A Volunteer Humanitarian Aid
and Sustainable Development Organization
Our Mission:
To provide worldwide humanitarian relief and sustainable
development initiatives in order to save lives, reduce vulnerability
and alleviate human suffering, while fostering volunteerism through
International High School Mission ("IHSM") programs.
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." (Gandhi)
October 2004 Newsletter
We extend our sincere gratitude to so many of you who have supported our mission. Because of your generosity, 2004 has proven to be a very fruitful year for Mir Pace. We have much to share with you in 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 and foster youth volunteerism!
Announcements
2004 END OF YEAR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN!
We have begun our end of year
campaign for funding. Our goal is to raise $100,000 before December 31, 2004! Since the end of September,
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 according to the Internal Revenue Code.
Welcome!
Mir Pace's Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Doyle to its Board of Directors. Paul is Chairman of the New England Chapter of the Association of Former Federal Narcotics Agents, and served as a Special Agent for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and the Drug Enforcement Administration. He also served with the 2nd Infantry Division and the 10th Special Forces Group (Green Berets), and has traveled throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia in various capacities with the military, government, and volunteer groups. He received a B.A. in Sociology from Rutgers University and an M.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University. Paul is author of "Hot Shots and Heavy Hits: Tales of an Undercover Drug Agent" (a must read!!!!).
Mir Pace is also very pleased to announce the addition of Nadija DeSimone to our staff. Nadija has been named Director of External Relations, and is responsible for Mir Pace's foundation, corporate, media, and community relations. Nadija was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1997, she left her country to begin a new life here in the United States. In 2003, Nadija received a B.A. in Humanities from Harvard University, and is currently enrolled in Harvard's Certificate of Special Studies in Administration and Management Program. Welcome aboard, Paul and Nadija!
Congratulations!
We are happy to announce that finally in June of this year, our founder, garbed in the traditional black commencement robe, graduated from Harvard University. She also received the distinguished Derek Bok Public Service Prize, which is awarded to degree recipients who, while pursuing academic studies, also give generously of their time and skill to improve the quality of life for others in the larger community. She received the Derek Bok Prize for her work in establishing Mir Pace International. From all of us at Mir Pace, congratulations Eileen!
Announcing Our 2005 IHSM ScheduleTamahú, Guatemala
During the weeks of February 19 - 26 and April 16 - 23, 2005, IHSM volunteers will assist the Missionaries of Charity Fathers and the local community in weeklong programs that include a sanitation program that will help to significantly improve health and ground water quality; a community garden program that will help to feed the poorest of those living in the Tamahú district; assisting the local weavers in building a new economic resource; preparing and serving meals at a day shelter for the elderly population; and visiting the local school to teach basic English and participate in recreational activities with the children of Tamahú. Knowledge of the Spanish language is helpful, but not required.
Tanzania, AfricaFrom August 2 through August 25, 2005, IHSM volunteers will work in the northwest region of Tanzania, the Kagera region, assisting local communities in the construction of water harvesting and sanitation systems that will help to significantly improve ground water quality and prevent diseases; interior repair and improvement projects at a rural hospital; distribute mandatory school uniforms and other desperately needed tangibles; assist at a shelter for street children; and visit local schools to teach basic English and participate in recreational activities with the children of Kagera. 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 (http://www.mirpace.org/MLocations.html).
Other Volunteer OpportunitiesMir Pace International offers many exciting and rewarding volunteer opportunities within our organization, and we are always looking for professionals from various sectors who want to share their expertise at home or abroad. Many of our volunteer opportunities support our key mission services of teaching, health education, basic safety, first aid, home construction and repair, as well as agricultural, clean water, and sanitation improvement projects. Volunteer schedules are flexible, and we provide additional mission-specific training for volunteers who would like to travel with us. To learn more about these and other volunteer opportunities, please e-mail us at Info@mirpace.org or call us at (781) 925-0090.
We look forward to working with you!
Mir Pace Volunteers In Action!James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, said recently, "I believe that today poverty is not central on the global agenda. I believe that today lip service is given to the question of poverty. There are safe statements made…about the issue of the Millennium [Development] Goals and about poverty. But the real issues today that seem to be on the mind of the world, terrorism, Iraq, Afghanistan, budget deficits, parochial problems, the visible problems that must be dealt with that are immediate, while attention is given less to the equally inevitable and the equally dangerous problems that come with poverty. And so I think all of us have to go out with a certain missionary zeal to try and remind people that poverty is the real challenge for peace and that we need to give it priority."
