Putting it in Perspective

One can't travel to Africa without returning changed in some way. I've learned over the years from friends who have made the trek that it's never quite the same experience for each person. But the common thread is that it's life changing and a time in your life you'll never forget.

This was my second time to go, the last time on a different mission but I believe it was God preparing me to go again in the future. That future happened to come just over two years later, on behalf of the Gazelle Foundation. Many of the relationships I forged on the first visit proved fruitful for this trip, including the lodging (thanks to Simon at Great Lakes Outreach) and the crucial knowledge given to us from Freddy Tuyizere of Youth for Christ about certain parts of the country and other work strategy ideas. Without those guys and the time spent alongside some of Gilbert's friends and family members (he's got friends in high places!) there's no way we could have accomplished what we did in 6 days.

In an effort to keep this short because it's proven more people will read the article laid before them if doesn't seem too daunting, I'll cut right to the main purpose of the visit which was to assess the two completed water projects, see the new one getting started, and survey areas for potential future projects. I wrote in a different post about the Nyamwango people and how the water project the Gazelle Foundation funded for their village has led to them no longer being called "the dirty people". But after seeing so many different rural areas and conversing with locals it kept popping in to my mind that we could do more. And I'm talking big picture that's not just the Gazelle Foundation. We are a part of it, yes, but they have other needs such as schools and housing and food.

Many of these Burudians live in a vicious cycle of poverty.
It's why they're stuck in what we would consider the 19th century with no electricity, dirt floors, and grass thatched roofs. There's no escape. A government ripe with constant corruption and little chance to even attend elementary school, much less advance to higher grades. So 5 year olds are left to herd cattle and goats in the field for 75 cents per day while their parents work the crops.



You have to understand how beautiful this country is. It's truly a tropical paradise and could - one day - be a great tourist spot. White sandy beaches, breathtaking views of the Congo mountains, banana trees as far as the eye can see, fresh fruit straight from the fields that aren't tainted with pesticides. This list goes on and on.When people ask me about the trip that is what I will say. How beautiful the country is and how awesome it was to see the work of the Gazelle Foundation first hand. But I also like to challenge those who want to know more. What can you do in your life to do more? We were blessed to either be born in America or now be a citizen. Some have worked harder than others to get what they have, but can you do more? Can you support a child at an orphanage who has been abandoned by their parents? Could you buy a family a goat or cow knowing it might be the thing that helps them rise out of the vicious poverty cycle? Could you support a child to attend school knowing that when he or she gets out and receives a higher paying job they use that money to help their family try to rise out of extreme poverty? Could you continue to help the Gazelle Foundation grow to build more water projects so that we can change more lives in Burundi?

We are doing great things. But there's more work to be done and ways to do it where the money goes directly to the people instead of passing through multiple organizations - or even worse, the government. Thank you for the dedication to the mission of the Gazelle Foundation over the past years. I hope you'll continue to join us in changing the lives of Burundians and setting a new path for the citizens.

Murakoze!

Changing Lives...

On Thursday we spent the morning traveling back to the site of the new water project and surveying more of the area. The travel gave us a new perspective on one of the challenges our project manager faces in regards to execution. Getting from the two main cities that carry supplies to the Songa commune (the area where our projects have been) is not that far of a drive - 120 kilometers at most - but much of the road is dirt and incredibly challenging to drive. Imagine trying to take your vehicle on the Barton Creek Greenbelt in Austin and it will give you a better idea. Then when it is the rainy season things are that much more difficult.

The new water project will take approximately six months and serve around 4,000 people. I had the opportunity to meet many of the workers that had already started digging (see picture above) and those that would be working as it progressed. Most of the laborers get about $1.65/day. That's not a lot, but when you take in to consideration that the average Burundian makes less than $1.50/day and the country's current unemployment rate hovers around 70%, these men are doing well for their family. And all but a few of the workers come from the village that is receiving the water project, so this is an opportunity for them to have a chance to get ahead for what is probably the first time.

Burundi culture is big on speeches. There could be five people in a room, but if it's in celebration of something there is always a speech - and usually more than one. If you went to Bernard's wedding you know exactly what I mean!

This trip has provided numerous opportunities for speeches, and we have kindly obliged each time. Today was especially neat because as the men gathered around near the source of the new project, the village elder shared a few words, Jean Bosco (our project manager) shared a few words, and then I had the chance to say a small speech because there was an English teacher for a nearby secondary school on hand to help. I got to share how excited their friends in America were to start this new project and that many were anxiously awaiting our report. And it also gave me the opportunity to implore to that this is their project and it is their water. We are only providing the funding for supplies, labor and management, and it is up to them to build it and to maintain it. They all seemed to agreed, and one family had already volunteered to watch the supplies each night so that nothing was stolen by bandits (they don't exactly have storage sheds here or metal fence to lock things up). I really got the sense that the community was feeling the ownership of the project, which was very encouraging. It's important that they do and know it is their own to take care of for the future.

One funny note for the day, it wouldn't be Africa without a crazy driver and the passengers trying to convince him to go down a steep, muddy hill and over a very questionable bridge. Below you'll see the "bridge" where one tire would have to go over land and one over unstable tree logs. The other is from getting back up the hill, when it took a good 20 villagers to push because the four-wheel drive wasn't good enough. Thankfully, I had enough wits about me to say enough is a enough and not let him try to drive the "bridge".

Beyond Surreal

{Note, this was from Wednesday but due to internet connection could not be posted until today}

It's difficult to fully explain just exactly how surreal today was. I compared my last trip to rural Burundi similar to traveling back in time - where everyone is rural farmers with no electricity or running water. And I say surreal because along with that you are in the middle of a tropical paradise. Everything is lush and green, no space is wasted for crops, and everywhere you turn there are banana trees, corn stalks, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, avocado trees, tea and coffee plants, and so much more. And with all of that, the people of Nyamwango and Songa-Fuku made it a very special day for us.

