YPW goes to Africa! From November 3rd to the 23rd, Nicole and Maria will be traveling to Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa to support the work of Youth Together Against AIDS. They will post their thoughts and experiences in this blog as often as they can during the trip.

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005

Asante Sane Africa! ("Thank You, Africa!" in Swahili)

Photos: Maria Porter and Nicole Sanchez

We spent our last two days in South Africa visiting two more of AFXB's after school programs - Diepkloof (part of Soweto) and Alexandra township - each as inspiring as the previous! It would be an understatement to say that we were overwhelmed.

The group we visited Monday, in the Diepkloof neighborhood, thought that we would not have time to visit them, so they were very concerned that they "hadn't prepared” a reception for us like the other groups. We held a similar question and answer exchange about our cultures and thoughts on HIV/AIDS until one girl stood up and asked, "Would you like to see our traditional dancing?"

In a matter of moments desks and tables were cleared, there was a brief consulting huddle, and then nine girls lined themselves up and danced in magnificent union to songs they sang with the help of their peers. It was beautiful! Nicole marveled, telling them back home it would take a month to organize such a show. Their ability to quickly collaborate was truly remarkable. It was really hard to believe that this was what they considered "unprepared!"

They were followed by six boys who lined up in front of the chalk board and swayed like an old-school R&B group while harmonizing songs about hard working parents and missing a mother who had died. They sang sweetly, with wide smiles. It was hard to know how true this song rang for so many of them.

We were then treated to a few solo performances and poems. So much talent! Someone had also tipped them off to our singing of the U.S. National Anthem, so there we stood again, hands at our hearts, belting it out to our best. They sang theirs in return and we will always smile with memories of this exchange.

We spent the next day - our last in South Africa - with the AFXB program in Alexandra, another township outside of Johannesburg. Alex, as they call it, is a sprawling and overpopulated neighborhood with tin shacks squeezed in among old cinder block homes. We had heard from our hosts that life is rougher here, the poverty more oppressive. Indeed, we saw this as we bumped through the narrow streets on our way to the school.

But, as we arrived, again the power and promise of the youth here astounded us. We were literally danced into the small crowded classroom by young men singing a traditional welcoming song. This was followed by more dancing, singing, poetry, and an incredible drama piece so well-acted that we could follow along despite the fact that the actors were speaking Zulu! The small room seemed as if it would burst with the incredible energy of this group. Again we shared our amazement and congratulations as we passed out awards. We answered questions and were put to a new test learning some of the traditional dance moves in front of the group!

One of the questions was, "What is best thing you saw in Africa?" This was easy to answer of course – the heart, hope, talent and courage of the young people we met everywhere. We had hoped that our visiting these groups would bring hope and energy to them knowing that people in the U.S. care about their situation and are working to support them. Perhaps this happened for some, but really, they are the ones who inspired us. We are so deeply thankful for every young person we met, and all the adults working to support them. We are awed and motivated by their courage, ingenuity, strength and joy in the face of all the challenges in their lives.

Poverty, AIDS, lack of opportunities and so many other grave challenges stand between them and their wellbeing, let alone their dreams. Every 10 seconds a young person in Africa contracts HIV. More than 11 million young people have lost a parent to AIDS in this region. But in these young people, as individuals and collectively, we saw the bright glimmer of possibility. We saw small programs making a big impact in their lives – giving them somewhere to go, teaching them how to protect themselves, fostering strength and leadership, nurturing their talents. We saw the work these young people are doing to educate their peers and help stem the tide of AIDS.

We return inspired to tell as many people as possible about them – with hope that more and more people will contribute their time, energy, resources and money to support the programs we visited. They are doing such amazing work, and they need our support. We really saw how every little bit of support can help make a difference. We hope that this holiday season, and always, you will consider contributing to projects like these. If you want any advice on how to get involved, please send us an email or call our office.

There is so much more we could have written – so many experiences that didn't make it into this journal. We thank everyone who followed along and sent words of encouragement and support. We hope that the message that rang clear to us in all of our visits came through in our writing: Together we can take on the challenges that face our world. Positive change is possible. Young people have the energy, talent and desire to lead – they only need support.

Please stay tuned for our next entries following up on each of the programs we visited.

— Nicole & Maria

Sunday, November 20th, 2005

The Apartheid Museum

Early on Saturday, Muzi, the man responsible for transporting AFXB staff around, picked us up to take us to visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg (oddly enough, right next to an amusement park with giant roller coasters!)

Maria writes... Nicole grew up keenly aware of the struggle against apartheid and, at age 17, was one of the thousands of people who gathered in the Oakland Coliseum to welcome a newly-freed Nelson Mandela to the bay area in 1990. I had a more vague understanding of this history. The Museum provides a powerful experiential understanding of the roots, development, and horror of this systematized racism, and of the courageous individuals and communities who struggled for so long to realize its end.

The experience began with a ticket agent handing us different entry passes. Maria received "whites only" and Nicole received "non-whites," which - although they arbitrarily distribute tickets to visitors - already makes us feel strange, given that this might have been how we would have been categorized if we had grown up in USA during apartheid. We enter the museum through different doors, as our passes are "checked" by a guard at the entrance. For several hundred feet, we cannot reach each other and are separated by a chain link fence and barbed wire. On all sides of us are enormous displays of enlarged copies of real identity cards from that era. (Remember "that era" only ended about ten years ago.) Each looks like a typical driver's license, but stamped in big red letters on each is "White," "Colored," "Malay," "Native," or "Black." Everybody was categorized according to appearance and, upon government review, a citizen's classification could be changed overnight.

We finally figured out how to reach each other and walked through the rest of the exhibits with great emotion. Particularly disturbing were the replicas of the tiny solitary confinement cells that activists were confined to and the footage of people being forced to destroy their own homes as they were relocated to the townships. Surprising to both of us was the number of whites who stood against the apartheid from the beginning - marching, protesting, working alongside blacks and the large community of Indian descent. Gandhi lived here for a while, building his path of peaceful resistance. One of his most famous demonstrations was a public burning of his identity card.

In one area of the museum is a temporary exhibit that changes once a year. Currently, the display features the rise and fall of the U.S. system of segregation under Jim Crow laws. All-too familiar photos of lynchings, cross-burnings, and KKK marches lined the walls. Upon entering this part of the museum visitors are "greeted" by a sign that would have been posted in many parks throughout our own country until the early 1960s. It reads

"NO DOGS. NO BLACKS. NO MEXICANS."

It is very powerful to walk through the museum and follow the growth of a movement that was led, in large part, by young people. Special attention is paid to the events of 1976 when high school students in Soweto staged mass marches in protest of the government's new policy to teach school in Afrikaans, the official language of white South Africa. Many teenagers lost their lives in this struggle, being fired at by police in their own neighborhood. It was inspiring to see people persisting through the years - organizing, canvassing the communities to create a charter of rights, protesting, facing terrible repercussions, but finally overturning the rule of apartheid. The footage of seas of people dancing in the streets the day Mandela was released from prison, and again when he won the election in 1994 were unbelievable. The photos of people lining up for miles to vote were astounding; the one that moved us to tears is of an extremely elderly black man being held up by two younger men as he placed his own vote in ballot in the box.

Muzi greeted us after our visit to give us a ride home. We asked him a lot of questions about what he remembers from that time. As an 18-year-old in Soweto in 1976, he and all of his friends were in the middle of it. They took turns being arrested, hiding each other, holding secret planning meetings at night, and more than once had to hop trains out of town after particularly brutal conflicts with police. We asked him if he was scared. "No, at 18 I thought I was invincible even though people were dying all around me. And what did I have to lose anyway? The system was terrible and [the government] went too far the day they decided to make us learn in Afrikaans." We asked if his parents were scared. "Yes, but what could they do but pray for my safety? Every young boy and girl was doing this. School wasn't even being held because this was so big." We asked what he thought of the museum when he visited a few weeks ago. "I think it is good. But one thing I think is missing is a mention of the many police who died in this struggle. It's something that never gets reported on. A lot of police were killed in Soweto." We talked all the way home about organizing, how young people can be so powerful, and the changes that have taken shape around him during his lifetime. We thanked him of course for the ride, but more importantly for taking part in the protests of 1976. Muzi - and thousands of others like him - do not have their photos in any museum. But they were the backbone of this movement. Without people like Muzi, the rest of the world might never have heard the names Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, or Desmond Tutu.

