The Women of Pasua / Sponsorship

So where do you begin when you’re about to ask all your friends and family for money to support a few unlucky souls in Africa!?!

I started this post several days ago wanting to explain that with just over 10% of the world’s population, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 64% of HIV positive people resulting in 2 million deaths per year. That Sub-Saharan Africa has 90% of children under 15 living with the virus and that 12 million children here are orphans. Then I thought no, I don’t need to explain this to my friends and family as they are all quite aware how HIV and AIDS have ravaged this part of the world.

I then started to write about how fortunate we all should feel to live in the United States or other western countries where we don’t have to worry about unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, whether or not we can afford to go to primary or secondary school, or having access to proper health care when we get sick. No, I thought, my friends already know just how lucky we are to live where we do.

What I want to focus on are the women of the Pasua ward in Moshi, Tanzania. These are women who suffer from HIV, have several children to support, have most likely lost the breadwinner to AIDS, and have very little hope of making a better life for themselves. These are women who live on less then $2 a day and are classified as extremely poor. Extreme poverty is prevalent in 20% of the developing world and in 45% of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a reason for the many other problems which plague this part of the world including chronic hunger, child mortality, poor maternal health, and of course the high prevalence of HIV.

As you are all probably well aware by now, my time here in Africa has been focused in the area of micro-credit. I’ve come to see and realize the incredible difference that a small amount of capital can make for those who have the desire to make a better life for themselves but have no means to do so. My NGO http://www.mondochallengefoundation.org has taken a slightly different approach to helping the poor here in Tanzania. Our program through the help of donors provides a one time finanical grant to women living with HIV in order to help them start small businesses. Than volunteers like myself come to Africa to provide the business expertise and training which will help them begin and sustain a successful and thriving business. With access to antiretroviral drugs, the future for these women and their children is much brighter. Our hope is that the grant and business training will give these women the boost they need which will release them from the grip of extreme poverty.

Over the last couple months I’ve been helping 15 lucky women in Rau to start and maintain their own small business. The program has gone extremely well and is something I’m hoping to replicate with another 15 women in Pausa. My goal is to raise $2000 to fund the next round of potential business women in Pasua. I’d like to ask for your support in my goal to raise this money. Your sponsorship will be used to purchase the initial stock each woman will need to start their own small business.

In exchange for your support, I pledge to train and follow up with each woman as they start and run their own small businesses.

I pledge to train the Pasua community volunteers whom I now work with to maintain this project so that when I leave it will continue to function on its own.

To top it off I also pledge to climb Mt. Meru, Tanzania’s second highest mountain at 15,067ft (4566m) on one leg with no shoes blindfolded just to show you how serious I am about all of this. Actually, no chance but I will climb it and I am serious about all of this!

So, will you sponsor me on my climb and in doing so in my pledge to help the women of Pasua in their quest for a better life? Your donation will make an incredible difference in the lives of these women and they in turn will be forever grateful for your support.





To make a donation to this very worthy cause, please visit the following web site to donate with your credit card. http://www.justgiving.com/mondo/donate

Important: Please note three things.

1. The donation amounts on the web site are in English Pounds. 1 Pound = 2 US Dollars. So if you want to donate $40 US dollars, please select the 20 pound option.

2. In the box designated for "comments", please put my name in the box so Mondo Challenge will know which project your donation is for.

3. 100% of all donations received will go to the women of Pasua.

If you would like to make a pledge to the Women of Pasua but do not want to do it by credit card, you can send a check to my dad and he will be happy to deposit it on my behalf:

Ken Nelson
28540 State Hy 3 N.E.
Poulsbo, Wa. 98370

Thank you so much for your support!
David

(Pictures from around Pasua)















(Firewood anyone!?!)


(Pasua main street w/ Kilimanjaro in the background.)







(Pasua community volunteers)

Rough Week

Last week most of my time was spent in Pasua, which is the new ward I’ll be working in over the next couple months. After explaining the concept of our small grants business program to the ward officers and community volunteers (CV’s), I’ve spent the remainder of my time preparing a general survey of the ward. The survey includes drawing up maps, figuring out what people purchase locally, what they purchase in town, what types of businesses currently exist, what types of businesses might be successful, and really just trying to get an overall impression of whether or not our program will work. On my walking tour of the area the CV’s and I have stopped into several homes to meet with the people that might be eligible for our program.

The first woman we visited lived in a small one room mud shack with her two children. The room was no more then 8’x 8’in size, was terribly uneven from top to bottom, and the mud bricks which the walls are made from are literally breaking apart at the seams. With only one bed in the room I’m sure one of the kids has the unlucky duty of sleeping on the mud floor which as you can imagine cant be terribly comfortable. As I sat there and explained our program, I couldn’t help but notice how the family had done their best to cover up the unsightly mud bricks with every imaginable magazine and newspaper picture they could find. Prior to going inside I had suggested to the CV’s that we just talk outside so as not to take up too much of her time or force her to have to tidy up due to our unexpected visit. Mr. Ngomja, one of our CV’s, strongly suggested that we go inside so as not to attract the attention of the neighbors with our presence. So as we all packed into the one room, Mr. Ngomja explained to me that there was still quite a bit of stigma in this area towards those who have HIV and my presence alone would have been bad for the woman and her family. Even so, our host was happy to see us and to hear about the program. I walked away feeling that our program could really make a difference with this family.

