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I am trying to load pictures today, but the internet cafe that I am at is not as sphisticated as the one down the street, which is closed today because it is Sunday. The city is dead after 1pm.

We have no water at Rivendale because the pipes broke as well as no internet. ??
Hopefully by monday everything will be fixed up and ready to go.

I got to see my mom that I stayed with in Katutura when I studied her and I wish I would have gotten her surprised face on camera. I couldn't find her number so I decided to drop by anyway and see if she was around. She turned the corner and saw me and just threw her arms in the air and was soooo happy. I told her I had been here for a couple of days and she said "why didn't you come home right away?" I am going to stay with her for a couple of nights when we return from the north. She is such a strong lady that always has good things to say. Her son Mokoena who is about 10 has grown SO much, and is a lot taller and I am still waiting to see her other son owen, who is about 27, he is a hardworker and was so great to me while i stayed there, taking me out and making sure I was safe.

We met with both christa and abigail these past few days and now have a better sense of what is needed within both their programs. To sum it up, I willpost more tomorrow because i can't access the files on my jumpdrive here, is that Abigail saw it best fit to focus on a group of about 20 kids that are at this point on no assistance from any donors (she has an italian donor that recently signed up to take care of about 200 or more kids school fees unifroms and food parcels/hygene packs.) So we will be helping these 20 kids and we will be able to map the progress over the years all the way up to grade twelve. Annie brought a bunch of letters from a group of 3rd graders so we were all thinking that we could set up a penpal system as well as profile these kids that we will be helping so that we can see their progress over time, know about their home lives and about them-their hopes, dreams, favorites things etc... That is the jist of it but there is a lot more to it. The saturday before Easter we will be hosting a huge Easter egg hunt along with a bunch of other activities as well as a huge lunch for all the kids and staff. THis of course I will get on tape. More to come with that.
In terms of Christa, we went yesterday to see the land that she will be using to build mt. sinai. It is HUGE! we also saw the blue prints for the actualy plan of the building and it looks spectacular...to think that she started all thisfrom a cupboard in her office at the hospital, where ithas moved into her OWN house and now to this fantastic building. So what we are basically planning on doing it getting her started with building, so that we can break some ground before we leave. TOmorrow we meet with her and her bishop to discuss these plans as well as someone that is donating some bins so that she can store the materials in order to keep them safe from people that would want to take them. ON the 14th the mothers are coming to pick up their monthly good parcels and formula, so we will be there that day. We will also be assisting in purchasing more food, formula, water and so forth for the mothers.
I will also be so fortunate to be able to go the hospital and maybe see a live birth as well as get to take a tour of the hospital and witness the conditions aroudn the place. It is the state hospital, it is obviously NOT private and this is where the people go when they are sick, need emergency care etc... its a very modest place, but it probably gets the job done as best as it can with such limited resources.

Time is up. OFf to go grocery shopping for the week.
I will post more pics this week.

It has been a tiring, both mentally and physically, past couple of days and I am happy today I get to rest and compose myself for another exhausting week.

peace
mary

The hospital
Herero Women
More children... FHS school room/auditorium.... Milka and I..

