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Report 0ne - 3/25/04
Osee bee a otee an ho ("Greetings to you
and how are you feeling" in Luandan)-
Dear friends-
Our team is doing well in Uganda. As promised, let me share a few
highlights with you about Uganda, her people and our travels. Uganda
is a lovely tropical country located in east Africa near Lake
Victoria, the second largest lake in the world. We flew into the
airport at Entebbe and traveled about one hour to the capital city,
Kampala. Kampala has a day time population of approximately one
million plus people and a resident population of about half that.
Eighty percent of the country's people live outside Kampala. Fifty
percent are literate and the official language is English. Since 52
tribes comprise the country of Uganda, English is the language of
commerce and schools. However, we are learning many Luanda words that
are common among many tribes.
As you would expect, our host families are gracious and intent upon
learning about Colorado. We have already spoken at 5 Rotary functions,
our current record is three in one day. We are looking forward to
meeting the Rotary 9200 District Governor tomorrow night at the first
anniversary of the newest Rotary club in Kampala.
On our first full day in Kampala, we had the high honor of meeting for
over an hour with the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, also a
Rotarian. We discussed current events with him which included:
Uganda's conflict in northern Uganda and its relations with Sudan, the
focus on water projects in the country and HIV/AIDS prevention and
treatment.
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Another highlight of our stay was our travels to Jinja, a town located
at the source of the Nile. Of course, I took a photos of all of our
feet in the Nile waters.
One cultural highlight here is that we eat our evening meal quite
late, between 10 and 11 pm. We learned that this tradition originates
in Ugandan hospitality that encourages all visitors to eat with the
family. To ensure that everyone had arrived, family meals are late to
be all inclusive.
Today we will visit several AIDS treatment facilities, including one
for children. We will also be visiting a flower farm. Of course, we
will end the day at a Rotary club function.
We leave for Arusha, Tanzania on Saturday. We hear that tomorrow night
we will all celebrate with our host families at a local karaoke bar
and disco tech....we are hopeful that much dancing will be involved.
We send your our best wishes and hope you and your families are all
well....
Kat o ko maya (Until we see you again)....-Kimra |
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Report Two - 4/1/04
Jambo Rafikis ("Hello friends" in
Swahili)-
Our team has enjoyed our week in Tanzania. By way of orientation,
Tanzania is located south of Kenya and Uganda and has a population of
33 million. Swahili and English are the official languages although
the country has over 100 tribal groups.
We have spent most of our time in Arusha, a town of approximately
400,000 people. Arusha is located near Mount Meru and about 80
kilometers from the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. Although the weather
has been cool and rainy (a huge departure from our time in Uganda), we
have had several fantastic views of Mount Kilimanjaro covered with
fresh snow.
The two Rotary clubs in Arusha have been welcoming and enthusiastic.
Many of them remember Rotarians from our district and send them warm
regards. Highlights of our time with Arusha Rotarians include visits
to Selian Hospital, Maasae Girls School, a leprosy home and work
program, Ngarmontoni community, numerous water projects and schools
plus four social events/dinners. I have several new ideas for
international projects that may interest Rotarians in our district.
Our team also spent an afternoon at the United Nations Tribunal for
War Crimes, based in Arusha. This UN world court is charged with
investigating and trying the 1994 genocide in Rwanda of over one
million people in the span of 100 days. As you can imagine, the
testimony and proceedings were quite moving. Our team learned a great
deal about international law, Rwandan history and the strength of the
human spirit in the face of overwhelming despair. The tenth
anniversary of the start of the Rwanda tragedy is April 7, 2004.
Please keep the citizens of Rwanda and hopes for world peace in your
thoughts that day. |
Our team was also very fortunate to visit two national game areas
during our stay. We visited Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater. We
saw an incredible variety of animals including 12 lions, 4 cheetahs, a
leopard, elephants, rhinos, hippos (a favorite of mine!), countless
monkeys, gazelles, warthogs, hyenas (as ugly in person as they are in
Lion King!), zebras, ostriches and water buffalo.
For the teachers of three classes of
kindergartens and primary schools whom asked questions about many of
these animals, please let them know that I have many wonderful
pictures to share with them. A photo highlight was a troop of 75 plus
baboons that chose to investigate the vehicle we were in when we
stopped to admire their grooming activities. We discovered that they
were fearless....even of windshield wipers!
The exotic birds have been a delight. The crested crane is my
favorite....it is colorful and reminds me a bit of a teenager with
spiked hair.
We leave for Nairobi, Kenya tomorrow (Saturday). Kenya and Tanzania
are 9 hours ahead in time (10 hours in the winter due to our change
for daylight savings time).
I am thankful for your many encouraging email messages....please know
that I read them all and so appreciate the positive energy that you
are sending our way. I miss everyone...(well, mostly I do, there is
the single exception of Chick Dykeman)...so many things remind me of
family and friends.