Nightlife in Soweto

Both Friday and Saturday evenings provided an opportunity to experience night life in Soweto. The lively streets grew even more so with people strolling, children playing, groups meeting up and chatting on corners. Rhythmic beats thumped out from passing cars, nearby house parties and radios surrounded by groups of young people.

Our hosts, Grace and Thomas, took us to the local hot spots for a "pub dinner", drinks and dancing - much like similar venues at home, except that we were the only "white people" there (in quotes because Nicole is considered "white" here and that opens a whole other conversation and history on race classification as mentioned in the museum account...).

Being the only whites out on the town, we were met by observation and some curiosity, followed by the sense of ease and welcome we have experienced everywhere in Soweto. We were both so impressed by this, especially considering how recently apartheid ended... in fact, the experience was quite incredible. There were moments of important humility recognizing that this community was accepting and welcoming us and also those when the history and lines of color were forgotten to the universality of people enjoying conversation, music and dancing well into the night. Maria was paid "the ultimate compliment" when a woman dancing nearby called out over the music, "Girl, you've got rhythm!" Coming from women who grow up shaking it in traditional dances as we had seen the day before, and in Africa - the birthplace of rhythm itself - this was a historical moment for a little white girl from the States!

Mexico meets Soweto

For lunch on Saturday, Grace took us to a new restaurant opened by an American named Christina and her husband who is a Soweto native. The place is called Lito's and is a small shack set up for "take away" burritos and nachos. It was quite a surprise to find a little bit of Mexico in Soweto! Grace introduced us to Chrissy, who immediately recognized our American English accents and said "What are you doing here?!" She laughed nervously as she told her husband who was busy in the kitchen cooking up orders for the small crowd outside - "these people are from the neighborhood (Mission District) that our burritos are based on!" We had fun talking and hearing about her challenges finding ingredients - the "tortillas" are more like Indian Naan, and the beans are "baked beans" style rather than pinto beans. Regardless, the burritos and guacamole we had were excellent and we highly recommend that anyone who finds themselves in Soweto, stop in for great food.

After Maria's Italian meal, Grace has decided that it would be a good idea for us to move to Soweto and start an Italian restaurant as well! Tempting...

— Nicole & Maria

Friday, November 18th, 2005

Q & A

During our question and answer session with the kids on Thursday in Pimville, Maria listed cooking as one of her hobbies. Our hostess, Grace, pounced on this bit of information as soon as we hopped in the car at the end of the day.

We stopped in at a Pic-n-Pak – a large grocery store - and bought fixings for pasta and fish – garlic, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, parsley, oregano, salad ingredients and a few bottles of South African red wine! I (Maria) am excited to let my grandma, Nonny, know that I cooked a proper Italian meal in Soweto, South Africa!

We awoke on Friday to another day of meetings with the staff. We broke for lunch at a small restaurant – Sakhumzi's – run by a Soweto native. It is perched next to Desmond Tutu's home and just down the street from the house that Nelson Mandela lived in when he was arrested. Sakhumzi's serves typical Sowetan food – fried chicken or steak, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed Irish potatoes, salad, sump (hominy and sweet corn porridge) and pap – a thick corn meal porridge. Great tasting, but a lot of starch for these Bay Area Californians!

Friday afternoon was our chance to film the students sharing their thoughts with their pen pals back home. About 30 AFXB after school program participants came to the office. We didn't really have a set plan and negotiating in a small office was a bit of a challenge cinematographically! Nicole set up the video camera in Grace's office, while Maria held an impromptu "round table discussion" on life in South Africa, HIV and other challenges facing young people.

Discussion with Maria

The discussion started as a question/answer session as everyone got to know each other better. But things really heated up when we went around the room saying what we would do if we were president – what policies we would change, etc. One outspoken girl stood up and said that if she were president of South Africa, she would end the practice of providing "grants" (similar to the American welfare system) to young women who become pregnant because she knows of too many young women who are becoming pregnant just to get this money. Her perspective was that most girls are manipulating the system and she would put an end to the grants entirely. The room exploded. Participants hopped up and down with their hand in the air eager to debate this position. "What about girls who have been raped and become pregnant?" "What about young women who have been left by their partner and have no money?" The debate was challenging but fun. Maria stepped in as a facilitator allowing "Madame President" to respond to the now-heated citizenry.

Maria also explained that we have similar debates in the U. S. and encouraged them to dig deeper – what is really at the root of this issue? Why is early pregnancy seen as the best option for those who are using the system in this way? What other policies could we create to encourage these girls to pursue their education instead, etc. They responded with suggestions for more comprehensive school activities, scholarships, more job training programs and more jobs for young people.

 

Interviews with Nicole

Meanwhile, Nicole set up shop with a video camera and interviewed AFXB's participants in small groups. Each interviewee introduced him/herself and answered questions like "What's the best thing about life in South Africa? What do you do for fun? What are the biggest challenges you face? What kind of music do you like?" Several groups were eager to share some of South Africa's history and culture, particularly their languages. In messages to pen pals back home, students shared slang phrases for "good," "bad," the names of their favorite kinds of food, and other facts they deemed important. We are excited to share these films with you when we return.

Are you married?

As we have found on all of our visits, our guests are eager to know if we are married. Nicole says "yes" and when Maria says "no," numerous possibilities arise. Everyone has a brother, uncle, or friend who she would adore. Maria has learned to dodge these suggestions gracefully, with a lot of thanks and laughter.

— Nicole & Maria

Thursday, November 17th, 2005

AFXB Main Office & Killarney Mall

On Thursday we were scheduled to visit the main office of AFXB and one of their after school programs for youth affected by HIV here.

Getting ready, we notice the subtle differences between here and home…While there is running water in the house (clean enough to drink from the tap!), the bathroom is out the back door in a room on the other side of the small yard – it is shared with tenant families who rent small studio apartments. There is no shower or tub there, so we took turns bathing at a house across the street where Grace's aunt lives. It is a little disconcerting to walk into a neighbor's house (relative or not) without knocking and know that Grace is announcing in Zulu, "My visitor is here to take a bath!" Her aunt is obviously used to this phenomenon and, of course, greeted each of us warmly. But this sense of community again is really something to comment on – people pop in and out, yell greetings across the street, they take the time to stop and talk. Friends and families sit on makeshift benches in the road chatting and fanning away the heat.

The AFXB office is across town on the other side of Jo'burg in a simple office complex near a fancy neighborhood, on a street called "Louis Botha Road." Strange, considering Botha was a South African president whose implementation of apartheid was particularly brutal. But I suppose we have similarly-named streets back home as well.

The staff of AFXB is great! They are so warm, committed and fun. Each of them has been touched by AIDS in some significant way. Most of the staff is black and most of them come from Soweto. We held a meeting to discuss the Youth Together Against AIDS program – what is working, what the challenges are, how we can improve. When it comes down to it, email is an incredible tool, but you can't beat a face to face meeting to really lay everything out and move forward.

For lunch, Grace took us to a shopping mall (anywhere USA?!) nearby called Killarney. Just adjacent to the mall is the US Embassy. We had a nice lunch and then stopped in a pharmacy to get some cough drops to fight off our chest cold (Maria) and sore throat (Nicole) that the diesel smoke, coal and trash burning, dust and pollution of Dar Es Salaam brought on. The cashier at the pharmacy (a white South African woman) helped us to find cough drops and was asking why we are here and where we were staying. When we told her, she replied (direct quote) "Oh my – that gives me goosebumps! That is a very dangerous place! Why are you staying there?!" We told her that we were staying with friends, enjoying the sense of community, finding it quite nice and again asked, had she been there? "Oh no, girls!" and she looked at us with concern and disapproval, "Bad things happen there." She handed us our purchase and change as if it had been contaminated with a deadly strain of easy-to-catch cooties. We were summarily dismissed from the store without another word.