We were lucky enough today to be picked up by Abigail and brought to the center with all the things that Annie had brought with her in her suitcases. Thank you Eunice, the customs officer, for cutting us a break and not making us pay for all the things we brought.. stethoscopes, toys, jewelry, baby hats, blankets, clothes etc… The second we drove into the center Annie jumped out of the car and the kids swarmed her, surrounded her and proceed to give her the most fantastic hugs I have ever seen while I watched and took a couple pictures from the distance. All of a sudden, after Annie pointing at me, I had about 30 kids running towards me to greet and hug me. Was it because I was white and they knew that I may have something to offer them? Or was it out of true genuine happiness and joy that they decided to bombard me with their love?
This went on for a good twenty minutes. I sat down on the stoop and they took over. Surrounded by little ones they were touching my hair and skin and I gave me sunglasses to a young girl and I took my hair out and they proceeded to run their tiny little fingers through my fine, thin hair. Some of them for the first time feeling the touch of a white woman's course hair. Finally, after being helped up by a few children, we gathered in the school yard where they proceeded to sing songs. I forgot my video camera today, so tomorrow I will bring it so I can record the harmonious voices! After interrupting their day, the teachers called them back inside and Annie and I proceeded to make our way up the hill to her friend Martha’s house in the Haukahana settlement. Her house was no bigger than a couple of bedrooms at my house, but she managed to make it warm and inviting. Veronica, her 9 year old daughter who is HIV positive, greeted us. I saw the maturity and responsibility in her eyes. She proceed to go fetch her mother and we waited while she came back.. Martha, who is in the picture in the brochure in the front, was weezing from the walk up the hill. She was all smiles and hugged “ Ms. Annie” and was so pleased to see her. I sat inside with her daughter Milka, two (see pictures) while Annie and Martha tried to discuss as best they could without an interpreter about how they had been, how martha’s health was and what she had been up to. Annie has been sponsoring Martha by giving her some money to buy things and Martha was explaining to Annie how she has been using the money- buying school clothes for her children, paying off water bills etc... THe joy of that meeting was watching Milka play around the house. She went outside to go to the bathroom and after her clothes got a little wet, she went inside and changed into her beautiful pink shirt and teal pants. It took a little while for her to warm up to me, she instantly remembered annie, but after giving her a few funny faces and hiding from her with my sunglasses she opened up just like any other 2yearold. We played and she took out her skateboard and enjoying the rides up and down the floor. I took out a pack of stickers that I brought for the children and gave her a section. Her eyes lit up and she kept repeating something in Oshivambo and pointing to the stickers, calling " Meme (may-may), Meme (mother, mother) and holding up her stickers to show her. The stickers were of cats and dogs so I started making those noises in which she proceeded to copy me and say the words for cat and dog in oshivambo. Just like any other 2 year old in this world, she took pleasure in the simple things and laughed when we played hide and seek and wanted to show me things. It was very hot out so it was nice to seek some refuge from the sun in Martha's house. Our time was up because we had to go fetch our things from the school before it was locked up so that we could go to the hospital and deliver to Charlotte the hats, blankets and some clothes that Annie's friends so graciously made for the little babies in the AIDS and ante-natal wards. Charlotte was out sick for the day so we dropped off the hats and one of the nurses or what they call sisters asked if we wanted to see the babies. Of course!! we said. The ones they brought us to were all in incubators except one. This one, (see pic) was "not sick" meaning he didn't have HIV and the mother had put him up for adoption. We asked if we could hold him, he was so tiny and precious. All I could think of when I held him was how this boy could take any path in life. It all depended on his parents, on who would want to take responsibility for him. The mother was undergoing counseling to make her final decision. She already had two children and felt that she could not support a third under the conditions that she was living. Valid reasoning.. There is so much behind that though. For instance, one fo the girls that annie has worked closely with over the years had a baby a couple of months ago and only told annie a few days before she arrived. Annie was saying how she was depressed and sad last year because she didn't have a child, like many of her other friends her age (22). She felt incomplete. Now she has a baby girl, gift, and meeting her for the first time I saw the joy in her face, yet I also saw how scared and worried she was when her and annie finally met again face to face. I saw it in her face that she knew that annie would be a little disappointed in her because Annie had given her resources to go to school and get a job and things like that. My point is, these women/girls are faced with a dilemma. They are faced with two separate cultural choices to make. Do they choose the path that most girls in their communities do, have children-many of whom are left without fathers and continue to be trapped OR break out of that cycle- choose to use protection/birth control and use education as a tool to break free from the cycle that is plaguing their communities... So many things go through my mind, and their is only so much you can do because in the long run it is their decision. It comes down to choice and as much as one can say you can get stuck in a cycle (which is SOOOO true), it takes courage and strength to step out of that and take a different road. I just hope that women all over the world realize that it is okay to be strong and break free of the cultural expectations that society holds on them...ie having babies to be complete.

Anyways.... it was a long day filled with two opposite ways of life.

The thing is.. I can remove my self from it. I have the opportunity to take a step in it and then leave to my comfortable bed by the pool, to eat a huge meal and feel full with tons of left overs that could feed a family of four. They dont have that choice, they are in it. It is something that haunts me and that stays with me where ever I am in this world. To see such complete polar opposites yesterday reminded me how easy it is to separate yourself from such things. To live your comfortable life and not even think about those that are suffering out there. To close your eyes to it, to not recognize it. Its right there, even in the US, it is there. So what do you do then? For me, I just can't ignore it. I am here to observe and what I see is this:

two completely different worlds.

One filled with privilege

One filled with despair, hunger and disease.

Yesterday I met both abigail and christa and they are just amazing. Two different missions yet they converge in so many ways. The underlying themes are so prevalent in their work. Women, children, AIDS hunger, education counseling, health, water etc...

Their work is loaded with social welfare issues and the one thing that is the most important theme, i believe is education. educating on health issues educatiing women on their choices-sexually, mentally, physically.. all that stuff.

Making sure the children and fed and are receiving good health care.

AHHH! the differences between things. The fact that hospital just recieved linens for their beds/rooms.

Things are growing no doubt..

Christa started her program in a cupboard and now she is building a place.

Abigail is finally trying to formally put things together by applying for a social welfare organization status so that things are more accountable and she can receive more money/grants.

Slowly and surely these women, who have feverishley worked, are strengthing their programs and trying to reach more people.

FHS currenly pays for over 140 kids school fees.

