookie break about 10 am then recess in the playground. They have good playground equipment for small children, slides, swings, titter totters. The children appear to be healthy and happy. They provide lunch and juice for the children about noon then they depart about 12:30 - 1:00pm. Lunch might consist of rice sauteed with tomatoes and onions and red beans cooked with maybe some seasonings and a little coconut oil. It is quite tasty and nutritious. Two teachers go with the driver to drop the children off at their homes and one teacher stays and monitors the children who will be picked up by their parents. The teachers end their school day about 3:30 pm.<br />
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The other sisters have various work assignments at different catholic parishes. The sisters take turns in cooking for the day. One day I helped one of the sisters make fruit smoothies. They had never had one before. They enjoyed it very much. Another day we made pizza for the dinner meal. Carrot pizza. Homemade dough, fresh carrots finely grated then mixed with a little oil and salt to marinate. This was the only topping on the pizza with a little finely grated Parmesan cheese. It was quite tasty. The other pizza was made with fresh tomatoes, diced and sauteed with fresh garlic. This was the topping with a small amount of Parmesan cheese. We made 4 large square pans about 18 inches square. They fit in a pizza oven (Italian) that was heated by wood/charcoal outside. The left over pizza was eaten at breakfast.<br />
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The foundress of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ was Sr. Maria DeMattias of Rome, Italy. Thus the pizza oven from Italy. The sisters' home is a three story stucco building with tile and terrazzo floors very much like the Italians have with high ceilings for the heat.<br />
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Sr. Theresia had a large poster board that she needed printed for the School Timetable (Schedule) for 2011. I suggested that I could do that for her. It was about 2 ft. by 3 ft. I measured everything carefully then printed all the information in pencil then proceeded to go over the printing in different color magic markers. It was a fun project to do but it took me forever. But it got done. Sr. Theresia wanted to put the roster of students' names in the computer in alphabetical order but couldn't find the function in Word to do it. After a little praying and a lot of looking I found a function for sorting....low and behold we could sort by fields of information, viola...names either first or last could be alphabetized.<br />
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The Merlini School is trying to teach English for all the classes and then have one designated class for Swahili. They are in desperate need for childrens' books' in English, (ages 2-6 years old). The teacher had one book in English for teaching but that was all. The teaching is done mostly by verbal and repetition. Those of you receiving this blog and want to help with books for the children I know it would be God sent. It would also be good to have books with African/American children in the story. They also need basic children's games in English for counting and learning the ABC's and reading. Most of the children at the school very seldom see others of light colored skin. I took pictures which I will download later and post to the blogspot. When I took their picture I would also show them the picture in my viewer which they would scream with laughter.<br />
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I had a wonderful stay at the Merlini Center for 3 nights and 2 days.<br />
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Sr. Stella accompanied me by bus to the next Adorers mission in Dodoma. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodoma">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodoma</a> It is about a 7 hour bus ride on a paved two lane highway. It is traveled a good deal by buses and trucks. I had planned to take the bus by myself but Sr. Euphrasia who is the Director of the Adorers in Tanzania and located in Dodoma thought it best for Sr. Stella to come with me. Glad I was. Ambrose took Sr. Stella and me to the bus station about 8:30 am. It was about a 45 minute drive. I asked what time we would take the bus they said about 11:00 am. I was curious why we would leave so early but thought it best not to say anything. Time in Tanzania is very flexible as I found out. When we got to the bus station their where dozens of buses with a variety of company names on them. No timetable was seen anywhere. Lots of men clamoring to take your luggage and motioning a lot. Ambrose handled it all well. After much discussion it was decided that we would take the Shabby Bus and it would leave at 11:30 am. I looked at my watch and it was 9:30 am. It was already very hot and humid. We stood outside trying to find a little shade and boarded the bus at about 11:30 am but it didn't leave the station until noon. Ambrose went inside the building and bought our tickets. I think the fare one way was about $10. Sr. Stella bought some juice, water and wafers for us to snack on. I had my protein bars with me too. I offered one to Sr. Stella but she said she was fine with juice and wafers. There were hundreds of men and women with boxes of things they wanted to sell you. Sunglasses, eggs, fruit, cookies, bread, water, juice, soap, watches, t-shirts....you name it. It was like a flee market only they were walking around carrying a box and trying to get you to buy something. I had a feeling a lot of this stuff was from China. The bus from the outside looked very modern. It was pretty worn inside but was suitable for the journey. It had two tv screens in the aisle and air conditioning. However, the ac never went on...it reminded me of the early 1950's without ac in the cars on a hot and windy July Kansas day. I don't know what the weather temp was; it felt like about 95 degrees and humidity about 95. Very dusty. Once we got started the loud TV's went on with some B movie with Asian actors speaking English. I read a book and took a nap. We made one stop in a town called Morogoro about 4 hours in the journey. We got off the bus for a look around. Very congested...again the same scene...lots of people trying to sell you fresh carrots, fruit, juice and cooked food. I ventured to an ouside toliet...it was pretty primitive but I managed to make do. I carry toilet paper and handi wipes where every I go. I'm just about out of handi wipes so will hopefully find some soon.<br />
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We made one more short stop and Sr. Stella bought some fresh cashews(Tanzania grows cashews and peanuts) that had just been roasted from a man who had them in small cellophane wrappers. There were maybe 6-10 men selling the same things. They must buy them from a roaster then resell them for a little more to make money. I also so a women with a basket of peanuts she had a cup and would give you one or two to taste then if you wanted to buy a cup or more she would give that much.<br />
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We arrived in Dodoma about 7 pm and was met at the bus station by the Adorers' driver, Paschal. Sr. Stella had a cell phone so she communicated to the sisters in Dodoma when we were about to the bus station.<br />
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The Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Dodoma share a compound with the Precious Blood priests. The priests have a seminarians studying here. There are also several young women in preparation to be a sister.<br />
We had dinner together about 8 pm. After dinner I went to my room and was in bed by 9:30 pm. I've had the luxury to have a bath in my bedrooms at both of the missions. Water is scarce so I try to use very little when I shower. I get wet first, then turn off the water, soap up then put the water back on to rinse. My hair is short so I shampoo fast and let it dry on its own. In fact when I was in Dar there was a beauty salon...like our old barber shops across the street from the sisters' home. I needed the back hair trimmed so one of the sisters walked with me to the salon to interpret for me and she trimmed the back shorter. It cost me about $1. I gave her a tip too and she was grateful. Sometimes hot water is not available so you do with cool or warm water which is perfectly fine. <b>The temperature in Dodoma is much cooler and drier.</b><br />
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This am we went to Mass on the compound at 6:30. The mass was said in English. In Dar it was said in Swahili. I believe the seminarians are learning all their subjects in English. There is a push in Tanzania to learn English so you can go to secondary school and then to University. <br />