We trekked the two-hour drive from Bujumbura early this morning, slowed by rain and heavy fog. But as we neared the Songa area the fog began to lift and the sun peeked from the thick clouds overhead. It could not have been more perfect. Our project manager took us by fot to each tap stand that the Foundation has funded over the past two years. We got to speak with many of the locals and gather first hand what a difference the clean water has made in their life. The most recent project was for the Batwa people of Burundi, a tribe that is only about 5% of the population and the poorest of the poor. Subsistence farming at it's barest bones, living off what little land they have and known to others as "the dirty people".

But the water has changed their life, and interview after interview revealed to us that they are no longer suffering from many of the diseases that plagued them. The worms they got in their stomachs from drinking water of the same creeks their cattle and goats went to are no longer sending them to the hospital or even worse taking their life. Kids can now attend school because their day isn't spent fetching water from the nearest source. For many, they can go out their front door and be within 15-20 yards of a fresh water tap.

There is so much to write and tell, but I will keep it short. The two villages hosted a big welcome celebration for us complete with Burundian drummers, dancers, and the head government administration for the area (similar to a mayor of a US city). We have some great video - and pictures - of the welcome and the performances. Afterward we traveled to the home of Gilbert's mother. I'm fairly confident he has the largest family of anyone I know with his 30+ nephews and nieces. One of his sisters has nine kids!

We're now settled for the evening in the city of Bururi at the foothills of a national forest. They tell us there are gorillas and other large jungle animals once you venture in to the thick tree line, but Albert and I are okay with just taking in the view from our hotel! Unfortunately we can't post pictures because of the internet connection, but hope to get them up this weekend!

On The Ground Running

It's night time here in the capital city of Burundi, and we've finally reached our destination with a productive day under our belts. We made it to Bujumbura about 24 hours past our original arrival time, but hit the ground running as our water project manager was waiting for us at the hotel (with Albert's bag in tow!). Jean Bosco - an acquaintance of Gilbert's who has previous experience working with NGO's in the scope of water - has been a big asset to the work of the Foundation. He helped see the Nyamwango/St. Andrews project through in quick time and also drew up the plans for our first Songa project.

You have to understand how hard it is to work in many African countries because of the trust issues. As a small non-profit that reports to the US government each year we have to keep track of every penny that is sent out and make sure that it is going to where it is being sent. And we owe it to our donors. That means you need a project manager who won't be tempted by corruption or to funnel even just a little bit of the money elsewhere. Not that it's not hard anywhere in the world, but in a country that is routinely labeled as one of the world's ten poorest corruption is everywhere. Luckily we have Jean Bosco who understands this and knows his chances on any future projects depends on it.

We also spent time today talking with our friends from Great Lakes Outreach - an umbrella organization for a myriad of non-profits in Burundi. They were helpful in providing some keen insight on bringing a large group of people for a work trip.


We're excited to get out tomorrow and take some photos as well as meet with a few other partners in Bujumbura. The view is quite spectacular as the city is nestled between the Burundi mountains to our east and the Congo mountains to our west, with one of the largest lakes in Africa in between. The picture you see is the view we had as our plane was arriving. It's green and lush throughout the country - a very tropical climate just below the equator.

Not Quite As Planned...

In case you've never heard the term "African Time" it's used to describe just about anything that is always behind schedule. For some that's 30 minutes and for others it can be up to two hours. When traveling to Africa you can almost always expect things to be slow - it's just how it goes.

Unless, however, you were on the flight that went from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Bujumbura, Burundi yesterday. That flight left promptly at 9:30 AM, leaving many of it's connecting passengers behind.

On Saturday morning we left DC on a jumbo jet and departed a little over 30 minutes late. You'd think that with almost 13 hours of air time they would be able to make that up. Not so for us, as we touched down a good 45 minutes after we were originally supposed to land and then waited another 30 to de-board. At 9:40 we finally reached the terminal only to be told our connecting flight had left without us - and at least 10 others.

But they put us up in a nice hotel and fed us lunch, dinner and breakfast this morning. It was good to catch up on sleep and enjoy a meal that was not on an airplane. We have our flight to Bujumbura this morning and will be able to hit the ground running, tackling a few administrative items and meeting with partners for the next two days before traveling to the water projects on Wednesday.

Ethiopia is 9 hours ahead of central standard time, and Burundi is 8.

Two side notes - the one thing that did make it to Bujumbura on time was Albert's bag. After waiting for nearly two hours at the airport yesterday the airlines finally admitted that it was most likely on the original plane. We'll find out for sure today, or he might be wearing some of my clothes for the trip. Surprisingly he said he would pass on borrowing my running shorts!

He has also been mistaken as Indian, and trying to pass customs they gave him a hard time and didn't believe his American passport. A lady at a convenience store asked him if his wife was also Indian, despite telling her that he himself was American.

Back to Burundi

It's been two years since I traveled to Burundi, and I've been itching to return since. On Friday, my friend Albert Saenz and I will be heading to the small, land-locked Africa country on behalf of the Gazelle Foundation.

We'll be checking out the two completed water projects funded by the Foundation that serve over 3,500 residents near where Gilbert Tuhabonye and Bernard Manirakiza grew up. These are people that have never had access to clean water, spending their entire life up to now walking 2-5 miles to a creek, filling up their jugs with whatever was available, and then hauling it back to their home. It's made a life-changing impact for the Burundians, and we're excited for the opportunity to meet them, see the impact, and kick-off our newest project which officially started on January 10th.

Throughout our travels we will update with pictures and stories, and look forward to taking more supporters of the Gazelle Foundation to Africa in June 2011 to see the work they have funded first-hand!