All the kids last year that were int he program are now in formal school and now she has another 200 kids she feeds and is trying to get into school. GROWING GROWING GROWING. and its with your help that this is possible.

Today we meet with abigail to discuss a plan of action. Where things will go and how they will be divided up.

Yesterday we shortly met with Christa and discussed building, which will start next week. On April 14, all the women and children will be coming to collect their monthly stipend (formula food water....) so I will for sure video tape that.

Saturday we will be at FHS will all the children of the community where they will sing songs, play football, eat and be happy. I will be video taping that as well!

Its been so amazing here and So many thoughts are run through my head every second of the day. Its been a blessing and I am extremely grateful to be here and witness this amazing work that these women do!

Although it is in the works, i see the progress being made and I see it coming together so well! Like i said before, little by little, child by child we can change this world. It is wonderful to have see these women and to know that we all want this world to be a better place. Through the struggles it can happen. I have faith.

I hope all is well with everyone. It is sunny, hot and beautiful!

More to come.... I need to go get new adapters for the electronic stuff we brought because everything already blew out. BOOO!

PEACE!

Mary

WHere ever you go there you are!

Ahh. Im here. FINALLY! it is amazing, beautiful gorgeous green and brown.. we brought the rain with us! which is a good thing. Can't write much now, but today was filled with extreme polarization. A day in the settlements, a drive at night through the rich areas. Too many emotions, but the kids hugs solve it all.. If you ever need love, I tell ya go to a school here and they will bombard you with hugs and affection.
I am going to write tonight and post it tomorrow with some pics of our day today. I finally met both Abigail and CHrista and they are so amazing, they are so committed to their causes and it inspires me to go out and do something.

More tomorrow.

!!!!!! I cannot contain my excitment, this is finally happening and im so grateful for everything and everyone that has made this possible


Good night.

mary

Leaving on a Jet Plane

We leave here in t-minus 4 hours to amsterdam for a 8 hour flight. Then another 10 hour flight to jo'burg. Get there around 945pm, spend the night and take off the next day at noon.!!! A good 36 hours of traveling is always good for the soul.

I would like to give a huge THANK YOU!!! to all those that made this possible, who donated their time and money in helping this cause out.
More importantly, I would like to thank my mom for driving me every morning to work so that I could make enough money to support myself on this trip. Love ya ma!
What would this world be without moms???
ANd also, my family for supporting and helping me in making great decisions about my life. Love ya fam.

I must go now and get everything in order...


THANKS again everyone! for everything!


Peace,
Mary

a little abstraction for yall.
its my brother owen looking out the window of the room I stayed in while I was staying with his mother in Katutura.

Article

Here is a link to an article(http://allafrica.com/stories/200702020514.html) that talks about the President of Namibia, Hifikepunye Pohamba (high-fi-key-poon-a Po-ha-mba) Say that 12 times in a row! and his goals for the future. He touches upon the UN millenium goals (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/) that try to address and alleviate many issues that African Nations face. You can check out these eights goals at their website, but they touch upon eradicating poverty& hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting womens rights/gender equality, combating health issues such as HIV/AIDs, malaria, as well as trying to address environmental issues and as well as building global partnerships for the future. It is a new era for African counties because its a post-colonial world where people are trying to state their indepence and gain a spot in the international community. Specifically, Namibia is a fairly new democracy (1990) ad the newly elected president (2004) wants to try to do the best he can for his people. Another thing you can check out if you want to know more about Africa's socio-economical goals for the future is NEPAD-"The new partnership for Africa's development" (http://www.nepad.org/2005/files/home.php). Head's of states from Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa came together and outlined a framework for an integrated socioeconomical plan. Very similar to the millenium goals NEPAD attempts to do the following:
"a) To eradicate poverty;b) To place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development;c) To halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process and enhance its full and beneficial integration into the global economy;d) To accelerate the empowerment of women ".

There is a lot of work to be done, but many are very hopeful and quite obviously are willing and ready to make changes for the better. One arguement, that arises most often among scholars and people in general, is the pressure from the west on many African nations to adopt western style development protocols. In all aspects of society-economically, socially, culturally- this can be seen. Although, in many instances western values can be good, it is important to remember we need to adapt. And that is what NEPAD addresses as well; the fact that African Nations need to start working together more and stop depending upon western or foriegn help. Its a document of empowerment for many African people and countries, it allows them to join together to make their nations as well as the contininet a better place.

I thought I would just share that with you. It has a lot to do with HIV/AIDS, poverty, women's rights, health care and the overall general goals and visions that many countries strive to meet. If we have stronger governments that are seeking for the betterment of their countries as well as the people, we surely can begin and continue on the path towards peace. (although at times it can seem like such a long, dark, winding road.. one day the fog will clear).
Keep warm! (its freeeezing!)

M