We wondered, Is this the current face of racism in South Africa? – and marveled at how much it resembles home. Often, people only hear about "East LA" or "East Oakland" through media reports and subsequently write off an entire community of people based on fear and an incomplete picture. If outsiders call a place "too dangerous" to visit, they can live their lives without ever facing the discomfort of actually seeing what these communities are like - not the violence, not the danger in the air -- but instead the stark economic divide that runs along race lines and has yet to be redressed in most corners of the world, including our own.

When we told Grace of our encounter, we could see the pain in her eyes, "What does this woman know...? They never come to Soweto. If we see a white person in our neighborhood, it is usually foreigners like you." She goes on to explain that crime is a problem — as it is throughout Johannesburg — but the situation is improving. In Soweto, the community watches out for one another and quickly responds as a group. It is a South African version of the community policing or neighborhood crime watches we have back home.

Pimville

Photos: Maria Porter and Nicole Sanchez

In the afternoon, we went to meet the youth in the after school program at Pimville, a neighborhood of Soweto. We were surprised to enter the small classroom and find girls wearing traditional skirts and hairpieces dancing with vigor and huge smiles to the singing of their peers. They had organized an entire program to greet us and showcase their talents – each stood with pride as they shared speeches on HIV, poems that brought tears to everyone's eyes, songs, more dancing and even a dialogue skit on the challenges of getting young people to change their behaviors to protect themselves from HIV.

We were blown away. Holding back tears of joy and amazement, we each spoke to them about how impressed we were, how incredible they are individually and as a group, how amazed we were to see so much talent in one small room. We also reinforced how important the work they are doing to end HIV is and that we truly believe that with their efforts, we will see an end to the suffering of HIV. Nicole commented that just as the end to apartheid was led by the youth of Soweto – inspiring people around the world—so too did we believe that leadership on the end to AIDS will come from the bravery, creativity, intelligence and work of the young people here.

We presented them with award certificates and YTAA pins to honor their participation in the program and then opened the session up to a question and answer exchange. We asked them what they wanted kids in the U.S. to know about South Africa and invited them to ask us any questions about life in the U.S. The questions posed to us included "Do you like your President Bush? Are you married? Do you know who our president is? " There is great national pride here – somehow in the exchange, they ended up standing up and singing their national anthem which is beautiful and quite long with four sections sung in four of the 11 official languages of the country. Nicole offered Maria up to sing the American national anthem in exchange…Ha! Very funny – except they really wanted to hear it and there was going to be no getting out of it without serious disappointment. So there we stood, hands over our chests singing our too-high national anthem at a South African after school program – one of those things neither of us had ever expected to do. So fun! A few even joined in (yes, many knew the words and almost all knew the tune) and we were met with a great applause for our efforts. We noticed this too – the kids here support one another, cheering each other on. They do not judge, dis, or make fun of one another for expressing themselves.

Again, amazement. We don't know what home life looks for these kids. The group was about 30 kids – mostly girls – ages ranging from 11-16. Most of them have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Some of the youth themselves are HIV positive as well.

They might live with a single struggling parent and many siblings, or with a grandparent, aunt or uncle. In their dignified school uniforms, with broad smiles and incredible talents and curiosity, it would be easy to miss the fact that their collars are worn, or that the after school program provides them a meal because it is uncertain if there will be one waiting at home. "These kids" are the statistics we read about; the ones on the front line of the fight against HIV. They live in the country with the highest percentage of infection rates in the world, fighting like hell to not be considered "victims," mere "AIDS orphans" or "charity cases" (three phrases we have learned that they really dislike). Again, we walk away inspired; we are getting anxious to come home and start spreading their message of hope and their call to action.

— Nicole & Maria

Wednesday, November 16th, 2005

Not the Africa You Heard About

After being shown around Soweto and taking Muzi home, Thomas and Grace decided to show us one of their favorite parts of Johannesburg, Monte Casino. The drive into the city could have easily been the drive into any American metropolis. We think it especially looks like parts of Los Angeles. Skyscrapers, bright lights, modern buildings, shopping malls — you name it. Monte Casino is a surreal place no matter what continent it is on. It is an indoor shopping mall designed to look like an Italian town. The ceiling is painted blue, complete with clouds to make it look like a beautiful European day. The stores are constructed to look like 500 year-old Italian shops, and the walkways are cobblestone. Needless to say, this was not the Africa we expected to find. It is a giant theme park and casino, perhaps a mini Las Vegas, beautifully done and confusing as hell, having spent the very same morning near the slums of Dar Es Salaam.

We had a lovely Italian dinner and strolled around the villa, taking it all in. Promotional contests like "Win a R40,000 wall around your house!" and "Enter for a chance at a brand new Peugeot!" abounded. Thomas told us "Not to worry if we get stared at," because while both blacks and whites can be found in Monte Casino, they are very rarely seen together.

After Monte Casino, we drove to another shopping center in Sandton (an extremely wealthy part of Johannesburg) that boasts Nelson Mandela Square. In the center of many western-style stores is an enormous bronze statue of Mandela — or "Matiba" as he is affectionately known — that stands approximately 30 feet high.

We drove back to Soweto tired, slightly confused, and drawing on the infinite parallels between race relations here and in the United States. Thomas amused us with his vast knowledge of American pop culture, using phrases like "Big time, on any given Sunday" to mean "yes." He and Grace spoke in Zulu quite a bit, too, which is an amazing language to listen to. Most of the words have gone right over our head, but we are trying. We have learned "Sharp shana," (pronounced "shup chana") which is helpful and roughly the equivalent of "It's all good, my friend."

A Brief Primer on Soweto

Photos: Nicole Sanchez

When apartheid became the official law in 1948, forging the legal separation of blacks and whites, entire neighborhoods were razed. Much of white South Africa wanted black people living far away from them, yet close enough that they could still be employed as cheap labor in the mines, as domestic servants, drivers, etc. Black townships outside major cities were constructed, including the South-Western Townships outside Johannesburg, or Soweto.

Soweto is a sprawling maze of small, single-story buildings, mostly brick with corrugated metal roofs. The once-lush hilly terrain is now crammed with over 2 million people, separated into numbered "zones" that made it easier for police to manage during the apartheid regime. During the 47 years of apartheid, people in the townships were not allowed to leave their neighborhood without written permission from the government. Police checkpoints lined the roads where residents were required to produce government-issued identification that noted their official, state-assigned race: White, Black, Colored, Native, or Malay (Asian). These races were assigned by appearance and often families were torn apart and moved to disparate neighborhoods due to their differing hues of skin.

Soweto's history is unparalleled in the struggle against apartheid. Nelson Mandela was living here with his family before his arrest (his home is now a museum) and the Bishop Desmond Tutu's family currently resides here. This is the site of the famous student uprisings of 1976 when the government insisted that schools change their curriculum to be taught in 50% Afrikaans (the official language of Afrikaaners, or white South Africa). It was becoming too "inconvenient" for blacks to be taught in their native languages of Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, etc. High school students led the charge in protest. If you have ever had the good fortune of seeing the musical Sarafina! (or the less-inspiring movie version), this is about the 1976 uprising. Many students were shot and killed by police during this conflict, and curfews were strictly and brutally enforced.

Raids, curfews, and police brutality became a regular occurrence for the townships over the next 20 years. Sowetans continued to organize, as this neighborhood became the de facto capital of the African National Congress (ANC) — the opposition party that ultimately came into power when Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994.

