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)
October 2006 Newsletter
We are so grateful for the privilege to be your hands as we reach out to our needy neighbors, and want to
extend our sincere gratitude to you for your continued support of our work. We hope you enjoy this issue,
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!
2006 Ongoing Appeal!
We have just about met our fundraising goal for 2006! However, we continue our efforts to raise much-needed
funds in order that we may build and expand our programs in 2007. 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 (paper, pencils, pens, note and workbooks, calculators, bandages, rubber gloves,
hospital equipment and supplies, antibiotics, vitamins, medications, etc.). All donated materials will be distributed during our IHSM trips to Guatemala and
Tanzania throughout the coming year.
If you would like more information about making a donation of educational or medical 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.
Mir Pace's Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of John O'Neill to its Board of Directors. John is a Manager in the National Investment Management Regulatory Consulting Group of Deloitte & Touche LLP. He received his B.A. in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. John has worked with inner city troubled youth in Baltimore, Maryland, and is currently active in the Catholic Charities Young Professionals Group and the Catholic Young Adults of Charlestown.
We are also pleased to announce the appointment of Fr. Jovin Bampabula to our Board of Advisors. Father Jovin is a
native of Tanzania and works in the Rulenge Diocese of Tanzania. Being native of this area, Father brings a
wealth of knowledge and experience to Mir Pace as we continue our development programs in Tanzania.
We would like to announce our own specially designed "Peace Bracelet." The purchase
and wearing of one of these hand made bracelets is a way to signify that you share our ideals of peace, both within and
among all nations and peoples. Mir Pace International is a living instrument in the service of peace and
this bracelet reminds us of our permanent commitment to peace. To purchase your bracelet,
please click here.
On July 22, 2006, Mir Pace held its
2nd Annual Paddle for Poverty kayak race. Unlike last year, the weather was a constant threat, yet
we enjoyed a tremendous turnout and raised nearly $3,000.00 for our IHSM Tanzania program!!
To read about and view images of this event, please click here.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our sponsors, volunteers, and race participants!!
With the help of family and friends, our young volunteers prepared for their African
experience well in advance of our trip by raising funds and collecting donated goods to be distributed during our trip.
Some of their efforts included obtaining a massive amount of invaluable medical supplies and equipment from
an extraordinarily generous doctor in Sharon, MA, and toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss from several
dental suppliers. Some of our volunteers also walked up and down Hingham's 4th of July
Parade route, in scorching temperatures, selling bottled water to raise funds for the people of Tanzania.
We are grateful for the many sacrifices our 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 trip, and we invite you to follow the "next" link at the bottom of this page to
discover what we accomplished and read a beautiful reflection and an essay from two of our volunteers.
From April 12 - 20, 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 19 through August 9,
IHSM volunteers will work in the northwest region of Tanzania, the Kagera District, assisting local
communities in the construction of water harvesting and sanitation systems, interior repair and improvement
projects at a rural medical clinic, assisting at a shelter for street children, and visiting the local schools.
Knowledge of the Swahili language is NOT required!
For more information about being a part of these rewarding experiences, please visit
our Mission Locations page.
IHSM in Tanzania, E. Africa
"You will fall in love with
Africa," was my repeated response to IHSM applicants when asked about our mission in
Tanzania, E. Africa. Eleven high school student volunteers participated in our July/August 2006 program.
They came from Barnstable, Hingham, Norwell, Scituate, and Sharon, MA, as well as Montpelier, VT. They, along
with our co-leader, Janet Davidson, did in fact, "fall in love with Africa"!
Upon arriving into Bukoba (situated on the northwest coast of Lake Victoria), Father
Jovin, our host, met us and welcomed us with open arms and a great big smile! He was anxiously awaiting our
arrival, as he had spent several months preparing for our visit. We made our way further west (40 miles
from the Rwandan border) to the district of Kagera and the Chabalisa Formation House that served as our
homebase while in Tanzania.
The people of Tanzania are so warm and seemed genuinely elated to have us with them.
Throughout our stay, we met many people who welcomed us always with kind greetings and great big smiles.
The handshake is very important in Tanzania and very often, our hand was held throughout the conversation!
Most of the families in the Kagera region live off the land, and when precipitation is "normal," they grow
corn, beans, bananas, and peanuts, in addition to raising a variety of livestock, including cows, goats,
and oxen. Most homes are constructed of handmade bricks or woven stick frames with mud walls, thatched
roofs and earthen floors. Daily activities in each household include drying and grinding corn, harvesting
bananas, fetching water from great distances, and caring for family members. Life in the region is simple
and serene, yet the level of poverty places a severe constraint on normal living.
Our primary goal while in Tanzania was to deliver much-needed food to hungry, if not
starving, families who have suffered the effects of a devastating drought. We purchased and delivered
200 lb. bags of maize to many desperate families who were overwhelmed with joy at this unexpected and very
precious gift.
June through October marks the hot, dry season in Tanzania, and our visit fell at the peak
of this season. Amazingly, on our fifth or sixth day, the rains came (often quite hard) and continued
sporadically for the remainder of our visit!
