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

Great News All Around!

Ladies and Gentlemen!!

The days are heading there...These past weeks have been leading us closer to our adventures and have also been filled with enormous generosity, kindness and heartwarming words. The overwhelming response has caused much excitement and I am grateful for all of the support that you all have so enthusiastically voiced. I am truly thankful for each and every one of you because without you none of this would be possible. Many mixed emotions have been going through me throughout the whole planning process, but I can honestly say that today I felt truly ecstatic and fortunate for this opportunity to learn and grow from the extraordinary experiences and people that I will encounter along the way.

To top it all off, St. Mark’s has agreed for us to use them for TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS! So if you want to make a tax deductible donation please make checks out to St. Mark’s. For those that have already given your donations, I will check on how you can gain a recipe to receive a tax donation for 2007. This is a huge step and we greatly appreciate the Parish of St. Mark’s for supporting our efforts!

Also, there are a couple of events coming up that we are apart of that I thought you should be aware of:
On Friday Night, March 2 the Parish of St. Mark’s, in St. Paul on Prior and Dayton Ave., will be hosting a soup supper night where we will be presenting some information on our endeavors, answering questions and having a good old time. I believe it starts around 7 pm, if you are interested please let me know, e-mail me, or just show up!
I am also currently planning a fundraising/going away party, something really informal, with good company and laughs. It is going to be in early march, and I will get back to you with more details when I know the specifics.
Again I want to thank all the people that have generously donated to our cause! Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of life and forget that we truly are blessed from day to day. The majority of us wake up in good health, with a roof over our heads and plenty of food in our cupboards. For this we are should all be thankful.
Your contributions, both big and small, are going to provide those who struggle day to day with a little peace of mind because they will have something to eat, or their child will grow up healthy and receive an education. Every bit helps and if we all pool our resources together, we can change the world together.
I hope everyone is staying warm! If you have any questions about the trip or just want to talk about anything I am more than willing to chat. You can email me or call me. Mmishek1@hotmail.com or 651-224-9381/cl.773-678-4124.

Peace,

Mary

P.S. I was playing around on this website that if you type in some words it will give you slogan to go along with it and this came out:

"Better living through positive solutions"

Pretty catchy huh??

PAY PAL!

Ok!! After a long holiday, the pay pal is up and running and ready for some donations!

PayPal is a Secure way for you to donate money with a credit card and your donations go directly into an account that Annie and I opened specifically for this endeavor. Today I got my first donation from a family friend- I feel like I should frame the check and put it up on the wall!

I thought I would share this picture of my family that I stayed with while in the northern part of Namibia in the Oshakati, Ondangwa region. They have a nice farm where they grow mahangu- a pearl millet and also the main staple in Namibia. They also have lots of fruit trees- marula, limes, guava and not to mention many chickens running around, which they most graciously slaughtered for a great meal the last night I was with them. I'd have to say it was the best tasting chicken meat I have ever had! They were so welcoming and generous with what little they had. I don't think I have ever met so many happy people in my life, even though, we as americans, would see them as poor individuals. The Namibians, especially after independence in 1990 from South Africa, see a future filled with hope and though they may lack many of the necessities that we take for granted, I don't think I have seen more smiley faces in my life!

More stories and pictures to come before, during and after our adventures. Feel free to ask ANY questions, big or small. I am more than happy to tell you about Namibia, the history, its people and about my time there as well as about what our trip is about. I hope everyone had a warm and relaxing holiday!

Peace and Love,

Mary

Getting Started

This whole trip is really starting to take shape. Today we will be buying our plane tickets and we continue to put together information so that people can really get a sense of what we intend to set out to do while in Namibia. I have designed a brochure that outlines and explains both programs we will work with and hopefully this will allow everyone to get a better sense of where and how their donations will be spent. I am also learning more about each program as Annie tells me about her previous trip to Namibia in the Spring of 06'. I truly believe that both Mount Sinai and Family Hope Sanctuary are trying to make a difference as best they can with such limited resources and that is why I am really hopeful that we too can contribute to their causes and make them even stronger programs that will reach more people. I really think this is going to be a wonderful experience and I look forward to talking with everyone about our trip. More to come!