Needless to say, the people of Soweto are extremely proud of their roots. Children know the history well, and each one of them can explain it in at least two languages (English and their family's native tongue). Although much of the population is still very poor, the pride and dignity in their place in the world is evident. Doors remain open, children play in large groups in the streets, everyone is greeted along the road, and people stroll around chatting until late into the evening. Of course, we stand out as obviously not from Soweto, but we have felt warmly welcomed in every corner of it.

Our first evening was an introduction to the neighborhood, as we were escorted by car with our new friends Grace (who runs AFXB, the program we will be visiting), her boyfriend Thomas, and an AFXB staff member, Muzi, a 47 year-old man who we would later find out is a treasure of historical information and insight.

On the Way to South Africa

The plane ride to Johannesburg is about 3 and a half hours long. We decided to watch an American movie on the flight, "Must Love Dogs," which was interesting enough, but one of our first reminders of the stark differences between life in the U.S. and everything we had just seen. On the ride, we also received our first "welcome" to life in post-apartheid South Africa.

Maria was having a pleasant conversation with the man sitting next to her, a white South African from Pretoria. He had been in Dar Es Salaam on business and was happy to be getting home. Like many Africans we had met, he asked if we were going to see the "game parks" (wildlife refuges), and had we taken in a safari in Tanzania? We gave our now-standard answer of "No, we came to see people. Maybe next time we'll see some animals." It had been our experience that everyone thought this answer was funny; few westerners come this far to see the people of Africa. He then asked where we would be staying. "Soweto," Maria replied. For a moment we considered throwing cold water in his face to help him recover from the apoplectic shock that obviously overtook him. He gathered himself and stammered "You know… there are a lot of other places to stay. Girls, that is not a safe place. Do you know about Soweto?" Yes we do, and thank you — we have friends from there who will be greeting us at the airport. Maria thought to ask if he had ever been to Soweto. We were not surprised by his answer — no — and he ended the conversation with a quick, "Well, good luck."

Kwaheri, Tanzania

In Tanzania, we are American supermodels. We knew there was an alternate universe somewhere that would bestow this honor on us; it was only a matter of finding it.

Moses, the manager of the Peacock Hotel, approached us to ask if we would participate in a photo shoot for their new promotional brochure. We would play the roles of the friendly Mzungu tourists checking and being greeted by staff. Would we mind? We said "Kwa kweli tumestarehe sana na makaazi yetu (It's been a very nice stay. It would be our honor.)" OK, we didn't say that. But we did find it in our Swahili phrase book later on. So we took about an hour to pose for pictures at the front desk — signing papers, receiving exotic drinks, being shown a map. It was very fun and we were compensated with a free lunch. How funny will that be, if it works out, to see us in a hotel ad in Tanzania?!

We said a warm goodbye to the hotel staff that had been so friendly and helpful during our stay and took off for the airport.

— Nicole & Maria

Tuesday, November 15th, 2005

Umasikini and Ukimwi (Poverty and AIDS) in a Quarry Town

Photos: Nicole Sanchez

This was to be the day that we would meet with Charles Dingo, the head of Tanzanian Teens Against AIDS (TTAA). As many of you know, Charles' father is near death-his mother recently passed as well-due to AIDS. As an alternate plan, we were referred to the ARK Foundation of Africa by our friends at the Global Fund for Children.

As it turns out, TTAA has a site at the ARK Foundation's school in Tegeta, so we were able to see the work of both organizations. We were greeted at our hotel on Tuesday morning by our new friend James, the Director of ARK's "One-Stop," the only free school in all of Tanzania. Yes, you read that correctly... there is only ONE school in the entire country that is free of charge. More on that later.

Tegeta sits about 30 miles outside of Dar Es Salaam. We again drove through more shanty towns lining the sides of the main road. Along the way, we learned about James' beloved school.

It began only a couple of years ago and serves the poorest children in the surrounding area. The school used to be closer to Dar Es Salaam, but had to move six months ago when a nearby landowner decided to sue them on some technicality, as this "neighbor" did not want to be so close to a school that catered to the poor. The case went to court. ARK lost and was forced to relocate to a new site about 20 miles away, losing many of their students as a result. For the most part, students could not afford the dala dala ride of 1,000 Tanzanian shillings (about 85 cents) round-trip to the new site - even though many of them could have become boarders sleeping at the school at night. ARK also lost teachers who could not make the drive or afford the dala dala fare.

Now the school is in Tegeta, a quarry town where men, women and children break rocks for no less than 10 hours a day. The rocks are used to make foundation for buildings. The query is not owned by any single company. Individual owners (primarily from Arab nations and India) control plots and employ locals without regulation of any kind. Workers breaking rocks with small shovels, pick-axes, and their bare hands make about 1,000 Tsh per day, or 85 cents.

The sun was blazing on the day we arrived; it was easily 95 degrees and humid - though the earth is parched during this dry season. We were reminded that this is just the beginning of summer. We turned off the main road, past a cemetery with many fresh graves. Just next to the graveyard was a gate-behind the gate sits the ARK school. The first thing we saw was one small building sitting on a field of dust. The building was open on all sides, with a concrete slab for a floor. Concrete walls separated the building into three equal parts. Students in typical African school uniforms (white dress shirts and dark skirts or pants-in this case blue) filled every inch of the building. They sat in the "window" sills, crowded three to a small table, sat on the floor, and some stood outside. My (Nicole) first thought was, They are having an assembly. Upon closer examination, I realized that these were classrooms. In fact, these were the only classrooms on the entire campus. James must have sensedmy confusion as he noted "We don't really have enough space for all of our students. We serve 275 and 900 are on the waiting list to get in." Three small classrooms and four teachers (one of them being James who is also the school's administrator) for 275! Incredible.

In each of the three sections, one teacher stood at the front of the class. He (all were men) had one chalkboard, a few books, no desk, and total command of the class' attention. I am not sure how the teachers could hear themselves and their students with an open-walled classroom right next door and about 90 pupils to instruct. But they did it. In fact, they did it well. Each of the four teachers (James teaches as well) rotate between subjects and grade levels. One teacher, for example, will teach civics, English, and math, and so on. Students receive instruction in these subjects and Swahili, art, science, history - it is a very comprehensive education - and the only chance at breaking the cycle of poverty that would otherwise envelope them.

James led us on a tour of the campus - a large dry plot of land, a small building for the Tanzanian Teens Against AIDS meetings, workshops and activities, the boys dormitory that sleeps about 30 on floor mats in a few cement-slab rooms with mosquito nets hanging from the ceiling (upon inquiry, James informs us that the nets are not sufficient and Malaria is a problem for students). The girls dorm is similar but houses about 60. Each facility contains one bathroom with a squatter toilet - there are a couple of outhouses outside as well. It is important to note, that while the "bedrooms" strike a closer resemblance to American garages with cement floors and walls, each was kept immaculately organized with sleeping mats stacked neatly in a corner, shoes and clothing hanging on the wall, and signs of regular sweeping to beat the incessant dust.

In the boys dorm we found a tarp covered mound of computers waiting for a building to be housed in and old fashion sewing machines lining the hallway for the same reason. James explains that this is his greatest need at the moment - even beyond a water pump though in this dry season their isn't enough water for all the students - they mostly need buildings - for classroom space, volunteer housing, a library, etc. Especially with the rainy season approaching...

A word about James. We asked him how he began this work and he humbly explained to us that he used to be a security guard at the US Embassy in Dar - a funder of ARK, an American named Mrs. Roy and he would chat when she visited the embassy. One day she told him of the school and educating poor children for free - would he like to help run the program? He went home to think about it and quit his job the next day - taking a pay cut, but with a heart full of peace which let him know it was the direction his life was to take... Again, this is the possibility of Africa - there is so much to do in some places - so much need, that a security guard can become the head of a school and offer young people with little else a place to call home and a chance for the future.

Continuing on our tour, we were taken behind the boys' dorm to the "kitchen" - basically four posts holding a tin roof over an open fire with a large pot cooking beans for the students' lunch. A makeshift table stood in the sun for preparations, but to escape the heat, the cook had opted for a shady spot of ground beneath a tree to mix the maize paste to be served with the beans.

