Uncategorized

The pool stretches before me, leading almost to the Indian Ocean, but for a small strip of white sand. A waiter asks me for my opinion on Obama while telling me that Kenya’s elections are happening on March 4th. This is the 4th such conversation I’ve had here in 2 days. People are worried about the potential for renewed violence here, just like in 2007. They also worry about international policy from our own government. We pray for peace. I pray for the bishop who is at the Tana River Delta today, talking about peace to those who are killing each other. Peace, peace, there is no peace. The waiter [...]

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I believe that if something needs to be done it should be done now. What do you think? Do you have any special resolutions? Have you ever broken a resolution? On observation I would say that our resolutions tend to be personal and very individualistic. Most center on the amount of time at the gym, on your diet, or what to do with your money. It’s a personal choice and decision. What would be your New Year’s resolution if you had no water, no food, and no education? How could you speak of a diet when you do not have enough food? How [...]

Each dollar donated toward Project One Million can purchase an HIV testing kit.  How will testing kits help AIDS orphans and their communities, and why is it important for them to get tested for HIV? HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) can be transmitted from an infected person to another either through: Sexual intercourse Blood Breast milk An infected mother can pass HIV to her baby before or during pregnancy, and to her infant through breast-feeding.  It is important for each AIDS orphans to get tested for HIV because they might have been contracted with the virus. It is said that without intervention, 25 - 35% of pregnant women with HIV transmit [...]

Last Friday was the end of the world, supposedly. Rumors were rife that the Mayan calendar had come to an end. The day came and went, and there was much mock celebration that the world will continue as before. And just as the world will continue as before, so will the situation around the world continue as before. The end of the world seems to be a gigantic event, but when seen in individual proportions, how often does the end of the world come to people less fortunate than us? We don’t need to look far to observe this. Every day the end of the world comes to children who [...]

It is not genius, nor glory, nor love that reflects the greatness of the human soul; it is kindness. Henri-Dominique Lacordaire We are all struck with tragedies in our life, we all face difficulties - but there is something that brings us together in time of national or international disasters. Something that makes us come out of our shell. Our worries become minimal, compared to the mass of pain being endured by so many others. This spirit of feeling for each other is definitely something we should promote, something we should be proud of! We tend to create a spontaneous altruistic chain of kindness which can seriously never end. As Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (a Buddhist [...]

There are 15 million AIDS orphans worldwide, with about 14 million of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to UNAIDS (UNAIDS, 2010). These orphans suffer from a multitude of problems even before they lose one or both of their parents. As their HIV+ parent becomes sick, children not only need to take care of their ill parent but also look after their younger siblings, do housework and work to support the family. Along the way and after they are orphaned, they have to adjust to a new situation with little or no support. One study reports that anxiety, depression and anger were found more in AIDS orphans than other children [...]

Outside, a storm is raging, wind is whipping things around as though they don't weigh anything at all, and the trees, bending under the pounding, are doing their best to stay upright. I love the sound of the wind and the rain, but know that we are not anywhere close to the center of this storm yet. As we wait, one of my children is napping and the other is playing a game with my husband. I am doing as much as I can while we still have electricity. As I work through contracts, inventory sheets, reports to donors, and other items which have been sitting by my computer for [...]

October 5, 2012 - from the desk of the ED - I sit at my desk, trying to concentrate, although I’d rather be sleeping. It is wet, rainy and grey outside and that, to me, is the best napping weather. But, I struggle to stay focused and on task with a cup of mint tea by my side. I find my mind wandering to our friends in countries where the lack of rain is a huge problem, killing livestock and gardens. I pray for them, that they will see rain soon and that the rain will help blanket their land with green and with vegetables and fruit. I hear the [...]

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the origins of HIV. Where did it come from? How did it enter the human population? Why has HIV/AIDS surfaced in humans only within the last 30 years? And why is Africa so disproportionately affected? I have heard the racist claim, put forth only partly as a joke, that HIV first entered the human population through sex with chimpanzees in Africa. I have also heard the declaration, not at all a joke, that the US government intentionally developed HIV as a biological weapon, intending to wipe out homosexuals and control black population growth. There is much misunderstanding and unjustified speculation where the origins of [...]

July 25, 2012 - Mayeze, Mapane, and somewhere or the other, Zimbabwe Today we distribute veterinary kits to communities where para-vets have been trained and where orphaned families have also learned about husbandry and basic veterinary skills. Q reviews what is in each kit and it is plain to see the pride in the faces of the coordinators who receive the homemade, wooden kits. AFCA provides these kits to the communities with refills for the first year of a program.  As families earn money from the sales of milk, manure and veggies from gardens, the community must cover the costs for the refilling of kits after the first year. Just last [...]