A Volunteer Humanitarian Aid
and Sustainable Development Organization
Our Mission:
To provide worldwide humanitarian relief and development programs
in order to reduce vulnerability, alleviate human suffering, and
restore the self-sufficiency and livelihoods of disaster-affected populations,
while fostering cultural understanding and volunteerism through
International High School Mission (IHSM) programs.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." (Gandhi)
Nov 2007 Newsletter
In thanksgiving to all of you for allowing us the privilege to be your heart, hands, and feet as we reach out to our needy
neighbors, we want to extend our sincere gratitude to you for your continued support of our work. We at Mir Pace
International wish you and your families a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and a blessed Christmas season
full of peace and joy!
We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter, and we hope that you will continue to be inspired to help
us in our efforts to serve the poor throughout the world, while also fostering youth volunteerism!
Mir Pace goes National! This past summer, our young IHSM volunteers came from every (almost)
corner of the United States - California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Vermont! Once more, we had an
extraordinary experience! We are grateful for the many sacrifices our leaders, volunteers, and their families made,
and we applaud each one of them for their cooperation, determined efforts, and unremitting exuberance.
There are many treasured memories of this particular trip, and we invite you
to click here or follow the "next" link at the
bottom of this page to discover what we accomplished through a beautiful reflection from one of our volunteers.
Leadership Award Recipient
Austin Linehan is from South Boston, MA and first learned about the work of Mir Pace
International as a 7th grade student in my Social Studies and Religion classes at St. Mary School. It was
there that a growing desire to give of himself in service to the poor began to develop.
This past July, Austin joined Mir Pace in Tanzania, E. Africa as our first "Community Service Leadership
Award" recipient.
[more]
On July 14, 2007, Mir Pace held its
3rd Annual Paddle for Poverty kayak race. Mother Nature was on our side this year and
we enjoyed a tremendous turnout! We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our sponsors, volunteers,
and race participants!! To read about and view images of this event,
please click here.
As part of our efforts to establish small business initiatives that assist the local communities in building economic opportunities that can promote self-sufficiency, beautiful hand-woven products created by members of our weaver's collaboratives in Guatemala and Tanzania, are available for purchase on our Web site. As the holidays approach, we hope you will visit our "Store" and consider making one or more of these lovely items a unique and special gift for a friend or family member. Visit our store by clicking here.
We have just about met our fundraising goal for 2007! However, we continue our efforts to raise much-needed
funds in order that we may build and expand our programs in 2008. We depend on your generous support.
In addition to monetary donations, we ask that you consider helping us in our on-going effort to collect
medical and school supplies (antibiotics, vitamins, medications, bandages, rubber gloves, hospital equipment and supplies,
paper, pencils, pens, note and workbooks, calculators, etc.). All donated materials will be personally
distributed during our IHSM trips throughout the coming year.
If you would like more information about making a donation of medical or educational supplies,
please e-mail us at Mir Pace International. If you
would like to make a monetary donation, please click here
to be automatically directed to our secure on-line donation page. We ask that you kindly give as generously
as possible, and please encourage everyone you know to match your donation!
Mir Pace International is a Massachusetts 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your charitable contribution is deeply appreciated and is tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by the Internal Revenue Code.
From April 17 - 26, IHSM volunteers will assist the Missionaries of Charity Fathers and the local community in a weeklong program that includes building cinderblock homes for mountain families, assisting a collaborative of local weavers in improving and expanding their products and sales, preparing and serving meals at a day shelter for the elderly population, and visiting the local schools.
From July 16 through August 2,
IHSM volunteers will work along side our host, Fr. Denis Agbenyadzi, and the pygmy population
living just outside the city of Bengui. This program is still under development, so please keep an eye
on our web site for updates!
For more information about being a part of these rewarding experiences, please visit
our Mission Locations page.
A Volunteer Reflection
by Lizzie Keller
It's hard to describe the recent Mir Pace trip to Tanzania in just one word-it was unique,
interesting, inspiring, sometimes difficult, and life changing all at the same time. Our group not only
saw the impoverished conditions many people live in, but for three weeks we experienced their ways of life,
working and living among them. Despite the obvious destitution some of these adults and children lived in,
they were some of the most content and peaceful people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I don't
think I will ever forget them.
The real work for our group started when we visited Kuleana, a center for street children,
in Mwanza. The facility was entirely occupied by boys, ranging in age from about seven to 14 years old.
