Looking Ahead

We are gearing up for our next trip. One Small Drop will be heading back to Tanzania in early August. Some of you have shown an interest in visiting the Villages in the Livingstone Mountains. We welcome those eager to explore and walk hand in hand, side by side with our neighbors across the globe. Our purpose for this trip will be to continue to build relationships with the communities we are working with and perhaps start new relationships with other villages interested in partnering with us. If you are interested please contact Tammie Jo (tammiejo@tds.net) as soon as possible so we can get the ball rolling.

I am grateful to report that One Small Drop has progressed beyond my dreams of where we might be 23 months after becoming an official 501 (c)(3) non-profit. Lukamenda (the conglomerate name of the 4 village women groups we are working with: LUsange, KAndete, MEsebe and NDAla) has evolved into a competent and focused group eager to show success in both the Pig Project and Orphan Uniform outreach.

Hot of the press…coming in April… APRIL SHOWER FUNDRAISER helping One Small Drop make worldwide ripples. Greg Orlowski and the CWD Band has offered to provide live music for a fundraiser April 10th. This will be held in Amherst, WI at the Jensen Center. Other live music, food and more will be offered. More information will be released in a couple weeks. So mark you calendars and stop in if you will be in the area.

Brenda's Experience...

I've recently returned from the outreach trip that One Small Drop did in the Livingstone Mountains of Tanzania this past November. This was my first flight....EVER! So I thought, "Hey, let's go to Africa!!" My experience with this trip can't be summed up into just one thought or word, but if I HAD to pick one word, it would be 'humbling'. Humbling because we, as westerners, live in very privileged societies. Most of us have our basic human needs met with shelter, food, clean drinking water, educational possibilities, and a network of resources and people that are there to help us when we fall short. Not so in the places we visited within Tanzania.

There were many stories from widows, orphans, teachers, students, doctors and nurses, that ripped my heart wide open. But their stories also held great hope. They are a beautiful, kind, and gentle people.

One experience that stood out for me was when we visited a church and the women took us later to a widow's house to hear of her story. It was raining hard, and as we walked through the fields to this widow's hut, the women of the church took our gear, carried it for us and then picked these large banana leaves and held them over our heads for protection from the rain. What a beautiful thing to do for us. As we entered the widow's hut, for me, it was LITERALLY like stepping back into the pages of National Geographic. It was a grass hut with thatched roof. Holes in the roof and sides of the hut gave way to the harsh winds and rains as it came pounding through, making it very cold and wet. The floor was dirt. The fire, what little there was, was surrounded by three clay-like cylinders made out of mud and hardened. This is where the woman cooked and tried to stay warm. We all gathered in her tiny hut, shivering and cold from the rain, and listened to our translator tell us her story. She was a widow for many years now, no husband, no surviving children, all died most likely from AIDS, because this region has been extremely hard hit by this deadly disease. She raises her grandchildren all alone. Very little money helps to pay for the children to go to school. She is very frail and feeble. I went over to her and wrapped my hands around hers and began to pray for and with her. I knelt in front of her and told her I too, am a widow. My children have no father. I know and feel her pain, but can I really?

I have a large support of people who have been able to help me financially, prayerfully and emotionally. These widows are often times shunned in the community, literally pushed aside. I put a cross around her neck and looked into such sad eyes, but for the moment our eyes locked, I saw a glimmer of hope, a smile came to her lips. Can such seemingly small tokens give such great joy and hope, such as that of a simple felt cross, an offered prayer, a genuine, caring smile, a tender touch and holding of hands? I can answer that with a resounding YES! Sometimes we are so busy looking for the 'big things' we can do in this life, for a world that so desperately needs love and understanding, that we miss the 'small things' and what we can do for a wounded and saddened soul.

One Small Drop, is just that. And I am constantly reminded of the words of Mother Teresa when she said, “You can do no great things, only small things with great love!” How true those words echoed to me while on this trip. I am forever changed by what I saw, and by what I experienced with the two other amazing women that accompanied me on this journey. I am forever grateful for their support, their love and understanding as we traveled together to a place that will be forever and deeply in my heart. God Bless!

Button's Perspective...

This post is written by Buttons (Jessica) Coates. She traveled with me to Tanzania in November. She turned 20 years old while we were there.

It's hard to put into words all the things I experienced while in Tanzania. It was a very intense experience in every aspect. There were so many events that changed me but the one that I want to share is the 14 year old girl who had lost her mother and her father. She spoke softly and hesitantly at first, then she broke down and cried when she talked about the recent death of her father. It was so heart wrenching to see this young girl stand in front of us and tell us about the death of her parents. My father passed away in 2006 and I know how hard it is to talk about him to people. To see the sorrow in all of the widow's and orphan's faces is something that will be with me for as long as I live. I will not forget the people of the Livingstone Mountains and look forward to returing to them in 2011. This was a humbling experience and I wish more people could see what I've seen and also be changed.

Medical Care

During our last trip in November we had the opportunity to visit the local hospital in Kandete.

This hospital serves a population of more than 45,000. It is staffed with 2 doctors and 6 nurses. The next closest facility is 40 miles away through the rough mountain terrain. According to our standards the facility would perhaps be called a clinic. The patient’s usual mode of arrival is on foot.

