Volunteers to Meet

Volunteers for the November trip to Tanzania will be meeting on June 7th to go over many details. We are SO excited! It is not too late if you are interested in participating in this service learning opportunity.

If you’ve been following on Twitter, you know we have received our official 501 (c) (3) status. Whooo Hoooo! Now to finalize the web site.

I am very excited about the use of technology and the communities that can be formed through the social networking sites. Never before have communities been able to connect globally with one another with such ease and efficiency! Please feel free to follow me on Twitter. Just click on the link at the left.

One Small Drop board of directors is working on coordinating a couple fundraising events in the near future. Check back for announcements and details.

What will we be doing in Tanzania? There are several things in the works. First and foremost is building relationships. One Small Drop is intentional about investing time, energy and effort to build friendships across borders and cultures. It is neither effective nor adequate to simply offer assistance. Entering into a relationship is essential. We have much to learn from our global neighbors and assistance is reciprocal.

More next week…

Why?

I have been asked “why start a non-profit for global outreach?” There are many reasons.

1. My faith has probably been the biggest influence. I feel convicted to act. Aside from that…

2. Facts, facts, and more facts:

a. Nearly 25,000 children die every day because of poverty.

b. About 1 billion people live on less than $1/day

c. 20% of the people control 80% of the world’s resources

d. The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty.

3. Educate and experience. Many of us in the US are rarely exposed to the extreme poverty of developing countries. In the same manner, we also are not exposed to the incredible gifts that other cultures can offer us. When we can learn about each other together, we can walk hand in hand. As Shane Claiborne stated in The Irresistible Revolution, "When the poor meet the rich, riches will have no meaning. When the rich meet the poor, we will see poverty come to an end."

4. "We can do no great things, only small things with GREAT love." Mother Teresa

5. One Small Drop associates are everyday people with a passion for reaching beyond themselves, beyond stereotypes, beyond borders, beyond obstacles, to make a difference…one small drop at a time.

Preparations Begin

I recently met with Pr. Andrea to discuss what future trips to Tanzania might look like. (Pr. Andrea is finishing up his education in St. Paul. He will graduate in May, and then return to the Konde Diocese, in southwest Tanzania.) There are two trips in the works. One in July and one in November. Pr. Andrea plays an essential role in these trips as our contact and implementing our connections. In addition to the Pork Project, orphan uniforms, widow empowerment and HIV/AIDs education, there is interest from nursing students to visit hospitals in this area.

And speaking of nursing...I am happy to announce we have secured enough funds to pay for Niku's first year of nursing school. We will also be purchasing 5 pigs to start up the pork project. These next two trips will be very exciting.
If you might have an interest in participating in these trips, please let me know. The people of the Livingstone Mountains would be honored to share their lives with you. Here is some basic information:

* July 10-28, 2009 (give or take a day) and early November (Nov. 6-17 ???)

* Approximate cost: $3500 - depending on airfare. This will include airfare from Chicago, housing, meals, transportation while in Tanzania and a visit to a National Park. It does not include immunizations, visa nor passport expenses.

* The trip will entail creating relationships, cultural education, visiting schools,churches and hospitals, assist in initiating the pork project, walking side by side with our neighbors from afar

'Tis the Season

Some people have asked how they can support One Small Drop in this holiday season. One Small Drop is trying to connect and educate those with resources to serve those who have needs (as stated in our vision statement). We have developed sponsorships that correlate with the areas of concern identified by the people in the Livingstone Mountains, South Western Tanzania: HIV/AIDS, orphans, sustainable livestock production - specifically pork, and empowerment of widows.

1. Education is very important in their culture. There is no fee for primary school, but students must wear a school uniform. Due to poverty, many cannot afford uniforms. And when orphans are taken in by extended family the burden is even larger. We are looking at assisting orphans with the purchase of school uniforms so they can attend school. $30 purchases one school uniform (shirt, sweater, pants/skirt, shoes, socks) that could be worn for 2, sometimes 3 years.

2. We are looking at starting a Pork Project (similar to the Heifer Project). $30 buys one feeder size pig. The family awarded the pig is educated in how to feed, care, house and breed it. Piglets are then given away to other families. It is a gift that keeps on giving.

3. A special area of sponsorship is for Niku. In their education system, in order to go to secondary school you must pass a national exam in the 8th grade. If you do not pass, you do not go. You only get one chance. Because Niku has shown great achievement, she has been chosen by the government to attend nursing school. But she has encountered a barrier. Her father died of AIDS earlier this summer. Her mother just found out she has AIDS and is taking the father’s remaining medication. She cannot afford to send her to this special school. The cost is $600 for the entire 2 years.

4. We are looking at ways to empower the women widowed by AIDS to work together to find ways to support their families through micro loans. The women are the worker bees in the family. Seen here getting firewood. We do not have the specifics for this project set up yet.

One Small Drop will also organize trips to assist with some of the physical aspects of outreach – building pig pens, working with orphans, as well as educating and cross-cultural learning from each other. The next trip to Tanzania is being planned for July 2009.

