10 Lucky Women

A lot has happened since my last post but before I start, I want to say "Thank You" to those who have decided to sponsor me in my climb and more importantly the "Women of Pasua." I can't emphasize to you enough how big an impact your donation will make in each of these women's lives. Your generosity is much appreciated.

I started this project several months ago trying to learn more about the Pasua ward in Moshi, Tanzania, the people who live in it, the jobs and businesses they have, and most importantly trying to build a good relationship with the community volunteers who serve in it. Over the past several weeks, I along with the community volunteers have been meeting with the many women who wanted to be a part of our program. We interviewed all of them to get a better understanding of what their living situation was like, how many dependents they had, what types of businessess they wanted to start, and what types of skills and training might help them to succeed.

Each woman I visited literally lives in a one room shack which is built from mud brick or crumbling cement. Each woman has on average 4 children and often all under the age of 15. Every single woman is HIV + and have lost their spouse to AIDS. They now face the daunting challenge of having to raise their children on their own which although not unusual, is much more difficult with the loss of one of the breadwinners in the family. When these women do find the time to work they often earn less then 12,000Tsh a week (US$11.00) and have very few skills which might allow them to earn a better living. One of the more difficult parts of having to decide which women recevied a grant was ruling out ones who looked unhealthy. Although these are often the people who need our help the most, giving them a grant to start their own business most likely ends in failure as they are not healthy enough to work.

After some very difficult discussion on who was more deserving of being a part of the first round of grants, last week we narrowed the list down to 10 women who showed a high motivation to succeed and a good understanding of the business they wanted to start.
After a ceremony to congratulate them, we also got right into the required business training that each has to do before we purchase stock for them. The training has been going extremely well with all of them very excited to learn and to get going on this fantastic new opportunity. The money that has been given so far will help to buy stock for each of the women you see above. Tomorrow we head to the wholesale shops in town to get them started and I think I might be more excited then them.

If you would still like to sponsor the Women of Pasua and haven't yet, you still have time :) There are still 10 very un-lucky women who were not able to be a part of round 1 but are just as motivated and wanting to make a better life for themselves and their families. Your donation can and will make a difference. I've included the justgiving.com web site below.

With regards to my climb, I've had to delay it a little as the weather has been terrible here with the type of rain Seattle and Fiji get in their worst months. I'm going to make a go of it this weekend and hopefully it will clear when I'm on top :)

Once again a big thanks to those who have already sponsored us. It is very much appreciated!

To donate to the Women of Pasua with your credit card. http://www.justgiving.com/mondo/donate

Important:

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.

Thanks so much!
David