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I have been told their are as many as 120 tribal dialects in Tanzania. Some rural areas may only speak their tribal language and not even Swahili which is the mother tongue of Tanzania. The more rural the less likely anyone can speak English. <br />
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After breakfast I did some computer work and then visited the two classrooms of children. These are very poor children from 2 years to 6 years. Some have uniforms but I doubt any fees are accessed. The children walk to school by themselves are might be accompanied by an older sibling or parent. They are here till about noon. They are given a hot meal and juice before they leave. And also a refreshment break in the morning. <b>Again no books and no playground equipment.</b><br />
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In many of the public schools in Tanzania they go in two shifts...early am leave their home at 6 am till about noon then a second group comes from about 1 pm to 5 pm. This is do to overcrowding in schools.<br />
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<b>I will end my post for today.</b> I believe my schedule will now take me later today to the Adorers Manyoni Mission where I will tutor and teach some English. My stay with the Adorers has been so very nice. They are very kind and hospitable. Most of the sisters are not proficient in English but can understand enough that we can communicate. Sister Melania who set me up on the computer has very good English skills. I explained to her I had bills to pay on line which was a new concept to her. She works in the office here at the sisters compound so she reads and writes in English.<br />
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There is so much to say but I hope you can get a glimpse of Tanzania through my travels. One more thing...the electricity can go off at anytime...sometimes there is a schedule announced on tv or the radio but often it just goes off. The sisters have generators so they can get it back up and running for the necessiates. I carry a flashlight with me at night. My wonderful Coleman flashlight. It comes in very handy..<br />
DianeDiane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-39356738200951155622011-01-27T16:08:00.002-06:002011-03-29T23:34:00.433-05:00Here's My Interview With KFDI!Click the link below and hit the "PLAY" button to hear my interview with KFDI radio out of Wichita!<br />
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<a href="http://www.kfdi.com/podcast/bkpodcast/114497939.html">http://www.kfdi.com/podcast/bkpodcast/114497939.html</a>Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-58413124896212693332011-01-22T14:39:00.005-06:002011-03-29T23:34:10.123-05:00WE DID IT!!!<div class="MsoNormal">Saturday, January 22, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5OaLt7bDjeHNiXeyysdLtY5TpUHKpIz0bA9QesJRqA4f7YoVMxYSLLGsGCRY29Bih6qw3NRMRVsGhf9PTZFtxIq2UtWOXZo3xFhlBQEMq375OBzCQ99QbfGDdJ6mPfxu2B4K8WpitMyi/s1600/KILIMANJARO.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5OaLt7bDjeHNiXeyysdLtY5TpUHKpIz0bA9QesJRqA4f7YoVMxYSLLGsGCRY29Bih6qw3NRMRVsGhf9PTZFtxIq2UtWOXZo3xFhlBQEMq375OBzCQ99QbfGDdJ6mPfxu2B4K8WpitMyi/s320/KILIMANJARO.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We did it!! Bob and I climbed to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro!! 19.340 ft at 9:20 am on Friday, January 22<sup>nd</sup>. Tanzania time. The 7 day climb of the Machame Route was <b>absolutely awesome.</b> It is hard to put into words. Each day brought us a new environment from rain forest to very arid areas; when we started on the lst day of the climb it was 86 degrees and at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro 19.340 feet it was in the 30’s. We did have a few freezing nights but on the whole we had <b>absolutely great weather.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Each day we had a new challenge from huge lava rocks/boulders to climb to narrow paths only made for one to pass and if you took a misstep it would be fatal...</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQc224-wwefL4SZZHf-aQqqhzR0JvKzxtgPeQeYOBzhrxnirVcL3Z2qXAXi5D-AOYnFop836h9pHk9M98zsHWYaNzJSTKYIn75htDxMExC3xJ6tVMN63TUGnL9_t413ny80wm_dGl9Ypt/s1600/DSC06543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQc224-wwefL4SZZHf-aQqqhzR0JvKzxtgPeQeYOBzhrxnirVcL3Z2qXAXi5D-AOYnFop836h9pHk9M98zsHWYaNzJSTKYIn75htDxMExC3xJ6tVMN63TUGnL9_t413ny80wm_dGl9Ypt/s320/DSC06543.