Beyond the kitchen lay the land where James' dreams of setting future buildings - he believes there is plenty of space to serve about 1000 eventually, but until then, he has to turn students away at the gate - some who come from miles and miles on the rumor that there is a free school outside of Dar Es Salaam for the poor.

Most of the children at the school have been impacted by HIV - nearly 90% have lost at least one parent. James attends funerals with the students regularly - both as a moral support and in the hopes that they will return and not be lost due to an inability to afford their way back or need to work to support other siblings. Yet, when Nicole and I step in front of these kids to introduce ourselves, ask and answer questions, we marvel at the youthful lightness in their eyes - we can't feel the weight one might expect from such losses and enduring poverty. Perhaps it is because they have a place now, because they know these teachers care about them, because they are learning and have hope for their future. They are sharp and a few of them pose critical questions - what are young people in the U.S. doing about HIV? How can the United States help Africa to end AIDS? Nicole tells them that we believe that they have the solutions to the AIDS pandemic - and that what we are trying to educate and involve as many Americans as possible to help in this effort.

After a delicious meal of rice, cooked cabbage and meat (obviously an effort made on our behalf), and discussions of how we can help the "One Stop" school, we made the dusty ride home. Again we found ourselves not discouraged by the need, but inspired by the individuals making a real difference, and the possibilities that exist for American youth - and indeed all of us - to help.

— Nicole & Maria

Monday, November 14th, 2005

"Mzungu in Mwenge"

Monday was our day off so we took the opportunity to explore the streets and markets of Dar es Salaam. After our usual breakfast (complements of the Peacock Hotel) of a boiled egg, "brown toast" (almost wheat?) with marmalade, papaya and bad-but-necessary coffee, we shocked the hotel staff by telling them we'd like to go to Mwenge - the large open air market for locals, and could they direct us to the best place to catch the "dala dala" local small-bus type transport. Not the typical Muzungu (whitey) request, I guess. We assured them, no we didn't need a taxi and yes, we could walk the short morning stroll through the city to the "bus stop" (which is more like a drive-by...).

So off we went! The architecture of Dar is old colonial style - dirty and worn now, but must have been magnificent in it's prime... We wove through vendors selling coconuts from baskets on bikes, t-shirts and pants hung on walls for a "nice price", and shoes lined neatly on the sidewalks for the trying - passing poster after poster of their front-runner for president in the upcoming election - Kikwete. So far everyone we've met is hopeful that he is a good man and will be a good leader.

Another strikingly common sight - men pedaling three wheel bikes down the street with their hands - their legs and feet shriveled below them by polio. They are a statement about Africa on their own. The fact that they contracted polio in this day is a signal of the poverty that plagues this continent. The innovative bikes that allow them to move about and work is a demonstration of Africa’s ingenuity, promise, and resilience.

We found the right dala dala with "Mwenge" painted on the front and rode to the market. The market itself was fascinating – stall upon stall of fruit, second hand clothing, shoes, cheap plastics, fabric – all covered with a thin layer of the dust... but we, unfortunately were of more interest to many than anything being sold. "Hey Sista-sista" "Mzungu! Rafiki (friend) Hello? Where From?..." We couldn’t really look at anything, or think of stopping long enough to consider purchases because of the number of people jumping up to surround us. Maybe it was a slow day at the market – or maybe Mzungu like us don't tread their so often (we didn’t see any)... Regardless, it was a harmless but exhausting amount of attention so we opted for a cab ride to another market closer to our hotel – Kiriakoo. We think that produce markets are the best places to see the world over – here they stack mangoes, papayas, melons, avocados, lemons, and more in small colorful pyramids on wooden planks or tarps. We wound our way through the large market and bargained for 2 bananas for about 10 cents. Then out into the street market – wall-to-wall jammed with people selling or buying all kinds of textiles, clothing, brooms, household goods, shoes again, underwear – an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of place. Squished and meandering – it’s a pick- pocket’s paradise and one tried for Nicole’s backpack, but she landed him a quick elbow – we decided I should walk behind her on guard and found that every zipper had been opened a bit – though he/they hadn’t been successful! Whew!

Onto the fish market to see what happens to the recent catch of the Indian Ocean as it comes ashore. However in the afternoon heat, we smelled a lot more than we saw – peee-yooo! The market is cement stalls with wide cement slabs for stacking, slicing and hawking fish fresh from the sea – and a few stalls serve up fresh cooked fish with rice... but the smell was really too much for us! Note to anyone thinking of checking out a fish market in a hot tropical country – go early in the day!!!

Heat. It is real, and we were feeling it as we walked along the path from the fish market to downtown. We were navigating our way back toward our hotel to find lunch when we stumbled upon a street fight. Ummm... we will censor the next part because our parents are reading this... let’s just say that once a knife was drawn, we quickly sought refuge in the first sign of safety - St. Joseph’s Cathedral - which was fortunately the closest building. This ended up being a fortunate detour, we decided as we ate a peaceful lunch among African nuns in a tiny cafeteria. More rice and beans, plus fried bananas for dessert!

We walked the rest of the way back to our beloved Peacock Hotel, showered off the sweat, sun, dust, fish market, pickpockets, etc. and fell asleep for several hours.

We happily recapped the day over the best Ethiopian food of our lives at a little restaurant called "Addis in Dar." (Thanks for the rec, Dr. Creehan!). It was such a beautiful candlelit patio spot with the full moon above the palms; we only wish we could share it with each of you!

— Nicole & Maria

Sunday, November 13th, 2005

Visiting Bagamoyo and Dar Es Salaam with EMIMA

Photos: Nicole Sanchez

Our friends from EMIMA picked us up in the morning and we all headed in a minivan to a town about 45 miles north of Dar Es Salaam called "Bagamoyo," on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Sunday would be the first of a five-day retreat for EMIMA’s coaches, learning new ways to engage young people in life skills, HIV prevention and, of course soccer! We were going to observe only the first several hours and then get a ride back down to Dar.

The first thing we saw on the drive was an enormous outdoor market called Mwenge, where locals in makeshift stalls hock a wide range of wares: hand-carved animals, second-hand clothing from the U.S., cell phone covers, fruit, underwear, cheap plastic toys - you name it. We made a mental note to come back and explore on our one day off.

We also got a real look at life in Dar's outlying shanty towns. Lining the sides of the road were small shelters with an open front, often just a piece of sheet metal held up on a few sticks. We saw kids playing, people carrying bags of food on their heads, and occasionally a group of Masai in their beautifully-colored robes. If you are not familiar with the Masai, you can find out more here.

I can't quite explain what it's like to view them walking along the road, except maybe if you've ever been to Pennsylvania or Ohio and seen when Amish families come into the modern part of town. The juxtaposition of two very different ways of life is striking.

The other thing that was impossible to miss were the zillions of cell phone ads stuck to the sides of shanties. Occasionally, someone would be selling calling cards and phone covers on the side of the road. No running water, but cell phones and ads everywhere. The most familiar is a company called Vodacom; their logo fills every inch of Tanzania.

We reached Bagamoyo after driving for about an hour and a half. Bagamoyo was the original capital of German East Africa and was also the center of the Tanzanian slave trade. Most of the slaves from this area were sent to Arab countries, but some did end up in the United States. We visited a little museum that told the story of the town and saw actual shackles and chains from that time. Despite how tiny it was, we stayed in the museum for a long time. Needless to say, it was an emotional experience.

Then, it was lunchtime and we had a very traditional Tanzanian meal of udali (a thick corn paste), rice, chili sauce, and chicken. We ate with our hands which was very gratifying, if messy. The leader of EMIMA, Cyprian Maro, made an announcement in Swahili that this lunch was in our honor. We only understood this because we heard "Merikani" (American) and then everyone said "KARIBU!" (Welcome). We replied with "ahsante sana" (Thank you).