Other projects that our volunteers worked tirelessly to accomplish included preparing a
hospital for a water harvesting system, tearing down and replacing a ceiling in a patient ward, beginning
construction on a new kitchen at a medical clinic, painting the inside of a surgical unit, assisting in the
building of a home for a paraplegic man and his family, and the most moving gift of all was that of a
secondary education to twin boys, paid for by the funds our volunteers raised prior to leaving Boston.
Our volunteers also visited Kuleana, a shelter for street children. While at Kuleana,
we heard heartbreaking accounts of the tragic loss of parents to HIV/AIDS, abandonment, abuse, and forced
labor - factors which drive increasing numbers of children to live in the streets.
A final fruit from this extraordinary IHSM program was the establishment of a small
collaborative of women in the craft of basket making. Something as simple and small as this can radically
change the annual income for a family who is supported by handcrafts. Be sure to watch our web site for
news about the women's basket collaborative and how you can make a purchase. 100% of all sales will be
directed back to the women's collaborative!
Ricky Tantillo
If it wasn't for this trip, I would have never experienced first hand the ways in which these people live. It reminded me of watching the commercials on tv where you see impoverished families that you would love to help, but it seems out of reach. Mir Pace gave me the opportunity to actually go and make a difference and I cannot thank you enough for that.
This trip also showed me a new culture that I believed to be non-existent. I was amazed by the care-free and happy lives these people lived despite the horrible surroundings and challenges which they face. In addition, it was amazing how relaxed these people were although it made it difficult at times or us to accomplish work. Although everything will always remain clear in my mind, the most memorable experience I have taken home was when Chris and I were lugging the 200 pound bags of maize. It was so touching to see how grateful these families were when they received the food. The fact that these people were on top of the world after receiving something we take for granted every day was just unbelievable. Also, sending the twins to school was an incredible feeling. Knowing that the fundraising we worked for has actually made a difference and is able to put kids through school is remarkable.
I feel like a completely different person now resulting from this trip. It has opened my eyes to something
that I have never known before, and has made me appreciative for all that I have. I have taken back with me so
many memories and unbelievable experiences that will stick with me forever.
an essay by Melissa Duffney
Two rooms, 210 kids, three teachers, no bathrooms, no cafeteria, and books are what was asked for. Dark green wool skirts and sweaters, and 210 shaved heads stood in front of me expressing what they thought would make school better. Books!
Missing the refreshing taste of ice-cold water, I was in Tanzania now, where I have been for the past two weeks doing community service. It is mid-July, and girls and boys, only to be separated by a skirt or khakis, leave their huts at sunrise to conquer their five- to 10-mile walk to school. When the chance to visit a "private school" was presented to us, out of curiosity of what Tanzania considered a private school, we hopped in our safari-styled land cruiser and took the 20 minute drive up, down and around the dusty-orange, rocky roads. We passed kids dressed in their distinct school uniforms, walking at a heavy pace down what seemed to be never ending roads, for a full day of learning. I quickly realized how much I had taken for granted, even something as simple as the option to ride the bus to school.
"An Education is hard to get for many girls in Tanzania, the walk to school is too long, they are susceptible to rape, and it happens all too often" a teacher explained. Our smiles quickly disappeared from our faces. This isn't right, this isn't fair, I thought. They need more class rooms; they need a ride to be safe.
420 wide-eyes beamed on our white, curious faces, as we asked, "What would make your education better?" In broken English, a deep voice from the back rang, "Books, we share books, no one can take them home, no one can learn at home." BOOKS! I thought, how about a safe environment? A safe ride to school? Ask someone from my school what would make school better and I'm sure you would hear a shorter day or a longer lunch, not more books. Then I let my ignorance go, and realized that learning and educating themselves is a means to a better life; they do what they have to do.
As I watched these kids, my age, sit three to a table in their wool attire, at noon time in the sweltering heat, no one spoke a word, and no one fidgeted. All 420 eyes fixated on the 10-year old chalk board as they vigorously copied down what their teacher wrote. If you were to come to my high school, a class of 30 students is too big, with frequent trips to the bathroom and notes being passed, it is easy to get off track. I thought of all the opportunities I have because hundreds of years ago my ancestors walked miles for an education and made our country what it is today. These young people together are building up Africa and I admire them.
For the hour I was with them, I learned how important education really is. When I
returned home, I promptly e-mailed my guidance counselor and changed senior elective classes like volleyball
to courses like honors psychology. I don't deserve my education more than anyone of those 210 kids, so I
refuse to take it for granted. I want more books.
Our first IHSM program in Tanzania was a tremendous success thanks to our volunteers
and to our exceptional host, Father Jovin Bampabula. No matter where we were, no matter how hard we were
working, or how tired we may have been, we could always look to Father and be met with his constant smile
and contageous laugh! 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 Alissa, Carly, Catherine, Chris B., Chris J., Lexa, Melissa, Mike, Nerissa, Ricky, Rosie, and Janet
for "being the change we wish to see in the world!"