If you are interested in any of these sponsorships, tax deductable contributions can be made to One Small Drop and sent to N6823 Co J, Iola, WI 54945.

Sponsorship Communities
Agriculture:
$30—one pig for Pork Project

Education:
$30—one school uniform
$____toward total $600 nursing school tuition for Niku

Widow Empowerment:
$___ Micro loan startup fund
$___Support Group materials

Medical
$10—Rural aids education kit
$50—one month salary for local AIDS Educator

Sponsorship Levels
$10—Friend
$25—Encourager
$50—Supporter
$100—Partner

School Visits

I visited 3 schools during my stay: Kandete Primary School, Mwatisi Secondary and Kyejo Secondary. Education is highly regarded, but due to poverty, many parents cannot afford to purchase school uniforms and supplies to attend school. In addition to their own children, many families are caretakers for children whose parents have died of HIV/AIDS, creating more of a financial burden. Orphan care was identified as one of the top 3 areas of concern. I am not aware of an orphanage in the Livingstone Mountains, but I am aware of one in the city of Mbeya - a few hours travel away.

I met with teachers at each of the schools. The Kandete Primary School has more than 1000 students in grades 1-8 (some are pictured above). In order for students to go to secondary school they must pass a National Exam. They only get one chance. So the 8th grade can be a very stressful year. Mwatisi and Kyejo Secondary (grades 9-12) had about 400 students and 10-12 teachers. Both of these schools have only been in existence since 2004. This is because the Parliament has recommended that each Ward establish their own secondary school. Even with this recommendation, students still have to walk 5-7 miles to attend school. But the government provides no funding. Area communities have pulled together to build these schools. Neither school had a library nor computers. Kyejo had no electricity. They rely completely on the knowledge of the teachers. There are fees required to attend secondary school. Fees are paid to the government who pay the teachers. There is often teacher housing at the school location. The average pay for teachers is $150/month.

I happen to purchase 3 soccer balls before the trip as gifts while in Tanzania. Pr. Andrea happen to line up 3 school visits. Coincidence? I doubt it. I struggle to explain the excitement over these soccer (football) balls. In the US, perhaps it would be like I had given each graduating senior their own laptop computer.
There was always a question/answer time with the students at each school. The questions they came up with were amazing! What is the US doing about global warming? Why is HIV/AIS not as prevalent in the US as in Africa - what information is passed along and why does it work? Is there poverty in the US, and what do we do to combat it? What are US orphanages like? What is US doing about terrorism? How does the upcoming election between Obama and McCain look? How many cows does it cost for a woman to get married in the US?

Each of the schools were interested in creating dialog with students in the US. I am working on that.

Church Visits in the Konde Diocese of the ELCT (Evangelical Church of Tanzania)

We visited several congregations in the Konde Diocese. Each congregation went out of their way to welcome this guest from America. The district pastor, Pr. Meta, even came off of his sabbatical to lead worship in Kandete. The women of the congregations dressed me in traditional kitengas and often gave gifts of eggs or even a chicken one time. I was most humbled!

It is common for each congregation to have 2 or 3 choirs. Music has so much passion and meaning in their culture. They combine rythmn, dance and sing their hearts to the Lord. Even though I did not understand the words, I felt covered in prayer.

They have an "offering" practice we should try to adopt in America. During the offering, a table with several baskets(representing various ministries)is placed in front of the altar(see picture). As the choir sings the offering song, people walk around the table and drop their offering in the basket for the ministry they want to support. If they do not have money they will often bring fruits, vegetables, eggs and chickens. After service the choir leads the congregation out to the church yard in a circle where the fruits, veggies, eggs and chickens are auctioned off. That money is placed in the treasury. The beauty of sharing their resources is a lesson we can learn from.

Next week I will talk about the school visits.

Wow! What a trip!

I have been back for 2 months, and realize I have not posted a thing to this blog, so I thought I'd better get on the stick.

The trip was amazing (aside from airline snafoos that I’m sure I will laugh about some day). This is a picture of Pr. Andrea and his wife Sarah.

To start with I met Jane Goodall and her partner, Dr. Anton, on the plane to Dar Es Salaam from London. I was actually sitting next to Dr. Anton!

The people in the mountains of Pr Andrea's home area were extremely welcoming and glad to have a visitor from the US. His district director was very encouraging about trying to create a long term relationship. I toured 1 grade school and 2 high schools, and about 8-10 churches and their choirs. There were wonderful question and answer exchanges. The areas of concern identified by the people were the same wherever we went: HIV/AIDS, orphans and empowerment of widows, agriculture development - specifically in the area of pork.

Pr. Andrea is widely known throughout the diocese (synod) and highly respected. He has served several parishes and wherever we went, they were overwhelmed to see him again. I also attended one day of a 4-day pastor’s seminar where I enjoyed witnessing the excitement of friendships renewed with Pr. Andrea because he has been out of the country for two years.

My goal will be to update this blog at least weekly, because there is so much more to share!! God has been opening many doors for One Small Drop.