Following that visit, we literally had to walk just 20 feet to get to the house of another potential candidate, once again a woman, and once again with HIV. I felt for awhile there that we could have gone into every other home on our walk and found someone with HIV. When we went into this house, the young lady had a five year old son, who was also HIV+ but also suffering from TB. The boy was lying on the bed and it was quite obvious he was very sick and that the mother was very concerned about him. As we sat there and talked about the program, I could hear the boy really struggling to breath and I couldn’t help feeling absolutely helpless at that moment. When we left, the CV’s informed me that the boy’s chance for survival was slim and they would be surprised if he lived much longer. I left feeling quite shaken by the whole experience and thinking how unfair life was for this little boy who by no doing of his own might die before he reaches the age of six.

After a few more visits and hearing and seeing similar stories, I had to make my way home as it was becoming more and more difficult to take. Unfortunately, even at home I can’t seem to escape the constant presence of death. Just last week, a neighbor who I had recently met, died of a stroke. As a result there’s been a constant stream of people coming up the road to pay their respects. In addition to that, my Baba’s sister who has been staying with us the past month is also very ill. She’s been diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer and since the discovery of the cancer three weeks ago she has not been able to get out of bed except for a handful of times. Her family has been here constantly the past several weeks which although comforting for her is also quite sad as I think everyone feels that time is not on her side. When I visit with her I can see the pain in her eyes and because of our language barrier, I’m once again feeling quite helpless.

Since being here, I’ve done my best to suppress the fact that many people die long before they should. The life expectancy of a Tanzanian averages around 46 years. Since the first case of AIDS was reported in 1983, HIV prevalence has been on the increase now reaching close to 15%. The number is closer to 30% here in northern Tanzania. One in seven children die before the age of five and most before the age of two. 2/3's of those under 2 have contracted HIV from their monthers. It’s really not unusual to talk to at least one person a week who isn’t going to or coming from a funeral and for people to brush it off like some sort of unfortunate circumstance.

Anyway, this wasn’t meant to be a big downer of a post but I’ve just had a hard time with all of it this week. To hear about death is one thing but to be constantly surrounded by it has had me feeling quite sad and in disbelief at how unfair life is for some people in this world. The five year old boy deserves better care and more food to make him healthy again. Yet because his mother probably lives on less then $1 a day, he’s not going to get the care or the food he needs.

Those who live on less then $1 a day are considered extremely poor. Extreme poverty has no place in the civilized world and certainly no place in this 21st century. Pulling oneself out of the poverty trap that most find themselves in is near impossible without a little bit of help. One of the many ways we can help to eradicate extreme poverty is thru micro-credit. I’ve seen what a small amount of credit or a grant can do to help these women get a toe hold on the ladder to a slightly better life where ones basic needs are not compromised. With just a little bit of success the women I work with are able to buy a little more food, provide their families with slightly better healthcare, and maybe even send their children to school. An educated population is not only better for Tanzania; it’s better for the rest of the world.

With that said, in my next post I’m going to be talking about my plans to climb the second highest mountain in Tanzania, 15,000ft Mt. Meru, and asking you to sponsor me. The proceeds will go to our next round of funding for the women of Pasua. Not to worry, I promise not to break you. Your small contribution will go a long way here.

Thank you.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Just a quick update to let you all know how things are here. There really hasn't been a lot of excitement except for work. I'm enjoying it tremendously and truly feel like I'm starting to make a small difference here. The 20 women I work with are all such hard workers and are truly trying to improve their stead in this world. I'm trying to follow up with all of them on a weekly basis to provide support, hope, and small business advice as best as I can give it.


(The picture is of Mama Agnes, Beata Valeria, and Mama Martha. Beata has gone from a 75,000Tsh loan to 146,000Tsh at our last stock take on Monday. Getting to count her stock then watching her pull out 50,000Tsh in cash made so happy as it is very rare to see these women with so much money. She of course will be heading to market this week to increase her stock.)




This picture is of myself, the Mama's, Margaret, and her children. Margaret's business has improved very slightly over two weeks and our big advice to her was to keep track of her costs and to package up her rice in bags to make it look nicer in the stand she sells it from. It such simple advice but often not thought of. )




Besides work, I did get the chance to check out a nice little waterfall at the base of Kili on Saturday. I was invited by a some Norwegian folks of which three were nurses doing physical therapy on some sort of semester abroad program. It was a one hour trip out of town and a nice little break from the homestay.

(Sorry Guy's! The only picture I have is of the three local boys that guided us up to the falls. Aren't we a sight!?! :)

(Young man with his Chameleon.)

( Having some Banana Beer with the locals after the long hike. Yum!)







This month is a big month for soccer as well. My Baba and I have been watching Manchester United play their way to the finals in the Champions League and FA Cup as well as possibly winning the Premiership. All three trophies will be decided this month so there will be a lot of screaming in good ol' Shantytown every night. If you haven't seen Man U's. Christiano Ronaldo play yet, find your way to the nearest sports bar, he's awesome!

Talk soon -