In April 2004, Mir Pace conducted its first IHSM program in Tamahú, Guatemala. We were a small group, but certainly one giving far more than lip service! For one young volunteer, her mission began even before she left Boston. Lexa Keenan, a freshman at Sharon High School, in Sharon, MA, was so filled with what Wolfensohn terms "missionary zeal," that she shared with all she met that she would be traveling to Guatemala in order to serve the poor of Tamahú. She appealed to her Church and community for donations of shoes and she received a tremendous outpouring of donations and support. Lexa collected more than 500 pairs of new or gently worn shoes, including over 150 pairs donated by Reebok!
While in Tamahú, we were brought to the base of one of the mountains where many families had gathered in the hopes of receiving new shoes. After two or three families passed through our distribution area, the line suddenly stopped. We looked at one another, confused and unsure of what had halted our distribution. At last, a family came forward, each with dripping wet feet. We were then told that the people were washing one another's feet at a small ground water well! It was explained that they were deeply embarrassed to remove their existing, worn out and tattered shoes (if they had shoes at all), in order to try on new shoes, because their feet were caked in dirt and mud. We realized that in spite of extreme poverty, the people of Tamahú humbly maintain respect for themselves and for one another. This simple act of humility left a deep impression on all of us.
During the week, our IHSM volunteers also replaced a dirt floor with one of cement, served meals to elderly men and women at a day shelter, learned to make Tamales (a local favorite), introduced soap to families living high in the mountains, and visited an abandoned building that we hope will one day be Tamahú's medical infirmary.
Our young volunteers returned home with a new awareness and understanding of poverty. One volunteer expressed that "this experience helped me to realize the effects of poverty, and I want to continue this type of work." Another said she was "deeply moved by being given food from people who were too hungry, in learning how many women die in childbirth, and how hard young children work!"
Shortly after our return, we received the following message from Marta, a native of Tamahú who runs the elderly day shelter: "We are so thankful that you took time out of school and work schedules to be with us here in Tamahú. The girls were so generous, kind, and are good workers. We are grateful that you have [choose] to come here, and your visit left our people with hope. Already you are all missed and we wait for your return!"
Our heartfelt thanks to Mary, Lexa, and Katie for your "missionary zeal" and for being the change we wish to see in the world!
Tanzania: Sharing A Dreamby Eileen Weisslinger
Last summer I was introduced to Father Jovin Bampabula, who was visiting from Tanzania, Africa. As we talked about his county and its people, he shared with me his dream that one day the people of his country would live with dignity, would be educated, have good health, and prosperity. I told Father Bampabula about Mir Pace, and that perhaps with the help of our supporters and volunteers, we could help him to work toward realizing his dream. As the evening came to a close, we said our farewells, and the following day, Father Bampabula returned home to Tanzania.
As the months passed, I thought often of Father Bampabula and about the difficult and complex lives of the people he had described. Then, unexpectedly, Father contacted me. He wrote, "Please come and see for yourself the plight of our people." Last month, I did just that.
After traveling for more than 22 hours, I arrived in the city of Mwanza, located on the southern rim of Lake Victoria. As I stepped off the plane, I heard someone shout, "KARIBU!" "Karibu" is a Swahili word meaning "welcome" and is the one word that was instilled in my memory by the end of the first day. Always spoken with a smile as an accompaniment reflects how friendly, warm, and hospitable the people are. Father Bampabula greeted me with an enormous smile, and our journey began.
Over the next five days, we would cover more than 1,200 miles of northwestern Tanzania, which included the Kagera region that borders Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Living conditions were simple, but primitive. Each night was spent in a different location, and I lived without running water, telephones, plumbing, or electricity - conditions that required more effort than I had anticipated. Even trivial matters like bathing or going to the "water closet" at night presented challenges. The bathing ritual involved: taking a deep breath; soaping up a washcloth from a bucket of cold water; then while reassuring myself that probably no one ever died from a bucket of cold water, pouring it over my head while suppressing what would otherwise be a deafening scream. The night visits to the water closet (which Tanzanians call "short calls") involved having to first pause and run through a mental checklist: "Tissue? Check; Torch? Check; Soap? Check; Shoes? Check." Then I would assure myself that mosquitoes, spiders, and any other roaming creatures sleep at night, right?
While I considered our facilities primitive, not a moment passed that I didn't think about the people I had met who are without basic necessities every day of their lives and was reminded of the things I so very often take for granted.
Routinely, our time was spent touring hospitals, homes, primary and secondary schools, and speaking to educators, doctors, students, and many families. I learned that Tanzanians are a people of great hope, and they are working very hard to improve their life situation. However, they face severe challenges.
The Family and Domestic Responsibilities
Without resources to secure their futures, families can rely only on one another. While hunger and lack of basic health care is the cause of excessively high infant and under five mortality rates, families faced with abject poverty need many children to help with domestic work. For those living at the margin of survival, children provide labor, whether it be caring for infants while their mothers work in the fields, or working the fields themselves, to augment meager family income. I met many children, some as young as six years old, who are unable to attend school because their families cannot afford the cost, and the survival of their families depends on their domestic participation.