Some of the boys came from unstable situations, and some were simply abandoned or abused at home. Without
Kuleana, many of the boys would undoubtedly be living on the street. Despite some of the hardships these
kids faced, they rarely, if ever complained. Spending time with them doing the simplest things-playing
soccer, teaching them to play cards, and listening to their stories-really motivated all of us to work
really hard when it came time to start our project of replacing the tattered and torn screens on the boys
dormitory walls. Every ounce of sweat we put into the project was gratifying and liberating, knowing we
were not only giving these boys a clean room, (in addition to helping prevent the contraction of malaria),
but a better quality of life as well.
Chabalisa, our next stop after Mwanza, was perfectly described to us as "the real Africa." While it was certainly a culture shock for us (with little electricity and no running water), the majority of Africans live as they do in Chabalisa. The town was a good five-hour drive away from the nearest city; many residents of Chabalisa are incredibly self-reliant. They grow their own food, build their own houses, and live their lives simply. It was here in Chabalisa that our group experienced firsthand the true depths of poverty. It was heartbreaking and amazing at the same time. Heartbreaking, to see the falling-apart house in which one family lived in. Heartbreaking, to see children dying of conditions such as diarrhea. Even during the harder times, it was amazing and encouraging to see the doctor and nurses at the hospital who worked so tirelessly for their patients, despite their surroundings.
It was especially refreshing and invigorating to see the children who came to visit us
every day. We would spend afternoons reading with them, playing soccer with them, or teaching them games.
With their beautiful brown eyes and wide smiles, you couldn't help but want to give them the entire world
all at once. Although we spoke little Swahili and they spoke no English, I believe connection that
transcended the two completely different groups-black, white, African, American-is more powerful than any
racial or ethnic divide. In those children, we saw pieces of ourselves, flashes of humanity, and the most
potent force that binds each and every one of us-love.
This trip was unlike anything any of us have ever experienced. Africa is often depicted
in the media as being a continent filled with horror, poverty, and war. Little attention is given to the
countless groups and individuals who work to bring about change throughout Africa. Our group certainly made
a difference in Tanzania, but it is really the many wonderful people we had the honor of meeting who will
have the biggest impact on our world. They are making their communities safer for millions of people, and
they inspired us to help the poor of Tanzania, one project at a time. 
Our IHSM program in Tanzania was a tremendous success thanks to our volunteers, our leaders,
and to our exceptional host, Father Jovin Bampabula. We are grateful to Father Jovin for his love, friendship, and for his commitment to
make this mission possible. Asante sana, Father!
We at Mir Pace extend our heartfelt
thanks to Alana, Annette, Austin, Jack, John, Lizzie, Lois, Megan, and Natasha for "being the change
we wish to see in the world!"
by Austin Linehan
2007 Community Service Leadership Award Recipient
This past summer, after graduating the 8th grade, I went to Tanzania, E. Africa with Mir Pace International. I was awarded Mir Pace International's "Community Service Leadership Award," and am so grateful to those people who support this program and made it possible for me to participate in the Tanzania program. It was the best experience of my life! Thank you!
I met our group leaders and the other volunteers at Logan Airport in Boston. Our goals while in Tanzania were to fix up a shelter for street children, restore a small medical clinic, build a house out of mud, fix up a school, and deliver food to many hungry families. Each project was incredible, but my favorite project that we worked on was building a house out of mud for a very poor family. The structure was set up when we arrived at the site and so we finished the project by mixing mud and grass to form a kind of mortar, and then we filled in between the beams with the newly-made mortar. The owner of the home and his family were so happy when we finished and so grateful for our work.
All of the people we met in Tanzania were kind and we were welcomed everywhere we went. This was difficult to understand at times because even though the living conditions were horrible for these people, they always wore a smile when they saw us.
We stayed with our host, Father Jovin. He is a priest and one the friendliest and nicest guys I have ever met. I loved spending time with everyone on this trip and sharing with one another all that we were experiencing. After almost three weeks of hard work, we took a day to relax and pass through the Serengeti. We saw every animal you could imagine - it was as though they knew we were coming and they all came out to greet us! It was the perfect way to end our long trip.
I met many new people and made lots of new friends, while helping to make life a little
bit better for those we served along the way. I really look forward to going on this trip again one day,
and I hope to help as many people as I can.