Because of the poverty, many patients will use chickens, eggs or vegetables as their payment for service. This of course does not help with bills the hospital incurs, such as electricity or staff salaries.

I have some medical background as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for 20 years. And I have to tell you that our ambulance had more medical equipment and more drugs that this hospital has on hand.

Many moms would cringe at the birthing facilities. The surgical recovery area is a mat on the grass outside of the surgical room.

The slideshow above shows the cement bench waiting area, a birthing cot, the medicine distribution room, a refrigerated medicine container, and one of the 2 doctors that serves the hospital.

To illustrate the difficulties, let me share a story. We visited the home of a man whose wife had died. This man, for some unknown reason, had gradually lost the strength in his legs, leaving him unable to walk and only able to sit up with difficulty. He lies on the dirt floor next to the cooking fire in his home to stay warm. He has a 10 year old daughter that is caring for him, cooking meals, taking care of the livestock, tending the garden and trying to go to school. He lives about 15 miles from the hospital and there is no way to get him to the hospital…he cannot walk, he cannot sit on a bicycle, there is not money to hire a driver to come to his remote location. We knew our vehicle would be passing near him the next day and offered to cover the expense of his travel ($3) and admission to the hospital ($10).

When we received our vaccinations to come on this trip we were required to get a booster for polio. It is suspected that this man has polio.

Beyond the Box

One Small Drop is pleased to announce its new annual campaign called Beyond the Box. Instead of shopping at the local big box stores your sponsorship of a new school uniform or pig can help educate a child or feed a community.

These small gifts make a large impact in the Livingston Mountain area of Tanzania, Africa. One Small Drop, a global non-profit association continues to strive for independence, education, and innovation through one-to-one networking in Wisconsin and Tanzania. When you sponsor one of the items, you will receive a personalized certificate and your donation transforms communities by helping people address hunger, poverty, and education.

All purchases are tax deductible, and One Small Drop is always interested in helping new volunteers learn how they can reach out and help change the world.

For more information please contact Tammie Jo Berg: tammiejo@tds.net, 715-445-4919, or snail-mail N6823 Co J, Iola, WI 54945.
• One orphan uniform: $30.00
• One pig: $30.00

Weavings

Brenda, Buttons and I have just returned from an amazing trip to the southwest region of Tanzania, Africa. This is the first time One Small Drop has taken additional team members to meet the people of the Livingstone Mountains. To say we were warmly welcomed would be an understatement. I think Brenda’s description of “stepping into National Geographic” is very appropriate initial reaction.

Brenda and Buttons have a tender spot for orphans and widows because they can directly relate. Brenda’s husband (Button’s father) died suddenly 3 years ago. As we met with the 4 women’s groups in the communities of Kandete, Mesebe, Lusanje and Ndala, Brenda and Buttons were introduced as mother and daughter. There was an audible gasp of excitement and then cheers. Family is very important to them. The relationships being forged will change lives forever…ours and theirs.

One Small Drop’s purpose for this trip was to check on the progress of the identified projects for orphans and widows in this region (pigs and school uniforms). I was immediately impressed with the progress of the communities and the extent to which the women have been empowered to take on these projects. We also met with the leaders of the women’s groups to finalize some of the mundane details: opening a bank account, choosing a treasurer, choosing a tailor, identifying a manager and the role the manager will play, and bringing advocates up to speed on the projects. The group has decided on the name of “Kamelunda”. This is the first few letters of each community. It turns out this is also a word in their tribal language that means “together”.

We had the opportunity to hear from widows and orphans from each community. We will post some of these encounters in the near future. The ladies were anxious to share and teach us some of their activities, involving us in their dances and songs, and making mats. These mats are very versatile. They are made from grasses and tied or woven together. They can be used as beds, blankets, decoration, and for drying vegetables and grains.

Have you ever looked at a piece of weaving very close up? It is difficult to see any kind of pattern and sometimes the colors blend together so they are indistinguishable. That is how I had been seeing One Small Drop as we were getting our feet under us. But now I feel like I am getting a glimpse of the colors and intricate patterns God has in store for us! I cannot wait to watch as this tapestry continues to grow!

Only 20 More Days

That's right! Only 20 more days unitl One Small Drop heads back to Tanzania. This time Brenda and Buttons (right) will be joining me. We are excited to be traveling to the small communities in the Livingston Mountains of Western Tanzania. We are looking forward to meeting with the four communities to review the progress and next steps for implementation of the Orphan Uniform Project and the Pig Project.

One of the people we hope to meet with is the tailor that will be sewing the uniforms for the students. By securing the uniforms in this manner, it provides employment and helps the local economy.

While there we will also visit a couple schools, churches, local families and a hospital. We will be given the opportunity to learn one of their crafts - making mats, as well as learning how to make ugali - a traditional African dish.

One Small Drop is SO gratful for the support they have received over the past 3 months. Your response has been amazing! We have partnered with several schools for uniform and pig support. Faith communities have been especially generous. I have gifts from a vacation Bible school to bring the orphans and quilter groups have provided beautiful quilts to offer as gifts. Community organizations have warmly welcomed me to hear about One Small Drop.

Because of your interest and open hearts you are providing hope, making a difference and changing lives...one small drop at a time.