We sat and observed their training for a few hours, which was conducted entirely in Swahili. Even though we couldn’t understand the content, we did understand that this is a very disciplined, driven group of young people. Seated in a traditional classroom on a hot Sunday afternoon, about 25 teenagers took copious notes, discussed topics in a very animated way, participated without hesitation, and were congratulated by peers when they answered the trainer's questions correctly.

After a few hours of this, our hosts were kind enough to find us a ride toward Dar so we could make it back before dark. We shared a cab with a reporter from the local news who also came to the training. The taxi took us to a dala dala (bus) station where we crammed about 40 people into a space only slightly bigger than a large minivan. Very hot, pretty stinky, but worth the ride. We listened to popular Tanzanian music very loudly, sweated on each other, breathed in dust and exhaust through the open windows, and didn’t complain once.

Once we were back in the hotel and showered, we decided to go back out and look for a place to eat dinner. We asked Joseph, our new friend and porter at the Peacock Hotel, where he would suggest we go. He sent us by taxi to the Sea Cliff, literally worlds apart from our earlier experiences. The Sea Cliff is a resort-type hotel with upscale stores and restaurants "conveniently" located behind a gigantic wall which separates it from the rest of the city. Inside this walled community are tourists from all over the world. Many are from Arab countries, several from India, and an assortment of "Mzungu" or "Europeans." Merikani (that’s us) get lumped in with the last category.

Let’s put it this way... If you had told us that we were in a new shopping center in the Bay Area, we might have believed you, with one glaring exception: the Masai man who opened the main door for guests of the Sea Cliff Hotel.

More about our adventures later. On Monday, we explore Dar Es Salaam on our own...

— Nicole & Maria

Saturday, November 12th, 2005

Our First Day in Tanzania... WOW!

Photos: Maria Porter

Karibu (Swahili for "Welcome")! Maria and I spent our first day in Dar Es Salaam, and we are so excited to share our experience with you.

We were met at our hotel this morning by Oliva, the Program Director from EMIMA. EMIMA's motto is "Kick AIDS Out," as they are an HIV prevention program that uses soccer as the main attraction for bringing in participants. That description does not do their program justice; we will do our best to describe their amazing work and what we saw in better detail.

We were driven to the EMIMA office, passing through the main part of Dar Es Salaam. If you've ever driven in Boston or ridden in a New York cab, that can only be described as "tame" compared to the roads in Dar. The main road - Mandela - is four lanes, two in each direction, with a small median. Both sides of the road and the median are filled with people. Some are walking in traditional Tanzanian clothing with baskets of goods on their heads. Others are in very western clothing. We saw many U.S. universities and sports teams represented on hats and t-shirts. Many women are in traditional Muslim clothing, as Muslims make up about half of the city.

We turned off the main road to an unpaved, very uneven smaller path. We drove past the Ministry of Health which, interestingly, is getting ready to demolish much of the neighborhood (including the EMIMA office) because they are expanding. We asked if EMIMA ever works with the Ministry and the staff just chuckled. We took that as a "no" and left it at that.

Arriving at the small, one-room office, we were greeted by the founder of EMIMA, Cyprian Maro, and about a dozen soccer coaches, all of whom are under age 25. These coaches form the backbone of EMIMA, as they are the ones doing outreach into the slums, bringing children in to the program. They are responsible for teaching children soccer and life skills, including HIV prevention. The coaches are not paid directly, but are compensated by having their school fees paid. They also play on teams of their own. Many of the player/coaches have traveled to other countries in Africa representing EMIMA in tournaments, including many girls and women - a new phenomenon in this part of the world. They are quite a force in the local soccer scene, as evidenced by their shelf filled with trophies.

We heard quite a bit about the lives of the coaches as well as the lives of their young players. Of the 2,000 participants, 46% have lost both parents to AIDS. An additional 17% have lost one parent. The remaining 37% have lost another loved one - a relative or neighbor - to this disease. Very often, the children lose a family member during soccer season; EMIMA staff escort these children to funerals and do all of the follow-up necessary to make sure that they continue to be cared for.

We learned that these coaches face a lot of the same issues we do in educating people on HIV prevention. Young people face peer pressure, the desire to gain approval from a partner by agreeing to having unprotected sex, the unavailability of condoms in a moment of passion... you get the picture.

After a quick lunch of local fare - fresh fish, rice, chili sauce - we headed off to one of the six EMIMA centers to see the program in action. We arrived at a primary school, Buguruni, just outside one of Dar's slums. The school was behind large walls and a gate and, at first, sounded very quiet compared to the bustling city outside. As we walked further onto the grounds, we realized that more than 50 children of all ages were gathered, preparing for a soccer match. A handful wore beautiful, professional- looking uniforms (which we later learned are shared by all of EMIMA). Today, the boys' under-14 team would play a visiting squad from another part of the city. They prepared with stretches and cheers and one of the best parts was watching the younger children mimic them. EMIMA's soccer teams are undoubtedly the local heroes.

Photos: Nicole Sanchez

By the time the visiting team arrived, well over 100 people had gathered at the "football pitch" to watch the match. The pitch is worth describing, especially for those of you who have experienced American suburban soccer on enormous, well-manicured lawns. First, they play on very dusty sand that is quick to fill your shoes. There is not a blade of grass to be seen. Second, the goals are made of three large pieces of wood fastened together with nails and ropes. There are no nets attached; despite this, dozens of people gather behind the goal keeper to watch. The outer edges of in-bound play are populated by a few big trees which, we later learned, are an essential part of the game for many of the better players. In a couple of places, corners are marked by small cones. In others, they are marked by empty water bottles filled with sand.

All that said, this was some of the best soccer we have ever seen.

The kids played hard and had amazing footwork. No offense to those of you who play soccer back home, but these kids could work the ball. Definitely not the kind of thing you see in under-14 play (with a few exceptions, of course). The players would hit the ground, eyes and mouth filled with sand, and get right back up to chase the ball. The goal keepers dived like pros, saving shot after shot. The defenders used their hips, elbows, knees, brains - whatever it took to stop their opponents. Occasionally, a coach would yell "Fair play, fair play!" another EMIMA slogan. Good sportsmanship is rewarded in the program and often the team with the best attitude is chosen to travel to tournaments, not just the one with the best record.

To cheer the players on, some of the older EMIMA participants played instruments made from recovered objects, such as stove tops and water jugs. The music was beautiful, joined by several young people performing traditional Tanzanian dances and songs. While the tunes would be familiar to many Tanzanians, many of the words have been changed to educate about HIV prevention, losing loved ones, and caring for people living with AIDS. Again, one of the best parts was seeing the younger ones imitating what they saw.

The boys from EMIMA won the match, but did not celebrate until they shook the hands of their opponents. They then gathered with their coach for "analysis," talking about the game, what went well, what didn't, and what needs improvement. Young boys and girls hang around the outside of the meeting to feel a part of it all.

After the match, about 125 children gathered to watch skits and dances performed by the teens in the group. Every part delivered an important message, mostly about making good choices with your life.

We were surprised to discover that the children wanted to hear from us, but we obliged. Maria taught the group the word "Wow" (most of them speak Swahili only) and explained that this is how we were feeling after seeing EMIMA. They chanted "EMIMA, Wow!" several times and decided to make it a regular part of their game-day cheers. A boy named Erik presented us with a beautiful work of art - a model of a two-story house that he crafted out of discarded cardboard. He painted red tile roofs, cut doors and windows, and drew bricks. It obviously was a labor of love, so were speechless at this presentation. It is a true treasure and will be on display at the YPW office for years to come!

In total, this was a perfect introduction to Tanzania. We saw a lot of the difficulties of life here, but are mostly affected by the amazing, resourceful, effective work of EMIMA. There is so much hope in every corner of the world, despite the sometimes overwhelming statistics.

More in a couple of days...

— Nicole & Maria

P.S. Oh, wow... as I write this, something called "The Daily Show: Global Edition" is on TV. Who knew East Africa had access to Jon Stewart? There is hope all over the world!