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We just arrived back to Arusha about 5 pm today. All of us exhausted. (6 in our group). All of us made it to the top. Excellent success rate. Ages in our group ranged from 38 years to 72 years. One man in our group, Mark from Houston, a former NFL player, said he had never been so physically exhausted than when he finished the descent from the summit. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We had a great climbing crew to support our efforts. A total of 27 men, 3 guides and 24 support team of porters. Everything is carried up and down the mountain by the porters. No vehicles. The porters carry about 4-5lbs of personal items, sleeping bags, mats and maybe a coat. Then they carry about 40 lbs of trekkers gear, tents, kitchen tent and cooking utensils, supplies, food for eating, mobile toilet, dining room (big tent for 8 people),water and much more. We move from camp to camp each day as we make the climb, so each day you pack your duffel bag and the porters take care of the tents and transporting your duffel bag. You take your day pack and water bottles, rain gear and extra clothing for either dressing warmer or if too hot taking off a layer. You have to be very versatile in how you dress. Layering is very important. Each night we were briefed by the tour guide either Emmanuel or Go Listen (brothers). They grew up in a large family of 10...5 boys and 5 girls. Both are well spoken in English and very energetic. Emmanuel who guided me on the ascent to Mt. Kilimanjaro has climbed Mt. Kili 80 times. I don’t believe there was a better person to look after me. He knew I wanted to make it to the top and he assisted me so it was accomplished.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmcHgMNJlnUFUJ4B1KMCRDar_PPMLaS8324jU09BEoiTQeSqLUc0z2CflTL8E35EQQGwwIlKPhRzwh4CwfDK7pKhxb_4L_3pSRT7CzjMlq2yjNhRIq9ohn4xQSff3g6NuUTp3lHTQhVgX/s1600/DSC06557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmcHgMNJlnUFUJ4B1KMCRDar_PPMLaS8324jU09BEoiTQeSqLUc0z2CflTL8E35EQQGwwIlKPhRzwh4CwfDK7pKhxb_4L_3pSRT7CzjMlq2yjNhRIq9ohn4xQSff3g6NuUTp3lHTQhVgX/s320/DSC06557.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I have lots to share with you about the 7 day climb but frankly I am exhausted. Tomorrow we meet in the lobby at 6:45 am to start our journey to the Safari in the Serengeti.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I called KFDI 101.3 Wichita yesterday but was too late to reach Brian on the air of the Brian and Kellie morning broadcast from 5am to 10 am. I spoke with Brian at 11:10 am on Friday. Too late for live broadcast. I thought Kansas was 11 hours behind Tanzania time but it is 9 hours. I will try to call in to the live broadcast on Monday January 24<sup>th</sup> from the Serengeti. Once the segment is aired I will post it to the blog and send out an e-blast. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanking all of you for your prayers for a safe and successful climb…on both counts it was a great success. I credit your prayers in helping me and my climbing partner; Bob make it to the Snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I will post a few pictures tonight and more later.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’d enjoy hearing from you, please leave a blog comment.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Diane </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-83116726999519032992011-01-15T14:22:00.009-06:002011-03-29T23:34:21.188-05:00What a journey to Africa!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hGMY06D6L95NZ8bgQpnEIDJLJ6gvbfx0IDJuAC_1cKmCQlPQfwXdMaQjqsZ32FuCI3mxCupGPKoqiJ2eMbhZZsentwjF36dTaCXuzgeWj1oq8SLbv27Os2xBEcUP0pCULrfOl3emQXaR/s1600/DSC06337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0hGMY06D6L95NZ8bgQpnEIDJLJ6gvbfx0IDJuAC_1cKmCQlPQfwXdMaQjqsZ32FuCI3mxCupGPKoqiJ2eMbhZZsentwjF36dTaCXuzgeWj1oq8SLbv27Os2xBEcUP0pCULrfOl3emQXaR/s320/DSC06337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arusha">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arusha</a> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What a journey to Africa!! The weather in Kansas and other parts of the USA made it a challenge in arriving in Arusha, Tanzania. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arusha See the flight routes we had scheduled to take on <a href="http://adventurediane.blogspot.com/p/travel-with-diane.html">Follow in my Footsteps</a>. We both departed Wichita on January 11. My flight out of Wichita was delayed due to weather problems in Chicago, but I did get out and made a connecting flight to Philadelphia. When I got off the plane in Philly my name was called with two other people to <b>Board Now</b> for the Zurich flight. I was the second to last one to board. As I got on the plane I asked, "<i>Will my bags get on?"</i> And of course the standard answer was, yes! Do I need to say anymore! You might guess the rest of the story. It is now almost 10 pm TZ time on Saturday, January 15<sup>th</sup> and no luggage for me yet. Lots of phone calls but nothing seemed to move the luggage closer. I felt better this afternoon when someone in the Swiss baggage area told me the luggage would be arriving tonight in Nairobi and then they would send it on to Kilimanjaro. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_RHIkjNeMxlcUVOidMFYzcBW-Q3FnYyxQWW22_OcTu0EI82WF7w4jGm9wfkXb95g0BtsuWIr4rvnpnyPb44aQwxPyBI4f3gMQEh6UvuXEvuflUDgVbY_zQJ2sQXzhRpNeoeTs12fYJsj/s1600/DSC06353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_RHIkjNeMxlcUVOidMFYzcBW-Q3FnYyxQWW22_OcTu0EI82WF7w4jGm9wfkXb95g0BtsuWIr4rvnpnyPb44aQwxPyBI4f3gMQEh6UvuXEvuflUDgVbY_zQJ2sQXzhRpNeoeTs12fYJsj/s320/DSC06353.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Bob, left on January 11<sup>th</sup> but was diverted to Minneapolis to avoid the Atlanta weather problems. In doing so he had to stay overnight in a hotel in AMSTERDAM and then travel the following day. He didn’t mind because he thought he might take a quick tour of the city, but when he arrived it was pouring rain so he stayed in the hotel and got some rest. Bob took both of the big gear duffel bags as checked luggage because his fight pattern was better than mine and hopefully the luggage would follow along well. You guessed it, my duffel bag with my gear came off but Bob’s didn’t. Same story, his is supposed to come in tonight. I have high hopes for his luggage…oh, by the way Bob’s luggage went to Budapest, Hungary. Maybe they were picking up some snacks for the climb. We’ve sent a driver to the airport to secure the luggage. The airport is about an hour away from the hotel. It will make for an interesting evening. If the luggage doesn’t arrive, Bob will rent some gear and we will buy snacks to take along plus a few other items. </div><div class="MsoNormal">The weather has been very nice in Arusha it is like a nice warm fall day. The people we have met are very nice and cordial. But you must go slower or give yourself high blood pressure. The hotel accommodations are adequate but have some unique qualities. For example, there is only one electrical plug-in for the entire room. So there is a lamp on a bed stand by the bed, but no plug in!! The usual no wash cloths and toilets that work and don’t work. From the bedrooms, we have beautiful views of Mt. Meru. We are on the 8<sup>th</sup> floor and take the steps up and down to keep in shape. I’ve slept quite well but Bob is suffering from lack of sleep. He has been worrying about the luggage which is understandable.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bob had his 72<sup>nd</sup> Birthday yesterday. I asked the pastry chef to decorate a small cake with a couple of candles. She did a very nice job. We were so full after eating dinner we decided to save it until tonight. We shared it with some really nice folks from Iowa who we met this morning at breakfast. They are here for 3 weeks doing mission work at a local hospital. This is their second time coming to Tanzania. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Today we met our climbing group, two couples from Houston, Tx. They arrived late last night with their entire luggage. They appear to be in their late 30’s early 40’s. The guide for our climb is a young fellow who seemed to be very knowledgeable and explained what our days would be like. He reemphasized that we would go slow. Music to my ears. He will pick us up at the hotel about 8:30 am. We will travel to the Mt. Kilimanjaro area. It appears we will begin our first day around noon. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Today we hired a driver and toured around Arusha. The driver was highly recommended by another man we met yesterday at breakfast. He comes to Tanzania for 3 months to volunteer at a hospital where his brother-in-law is an administrator. He doesn’t get any pay but room and board at the hospital. He is from Norway. It is Saturday so many people are out shopping. Lots of open markets with fruits and vegetables and flea market types of clothing. Plus nice small shopping areas. I even found a store that sells Coleman products. We stopped for fresh mango ice cream so good. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I asked about a Catholic church for Mass this evening and found one not far away. Our driver took us by the church and school and I visited with the administrator and several teachers. It is a school from 3 years old till 7<sup>th</sup> grade. Very basic. The compound did include a mini medical clinic. I walked back to the church from the hotel and was able to visit with shop owners on the way back. They were really friendly and eager to talk with me. The small butcher store with hung meat had hundreds of flies on the meat. I didn’t ask to take a picture of that!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jJ0wjDJQia7QWhBT6LvWwHWLc5kb7RPjIRKzswvkuImp4O6kZRLXNUFabQ_0VCnpLBKdWXQqgJZ1R4IAROYmihJMQSTTTLYruahvSXQpJ1ItElPoRqzGTbtiXqsWqLLvHrShSSpFe5Sd/s1600/DSC06364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jJ0wjDJQia7QWhBT6LvWwHWLc5kb7RPjIRKzswvkuImp4O6kZRLXNUFabQ_0VCnpLBKdWXQqgJZ1R4IAROYmihJMQSTTTLYruahvSXQpJ1ItElPoRqzGTbtiXqsWqLLvHrShSSpFe5Sd/s320/DSC06364.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We learned a few words in Swahili J<b>umbo </b>means "hi" or "hello", <b>Mumbo</b> means "how are you?" P<b>oa </b>means "good" or "cool". <b> Asante</b> means "thank you". </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ll close for now and we’ll send my next blog after the descent about January 22<sup>rd</sup>. If all goes well I will call <a href="http://www.kfdi.com/brianandkellie/">KFDI 101.3</a> radio from Mt. Kili on January 21<sup>st</sup> with the Verizon Wireless phone that has been given to me as an in kind donation for use in Africa. It would be during the <a href="http://www.kfdi.com/brianandkellie/">Brian and Kellie morning broadcast 5 am to 10 am show</a>. I don’t know what I would have done without the <a href="http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/index.html">Verizon phone</a> in tracking down our luggage. We will see at the Top!! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks for our prayers and positive support.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Diane and Bob</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div>Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-52404294506617054432011-01-10T03:55:00.006-06:002011-03-29T23:34:39.815-05:00Gear for the Climb is packed....<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;">r <img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSYcJosDaLaQXnjje8-5s3p4lJ3KjHbElgnqSlLA-U9ISjv9UztjhpY1IioxFmkCTzVqZ44VeNPNSsFDW8fX8DzU6NqMnifhFH0x6I6Tf-I82ZeZTV_PxTVNFTtxKj7u7P3iqYqG1ijwp/s320/DSC06314.JPG" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coleman (Mad Dog) Duffel Bags Filled with Combing Gear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bob and I finalized packing the gear on Sunday evening (1/9) that we are taking for the Mt. Kili climb. We will be climbing through 5 temperature zones; it is like going from the equator to the North Pole. It was difficult to decide what to take and what to leave out. The porters will only carry 35 lbs of weight per trekker. Mountain Vision Expedition our outfitter had a list of suggested items. We have all of them and then some. Bob is a great packer! Not only do we have gear and clothes for the climb but important food and nutrients. We will have a cook on the climb that prepares the food, and provides water and beverages. However we wanted to take food/drink to keep us as fit as possible. Bob purchased some lean beef jerky, dried fruits and nuts. I brought the protein bars and Cytomax performance drink (powder) I used in my cycle training for the Century ride in 2007, plus lots of Vitamin C. . We started taking the anti-malaria medicine last Wednesday and will take 1 pill per week while in Africa and then on the return for 2 more weeks. We start taking the altitude sickness medication (Diomox) on January 14th then one pill a day during the climb and then 2 days after the climb. Other than those two meds nothing else is necessary.<br />