Our team is well and hope that you and your families are the same.
Life is good....-Kimra |
Report Three - 4/8/04
Jambo Friends-
Our 8 days in Kenya were among the most memorable of our team's trip.
We've had the honor and wondrous opportunity to stay in six
different areas, from Nairobi in the eastern part of the country
to the furthest western points of Kisumu, Vihega district,
Kakamega, Webuye and Eldoret. We are all well and
enjoying the diversity of culture and people.
By way of background, Kenya is a country of approximately 30 million
people with 10% of the people living in Nairobi, the nation's
capital. It's neighbor countries include Tanzania to the south,
Somalia to the east, Ethiopia to the north and Uganda and Sudan to the
west. In comparison to Tanzania, Kenya is smaller by about 40% and has
3 million less people.
We spent three days in Nairobi, Kenya's capital. As we were leaving
the airport with our hosts, we were amazed to see 20 or so giraffes at
the game reserve adjacent the airport. We felt like we were in a movie
about Africa and the director said "cue the giraffes."
While in Nairobi, we visited several Rotary projects. Two memorable
visits stand our for me: one to a jewelry making factory staffed by
disabled people and the second to an artificial leg factory (and
wheelchair distribution place) initially funded entirely by Rotary. It
was incredible to see this factory fit and custom-craft artificial
limbs for victims of land mines and accidents (ie snakes and lions) in
5 hours. Imagine the joy each of the 600 plus people have each year
when they receive a new limb(s) totally free of charge.
We also visited the memorial garden at the site of the 1998 US embassy
bombing where 200 Kenyans perished along with 7 Americans. The
memorial was a place of peace amidst the bustle and heat ot Nairobi.
In Nairobi, hope lives along side overwhelming need. We saw many
examples of worthy orphanages and schools amidst some of the worst
poverty imaginable. Sadly, Nairobi is home to Africa's largest slum.
As to questions about "lack of transparency" and crime, Nairobi
citizens have much work ahead of them. One Rotary club is taking an
aggressive stand. It renovated a local police station and has started
offering week-long courses for all police officers in customer care.
It has measurement systems in place and we toured the "test" station.
I can assure you that the improvements were huge. |
The next 5 days were spent in western parts of Kenya. Imagine the
scenery of "Out of Africa" with rolling tea and coffee plantations. As
you would expect, rural Africa is charming and challenging. We
experienced genuine
hospitality and kindness. A few highlights include: visits to
hospitals and schools, a tour of a paper manufacturing plant, a visit
to a Shik temple and warm reception parties given in our honor. We
also attended Easter services in a small local church where the joyful
music still echoes in my head.
One extraordinary experience (among so many) happened yesterday as our
team was preparing to leave Kisumu on our way to the airport. Our
gracious hosts, Dan and Patty (both Paul Harris Fellows, with Dan
being the president-elect of the Kisumu Rotary Club), administrators
of the Agape Children's Home for Street Boys in Kisumu, stopped at the
local market for us to look at the soapstone crafts made from
soapstone mined not far from there. As we were preparing to leave, a
very small boy approached us with tattered clothes and clear signs of
severe mal-nutrition and neglect. With the help of a passing professor
whom understood the local dialect, we learned that this young boy,
whose name is Ambrose, had not been able to find his mother for days.
Despite his fear and pain, I will never forget the smile and hand
Ambrose returned to me when I knelt down to reassure him that we
wouldn't harm him. He looked like he might be 4-5 years old. We later
learned he was over 8 years old.
We know from our travels that Ambrose is lucky. Patty and Dan
connected with him and we dropped him along with Patty at the District
Hospital. Tears filled my eyes when Ambrose asked Patty if she would
be his mother
now.
We have seen so many children in tragic conditions..... addicted to
glue sniffing, indenturement and tragedy brought on by severe poverty
and despair. However, despite the pain, there are gardens of hope
throughout Kenya.....one person, one Ambrose, at a time.
This week we are in Ethiopia, the last country in our exchange. I no
longer even try to imagine what we will find and learn here.
Wishing you much peace this week.....Indeed, we're all in this
together...
Kimra |
Report Four - 4/19/04
Tenaystelegne ("Hello, how are you?" in Amharic)-
Ethiopia is a country rich in history and culture. It is unique among
African countries in that it is the only country that maintained its
freedom from colonial rule. Ethiopia is located north of Kenya and in
between Somalia to its east and Sudan to its west. It's population is
66.5 million, or more than the combined population of Kenya and
Tanzania in a land area roughly twice the size of Texas.
Ethiopia is a diverse country filled with mountains and plains, much
like Colorado. The Great Rift Valley traverses through Ethiopia where
the famed fossil "Lucy," the 3.2 million year old skeleton of
Australopithecus Afarensis, was discovered in 1974. Ethiopia is also
famous for its subterranean rock-hewn churches chiseled from bedrock
nearly 900 years ago.