Thursday, November 10th, 2005

Hello again from Kampala!

Photos: Maria Porter and YTAA

The past few days have been a dream - standing in a green grassy field with my new friend and impromptu camera-woman Marte Von Krogh from Norway (thanks, Marte!!!) and about 100 Ugandan high school students stepping in front of the camera to share their greetings with their pen pals, their hobbies, concerns, dreams, questions, talents (back flips, singing, miming American rap-stars, dancing!), their perceptions of life in the U.S. and desire for us to know about Uganda - the country and people they are so proud of - and finally and most powerfully about how AIDS has affected their lives, how important it is to protect yourself and all about the work they are doing to promote this and end the stigma of the disease. Mostly, like young people anywhere, they were having fun with each other and making way too much noise in the background while we were filming!

We had a tour of the school, perched on a hill over the town of Kasese. We got to see their lunch being served: A thick maize flour mashed-potato-style porridge served with soupy beans. The kids bring their own bowls and after getting their lunch set themselves about the tree-shaded campus in small groups of friends before washing their bowls and heading back to class. School runs from 8:00 am to 5:20 pm! Many of the students board here and we were given a tour of their clean extremely simple dormatories - where girls sleep 6 to a room and boys sleep about 60 to a room - all on wooden bunk beds. A sharp contrast to the brand new computer lab housing about 30 new computers and almost internet-ready. This is the stage of development for Uganda - so much growth happening everywhere (roads, buildings, computers) - but also 80% of the population living in poverty with intermittent electricity - and with the scourge of AIDS as a painful roadblock. But, as Godfrey says "Poli Poli" - slowly, slowly they move forward toward better health, education, and opportunities.

Yesterday evening, the Rafiki committee came to the house for a meeting with me. They are a group of about 10 and we sat in a circle in the gazebo with clouds building all around us threatening rain. They wanted to share with me all of their hopes for how they could take their message further and reach more people: Gardening with HIV affected families, holding soccer matches with education going on on the sidelines, creating their own outreach materials, having a post-test club (where everyone gets tested together and then joins the club whether they are positive or negative)... Their club has grown quickly from 30-some last year to near 150 this year. They expressed their concerns about the organization and added expenses of having so many more members, and they want to figure out how their American pen pals and other American youth can help them with the work they are doing. I told them I would take that message home. We videotaped the whole meeting and I think it will be pretty incredible to see - as it always is to see young people organizing to make a difference.

We ended the meeting with tea, watermelon and dancing - to American and Ugandan pop hits! Way too much fun. I can't wait to share the photos...

I have so much more to share... Godfrey has taken me to see village projects, to deliver the seeds I carried (illegally?) from the U.S. for the HIV+ women's farming group. He also took me to a fine hotel on a hill overlooking Kasese, into the mountains and more. He even had a party with all of his friends! And Marte has been such a good friend and companion in exploring and understanding Ugandan development. We've had so many good discussions between herself, Godfrey and I.

So tomorrow I fly to Tanzania to meet Nicole in Dar. Nicole: I hope your preparations are going well. And don't worry; it all comes together over here (one way or another and definitely more slowly than we are used to)!

All my love to everyone,

— Maria

P.S. I will try to send photos from Tanzania where I'll have a wireless connection in my hotel - and hopefully a hot shower too!

Wednesday, November 9th, 2005

On "African Time"

Photos: Maria Porter

I spent day one seeing the city and meeting with a friend I have made through YTAA who is herself suffering from HIV and who had reached out to me for help at one point last year when she could not qualify for assistance with medicines...with the help of friends, I was able to see her through this time and she is now in a program, healthy and such a beautiful amazing woman doing work to end the stigma of AIDS here by speaking openly about her situation and working on a project called the memory book which has mothers who are ill with AIDS writing all about themselves, their history and thoughts for their children in preparation for their absence from their children's lives. It is a beautiful and bitter project - as so many women here could live longer if only they could get medicine.

Day two was spent crossing Uganda - headed east to Kasese where I write from now. The drive was incredible. We passed the equator twice and paid the small fee to see the water drain clockwise and counter clockwise on either side of the line and then fall straight through right on the line! Maybe that's some kind of gimmick, but it was very cool to see... We passed through the savannah - wild with acacia trees and buffalo in the distance. We even found monkeys along the road and fed them bananas from the car. So many different bananas and fruits sold along the road.

I have spent the last two days meeting with the Rafiki Youth Together Against AIDS students - what an incredible experience! The young people here were so excited to see the video from their pen pals and we spent today making the first part of a return video. They are so earnest and eager to share their lives and learn more about their pen pals.

There is so much more I want to share - but above all I am well and this is a wonderful country. The people greet each other saying, "You are welcome" and this is just how I feel. Such warmth and kindness, such awareness of their level of development and desire to build their communities and opportunities.

And the food! Bananas of all kinds fixed in all ways, squash, meat and groundnut stews - and you cannot refuse a meal! I must have gained five pounds already - in the happiest way...

Everything moves a bit slower here - they call it "African time" - but I have to get up to the school to continue filming the students...

I am staying with Godfrey Kasozi who runs a program of community development here - CETRUD - they are working on clean water projects, organic gardening in the villages (both for consumption and sale) and cottage industry (textiles, sewing, carpentry) for local consumption (for now...).

Godfrey has build an incredible oasis on a hill overlooking Kasese - a small dusty town that is growing quickly. Construction projects abound in various states of completion - scaffolding is made of bamboo-type poles and everything is done manually - very slow. Godfrey explained all the unfinished buildings I see sitting about. People take out loans but can only pay for partial building, so many are built piece by piece... slowly... In contrast Godfrey has built a guest house to help support the projects. It is a walled garden paradise. You enter to a fountain (no water yet) surrounded by hundreds of flowers. The garden grows everywhere - all kinds of fruits and vegetables - framing the small cottages, main house and two story gazebo where we eat breakfasts of fruit overlooking the whole valley.

So we have spent the last two days at the school. Going up there I had no idea what the situation would be - some 200 students gathered in a small simple classroom. Cement floor, pane-less windows, old fashion wooden desks holding 3-4 people each, no electricity... I spoke to them about how happy I was to finally meet them, bring them greetings from their pen pals and congratulate them on their work in the community talking abut HIV/AIDS and fighting the pervasive stigma that surrounds this disease. They have been helping in the gardens of women who are HIV positive, adding their labor to these women's efforts to feed their families and maintain a crucial healthy diet in the absence of medicines.

We gave the Rafiki's who had been in the program last year certificates of appreciation and a pen each - and handed out our small pins (which they call badges) marking them as a member of this effort. We then showed the video in a large hall - on a standard size tv! This was quite difficult and I had to pause the DVD of their pen pals talking abut their lives many times to explain. So I will leave the DVD with them to view in smaller groups, but they were so excited and eager to make their exchange video which we worked on yesterday into the night and will return to do the same today. They are shy and very polite and we have to keep asking them to speak up for the sound quality, but we have had so much fun already with them!

Ok - I think I have to go - more tomorrow if I can...

Lots of love,

— Maria

Sunday, November 6th, 2005

Maria Arrives in Uganda

All is very well here. The flights were great - I was somehow put in first class for the first leg of the flight - to Minneapolis... that was interesting! Never been up there before, and such a strange contrast to where I was heading and am now.

I don't have much time to write now - we are headed to meet Cecilia... but there is so much to say... I arrived late in the evening - surprisingly had no questions from customs and was greeted with big hugs and smiles by Godfrey and his 4-year-old son Blessing, Blessing's 2-year-old sister Suniya and Godfrey's friend Ezra who is a farmer in the small town of Kasese where Godfrey runs his programs teaching people how to farm for themselves. We will be heading there tomorrow after visiting Cecilia, and touring Kampala and Lake Victoria that sits between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

First thoughts arriving late at night: Many people lining the dimly lit semi-paved streets - walking, hanging around a kerosene lit food vendor or open patio bar... dogs and goats roaming about... we dropped off the children at their mother's and then drove to find food (fried chicken and french fries because it was so late that nothing else was open) and then to find a hotel.