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We both feel great. Ready to get on the "big bird" for a journey of our lifetime. Count down to departure is on.....See tab "Follow in our Footsteps" for details of time and routing from the USA to Kilimanjaro. Air miles to Kilimanjaro is just over 8,000 miles.<br />
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My next posting will be from Africa. Please feel free to post on the blog or email us at adventurediane@gmail.com<br />
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We appreciate all the encouraging words and prayers.<br />
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Diane and BobDiane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-35569635024458098462010-12-29T07:16:00.006-06:002011-03-29T23:34:51.870-05:00Diane's Climbing Partner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndYG7Wy2cKdNamJoO8FuOZ4d5yLB8sGqMXgumJtu8eeiIHzRrBeMq96NUleVBn7h4pvjZgoSzwYq_BFabaCz_Z7IvhVZactHfNAbDk_06lq-LgUSdseve-3oLp7JKHgxD8ChExHpQGQD6/s1600/DSC06263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>Diane Molitor Palmer and Robert (Bob) Liebl will challenge the highest mountain in Africa (19,340ft.) together as climbing partners on January 16, 2011. Diane and Bob met through an article witten by sports writer, Bob Lutz, of the Wichita Eagle on September 10, 2010, Wichita’s quest for adventure spans the globe…..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPDPJg9T3At7h4gwae89dwHb-nGmVwZWoWohSVmMyb4DkHcCrl1wMuN3PXmH6CjgW8a3g8Q2-PV-V-UZjaMaGWKp-AbrkZesArDB8CJMocCLbl3cvo15E59SOFj5Qnmp1mVjguQw2Mc1S/s1600/DSC06257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPDPJg9T3At7h4gwae89dwHb-nGmVwZWoWohSVmMyb4DkHcCrl1wMuN3PXmH6CjgW8a3g8Q2-PV-V-UZjaMaGWKp-AbrkZesArDB8CJMocCLbl3cvo15E59SOFj5Qnmp1mVjguQw2Mc1S/s200/DSC06257.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking the hills on 12/30/2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Bob who is a 71 years old and fit has always liked adventure. He has a life long passion for fishing, hunting, backpacking and anything that has to do with the outdoors. Bob and Diane both grew up in Kingman County about nine miles from each other but their paths never crossed until now. Bob read the article in the Eagle and it intrigued him who this woman might possibly be? So he called her and the journey began. Bob already had a fishing trip confirmed to Brazil, to fish in the Amazon for peacock bass. Unfortunately, the dates of the Mt. Kilimanjaro climb and the Amazon fishing trip collided. Diane finding a climbing partner seemed to have struck out, so she would go it alone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iJb-l7lM5mQQ7QYKo0sMHOJn0j0lfCf8kRHCU-envEbyaK5nauXdVZMbCRoV6fbtDIvrfkuERXQ91O8onn4DHsVYrxcC3a8NQV_XemgSF_dXsBNp2zS1y-G4T0P41GCDNWn4X45YnI_L/s1600/DSC06298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iJb-l7lM5mQQ7QYKo0sMHOJn0j0lfCf8kRHCU-envEbyaK5nauXdVZMbCRoV6fbtDIvrfkuERXQ91O8onn4DHsVYrxcC3a8NQV_XemgSF_dXsBNp2zS1y-G4T0P41GCDNWn4X45YnI_L/s320/DSC06298.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final training days at Cessna Stadium 1/03/2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A couple weeks after the phone call, Bob decided to meet Diane at Cessna Stadium and get some exercise. Hence, he began doing some of the training routines at Cessna Stadium stepping the stairs and benches, walking the track. This went on for two months. On Monday, December 20 on a routine training session at Cessna stadium, Bob decided that this would be a once in a lifetime experience to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and go on Safari in the Sergenti that probably wouldn‘t come along again. Moreover, he already had gone to the Amazon to fish several years ago, so the trip to the Amazon was cancelled. And Africa was on the itinerary. After the climb and safari, Bob will head back to Wichita. Diane will continue to travel in Africa until April 1st to visit and volunteer at each of the 5 missions she is raising funds for.</div>Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-396779768834004723.post-4681341253770083952010-11-20T17:59:00.017-06:002011-03-29T23:35:03.063-05:00Welcome to Adventure Diane<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Gearing up to Climb!</span> Thanks for posting on the blog. A great way to keep in touch.Diane Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644374583043357596noreply@blogger.com17