We visited one such church, called Adadi Mariam, and were amazed at
its construction. (Imagine chiseling a church from the stone mountain
at the base of I-70!) These churches are often cited as one of the
great wonders of the world.
Addis is also home to the largest outdoor market in Africa, called The
Mercato. The people, smells, colors and sheer noise of the market will
be long remembered.
Our Group Study Exchange Team spent two days in the capital city of
Addis Ababa attending Rotary District 9200's District Conference which
was held in the United Nations complex. The President of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Girma Wolde-Giorgis, addressed
the conference and thanked Rotarians throughout the world for their
work in polio eradication and poverty alleviation. (Ethiopia was
declared polio-free by the World Health Organization in 2001.)
Furthermore, he challenged Rotary to continue its focus to support
educational initiatives within developing countries.
During the conference, the success of Project Mercy, founded by Marta
Gabre-Tsadick and her husband Demeke Teke-Wold, was highlighted. Marta
gave moving accounts of the people assisted by staff at the school,
vocational training programs and hospital. Project Mercy is helping to
break the cycle of famine in the Yetebon area (located 90 miles south
of Addis Ababa).
Rotary's matching grants program awarded over $400,000 to Project
Mercy, which is actively supported by many Colorado and Washington
Rotarians and volunteers. Our team visited Yetebon and toured the
school, farm and soon-to-be-opened hospital. The "whole family"
approach of Project Mercy to improving a sustainable quality of life
greatly impressed our team.
By way of background, Project Mercy, founded by Marta and Deme in
1977, was approached by the elders of the Yetebon community in 1993 to
assist in the areas of education and health. Marta, the first female
senator in Ethiopia during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, fled
the country with her family in 1974 and eventually settled in the US.
Marta and Deme remained committed to helping their homeland and
founded several programs to assist refugees in countries neighboring
Ethiopia. (For more information about Project Mercy, please contact me
or visit the web site at www.projectmercy.org)
FINAL GSE HIGHLIGHTS:
I asked our team members to list "favorite moments" for the GSE
experience and nearly one hour later we decided that the people,
events and stories that have enlarged our perspectives and lives would
be too difficult to explain. Truly, one of the goals in Rotary's "4
Way Test," to "build goodwill and better friendships," has been
achieved by our Group Study Exchange. However, despite the challenges,
below are a few of the "best picks" our GSE Team thought might
interest you: |
BEST BEER: The winner for "best beer" in
each country as determined by
an aggressive and rather absurd voting method are as follows: Uganda
is
Bell Lager; Tanzania is Safari Lager; Kenya is Tusker; and Ethiopia is
Meta.
Be assured that we sampled many different kinds of beers in each
country to bring you the assessment that TUSKER was our favorite.
As an amusing aside, many beers in East Africa have wonderful "life
statements" on their labels. Here is our favorite "beer fortune" from
Bell
Lager: "Your future is calling. Hear it in your heart. Move yourself
forward. Feel your spirit rising. No doubt about it, you can shine
right through, shine, shine, shine, shine."
BEST FOOD, MUSIC and STARS: Ugali, a cornstarch staple found in Kenya
and Tanzania, was our favorite new food. Matoke, mashed and steamed
plantains, was a close second. We also learned in Ethiopia that food
tastes best when eaten with your hands. We all agree on this point.
And the ritual of washing yours hands at the table before eating is
well worth adopting.As for music, US disco from the 1970's and 80's is
alive and well in every country we visited....somewhat surreal to
listen to "Dancing Queen" in remote parts of Kenya.
And, quite luckily, we saw the famed constellation "The Southern
Cross"
while on safari, and south of the equator, in Tanzania.
FAVORITE ROTARY MOMENTS: During one of the many power outages during
our travels, we attended a Rotary meeting by candlelight. Also,
singing is a staple among the Ugandan clubs..."Lend a Hand" and Viva
la Rotary" were favorites. Finally, we attended 19 Rotary meetings
(excluding Rotary social
functions!) and have the flags to prove it.
As I conclude this last GSE trip update, the sun is rising in
Evergreen, Colorado. I am drinking a cup of coffee made with Ethiopian
beans. Yes, the Ethiopian coffee ceremony in the roadside grass and
mud hut in Addis Baba was most memorable....however, coffee at home
somehow tastes better today.
Yes, we made it safely home. One of our fellow travelers, Craig
Murphy, remains in Africa until early next week. He is currently on
day 2 of his 5-6 day fund-raising benefit climb up Kilimanjaro. Our
hopes for a successful climb and safe return remain with Craig.
I can say with certainty that as a result of this GSE experience, I
have learned to listen more with my heart and eyes than with my
ears... And I most certainly know that "tuko pamoja" (we're all in
this together) is true the world over....
I wish you and your family life's very best. Thank you for your
thoughts and prayers during our journey.
Indeed, life is good.....-kimra
Tenaystelegne ("Hello, how are you?" in Amharic)- |
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