I slept well beneath my mosquito netting in a small, but clean simple room. I was awakened in the middle of the night by pounding rain that kept on all through the night. I took my first cold shower this am and then met Godfrey and Ezra for breakfast (they are staying in the hotel also). Had a boiled egg and toast with black coffee for breakfast.

So much more to say - but I have to go - I will write my thoughts during the day sometime so that I can send them to you later.

The people here are warm and friendly. I am looking forward to all the next 7 days will bring...

Lots of love,

— Maria

P.S. The connection doesn't seem to be letting me send photos! I'll try tomorrow... darn!

Thursday, November 3rd, 2005

Off She Goes...

Photos: Nicole Sanchez

This morning's adventure began at about 3:45 am. Maria will arrive in Entebbe, Uganda at 9:05 pm friday night (Ugandan time; it will be 10:05 am here). It will feel like losing two whole days to her once she gets there.

We were worried about the two enormous suitcases she had to check. Requirements don't let you bring anything more than 50 lbs per bag without paying a hefty fine. I think the guy knew Maria was off to do some good stuff, so he let her slide with bags that were (ahem) slightly heavier than that. We thanked him profusely and told him that the bags were loaded with books on caring for people with AIDS, donated clothes, etc. Fair to say he made her day; she made his.

Maria's mom came down from Sacramento to see her off... and there she goes! I will be meeting up with her in Tanzania next week. Keep checking back for more details; Maria is going to quickly try to upload some photos and thoughts as soon as she arrives.

In the meantime, keep a good thought for safe travels!

— Nicole

Tuesday, November 1st, 2005

Last-Minute Packing Panic

Photo: Nicole Sanchez

If you're reading this, you can see that we launched our new website today with the help of our friends at zoomZAP. We love zoomZAP. This has been months... no years in the making and we set a goal of getting it up before our trip. So, hooray for us! Definitely take a minute to send one of our cool, free eCards to a friend.

In the meantime, the YPW office looks like a bulldozer drove through it. I have no idea how two people are going to transport so much stuff so far away. Luckily, Maria is dropping a bunch of it off in Uganda for our partner there. She will be there for a week before I meet up with her in Tanzania.

So our shots are all done, traveler's checks purchased, international calling cards/phones charged up, enormous piles of things to pack are strewn about, gifts purchased for hosts, St. Christopher medals in our pockets (hey, we were both raised Catholic)... if you can think of anything we forgot, please let us know.

Oh, and by the way, just for public record - I am taking Maria's laundry to my house to do it for her tonight. Let's see how long it takes her to notice that I put that bit of info up on our blog. ;-)

Peace,

— Nicole

Thursday, October 20th, 2005

Preparing

We had an email exchange with Charles who said his dad is extremely ill. He also said that it has been bad for two years; his father has suffered quite a bit. We will hopefully have the chance to meet Charles in Dar Es Salaam, and are now trying to connect with the ARK Foundation of Africa Tanzania office. They are supported by The Global Fund for Children, one of YPW's closest partners.

We are kind of overwhelmed with all of the things needed to prepare for this trip. We have been doing a lot of research about what we will need and what is unavailable or really expensive once we're there. Maria is taking a huge box of books from the Hesperian Foundation, which was requested by our friends in Uganda. Hesperian puts out amazing books - the most famous of which is Where There Is No Doctor, a multi-cultural handbook for people in areas where... well, where there is no doctor. The other one they have requested is called HIV Health and Your Community. Hesperian's work is so cool; definitely check them out.

Other things we have to consider are: closed-toed, comfortable, durable walking shoes (no sandals - risk of parasites under toenails from standing water), skirts that cover our knees (particularly for Tanzania), head covering (again for Tanzania) for the largely Muslim communities we will be visiting, plenty of long-sleeved shirts that will be dipped in DEET to keep malaria-carrying mosquitoes away... the list goes on and on.

The fun stuff to consider, though, is the stuff we will be giving away while we are there. Star stickers for the kids we meet on the street, pins with the Youth Together Against AIDS logo on them, t-shirts from our various events for our hosts, and postcards from the Bay Area. Perhaps the most exciting thing we will be giving out is video messages from YTAA participants here in the Bay Area. Maria has been filming students talking to their pen pals on camera, giving tours of their schools, talking about life here (Oakland and Santa Cruz, to be exact). The first films were done yesterday and they are great. Once we figure out how to upload them to our site, we will do that.

For me, the strangest thing about getting prepared is all of the shots and medication we get before we go. The fact that we can walk into a doctor's office and get some shots to prevent deadly illnesses is weird enough. But then, to think, that most of the people we will be meeting have never had these shots... and they are the ones who need them most. Here's the list of vaccinations we got:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B (two shots)
• DTP (tetanus)
• Polio booster
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella
• Typhoid
• Yellow Fever
• Meningitis

Then we have pills, one to prevent malaria and an antibiotic in case we get "traveler's diarrhea" (fun!). We are also packing Pepto Bismol, Immodium, Advil, Tums...

Diarrhea and malaria kill a child every few seconds, but the prevention and cures are readily available here in the United States and in other wealthy countries. It's already hard to reconcile the disparity and we haven't even gotten there yet.

— Nicole

Thursday, October 13th, 2005

The realities of Africa, before we even arrive

We got a call today from Jen Astone, the Executive Director of the Firelight Foundation. Firelight is sponsoring a good portion of our trip.

She informed us that the Tanzanian Teens Against AIDS visit probably isn't going to happen. Their leader, Charles, is with his father in the hospital. Charles' father is dying of AIDS. He recently lost his mother as well. Because Charles does so much of the work at TTAA, a lot of the program is suspended for a while.

We are disappointed, but more sad than anything. It is another reminder of how AIDS has turned communities upside down all over the world. We are sending our thoughts to Charles and his family and hope that our paths cross with him some other time.

It is also a reminder of how much work there is to do. So we just keep on going...

— Nicole

Wednesday, October 12th, 2005

What's this about?

Maria Porter (YPW's Deputy Director) and Nicole Sanchez (Executive Director) are taking off in November for their first trip to Africa. After several years of working with partners there on Youth Together Against AIDS, Maria and Nicole are going to meet many of them in person. Starting here in Berkeley, CA, USA, they will chronicle their preparation, travel, and reflection for anyone who is interested.

Maria leaves from San Francisco on Thursday, November 3. First stop: Minneapolis (just to change planes). Second stop: Amsterdam (again, to change planes).

Photo: Godfrey Kasozi

Third stop: Entebbe, Uganda, sometime on the 4th of November.

Maria will spend a week with our friend, Godfrey Kasozi, and learn more about his work with young people affected by HIV/AIDS. Godfrey runs a program called CETRUD, the Center for Environment Technology and Rural Development. The philosophy driving CETRUD is that orphaned children grow and thrive more fully in family homes, rather than orphanages. CETRUD is providing 30 seed grants to caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children.

After that, we will meet in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, on November 11. We will be meeting the staff and youth of EMIMA, an organization to promote sport participation among young people using sport and physical activity to enhance youth development, build community capacity and educate about HIV/AIDS epidemic. We have heard great things about them, too.

Also in Dar Es Salaam is Tanzanian Teens Against AIDS. According to the Jen Astone, Executive Director of the Firelight Foundation, TTAA is one of the best youth-led programs she has seen anywhere in the world.

On November 16, we head off to Johannesburg, South Africa mostly to spend time with our friend Grace Mngungi and the people at AFXB, one of the largest youth-serving organizations in the area. They do so much stuff - too much to describe here. You should definitely check out their site.

On November 22, we will head home to make it in time for Thanksgiving with our families. We will undoubtedly have quite a few things to be thankful for.

So we will keep writing about our preparations and the work we will be doing. We are happy to have you follow along!

— Nicole

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