Bananas and plantains grow naturally and in abundance throughout the country. The task of harvesting bananas falls primarily to children, and requires cutting bushels from the trees, and then separating or bundling them according to their intended purpose. Bananas and plantains are an important food source, provide income when sold in local markets, and the palms from the banana and plantain trees are an essential material used for the construction of homes. Another material used for the construction of homes is the natural soil, which is the perfect ingredient for brick making. In addition, wood is plentiful and is used for making charcoal. Because charcoal burns long, hot, and steady, it is the primary fuel source for cooking throughout Tanzania. Clean water, however, is not plentiful. Young children are given the task of collecting water, and more often than not, necessitates walking very long distances typically more than two hours and often down very steep hills) to the nearest water station. The jugs are then filled and carried atop their heads for the long and difficult trek home. Understandably, the use of water is intensely guarded.
Working To EducateNotwithstanding Tanzania's poor economic situation, education and the promotion of literacy is an important priority. Primary and secondary education, both public and private, are the responsibility of the Government Ministry and/or the Church. However, neither institution has the economic resources to adequately improve the current system and its resources.
Education is divided into primary and secondary systems, which together amount to 13 years. Primary education, which lasts for seven years, is free and compulsory, however families are required to pay for mandatory school uniforms and school supplies. In many classrooms we visited, children have no books, only a single piece of paper, and old Coke bottle tops are tools used to learn counting.
Secondary education lasts for six years, and students must pay fees to attend secondary school. Because there are few secondary schools in Tanzania, many students must walk long distances to arrive at school on time. In talking with some of the faculty and female students at the schools we visited, I learned that many young girls are vulnerable to abuse while walking to or from school. Moreover, if a young girl becomes pregnant, no matter the situation under which the pregnancy occurred, she is immediately expelled from school. Two of the secondary schools that we visited are working to address this problem by constructing dormitories on the school grounds in order to safeguard female students.
Students are also expected to be polite to their teachers. At the beginning of each day, when the teacher enters the classroom, the students stand and greet the teacher respectfully. As I entered each classroom, the students stood, placed a thumb on their forehead (a gesture of which I still don't know the meaning), and in one voice said, "Good morning Visitor!" Most impressive is that you can hear a pin drop all while the teacher is speaking!!
HealthcareThe Tanzanian healthcare system has six levels of treatment facilities, with village health posts being the most common. Slightly better care comes from dispensaries and local health centers, then district hospitals, followed by regional hospitals and, finally referral hospitals.
Referral hospitals provide the best medical care, however, there are only four serving a population of more than 30 million. Harsh economic conditions have made it difficult for the government to provide better health care services, and because inflation has drastically reduced the incomes of people in both urban and rural areas, they are unable to afford the cost of treatment ($4.00 USD per visit).
The most common illnesses that afflict the people are malaria, a disease carried by mosquitoes, as well as measles, cholera and tuberculosis, each of which are due to malnutrition, inadequate immunization, lack of essential drugs, and contaminated water supplies. At the Rwambaizi Health Center, I met a young child suffering from severe dehydration induced by acute diarrhea. The Center did not have an antibiotic or other medication to fight against the organism causing his illness, and had only a small supply of rehydration solution. The number of children who die from easily treatable illnesses is staggering. At another facility, we spoke with a Danish medical student who had completed her first of a three-month internship. She described that the most difficult and frustrating experiences she encounters are emergency surgeries or difficult labors because of the lack of access to anesthesia. "Patients are essentially given something hard to bite on, and their pain and emotional distress is overwhelming."
Mission OutcomeMir Pace International is working to assist those living in the rural areas that I visited who remain underserved, if not entirely forgotten. Already, we have made an initial investment that will allow 250 people to receive medical care and we purchased materials for the construction of a water tank at a health center. We have also provided funding for school uniforms so that 50 children will be attending primary school this term!
Father Bampabula expressed the impact of my visit in a letter I received shortly after my return: "I am so happy to send you many greetings from our people and to assure you that your visit has left a big mark in our hearts. Your visit created a big hope among our people, especially those who are working to ensure there is change in the standard of life among our people. Thank you for visiting Tanzania and helping us too see that there are possibilities to make a better life. We are all looking forward to your next visit and meeting your volunteers."
Father Bampabula and I (Mir Pace) hope to realize the dreams we share - that we might make a difference in improving the lives of the poor. We hope you too share our dream! And to the people of Tanzania who welcomed and embraced me so warmly, Kutoa ni moyo, asante sana (from my heart, thank you very much!)!
