Africa Need our Help

I am feeling much better today. I visited a village today. Africa is really making me feel overwhelmed. People need so much help here. There isn’t even enough water for everyone in the village. Yes, water, a basic staple of life that most, if not all, people reading this use in copious amounts every day. I can’t even quantify how much water I consume every day. I was sitting there listening to a woman tell me that water is a serious problem in the village while I had a huge 1.5 liter bottle of water in my bag. I felt ashamed that I had WATER!

I also noticed/smelled sewage running through this particular village. There were flies everywhere making their home in the filth. The children were all smiling, playing with dirt right near filth and trying to hide from me L. The women in this village were all sitting at stands selling various things, fish, vegetables, hair products, etc. I must say it didn’t look like there was too much economic activity going on, but at least they were trying. The men were playing chess and foosball.

I had the chance to talk to one young girl who was 13. She recently had to drop out of school to work. She explained how hard school had become for her. She had to walk miles to the nearest school and had no money to eat during the day. Lack of food would cause her to be completely exhausted all day, and she found it hard to learn. It finally came time where she just had to stop school to work and help provide for her family. She babysits in the village.

After the village I went to a place on the campus of the public University that the law students created as a study area. This ‘study area’ is actually outside in a wooded area. Many students come to the middle of the woods to study because it is the only quiet place they can find. Imagine that.

My next stop was Kere, a student residence that was just started as an alternative to the public University residences. Foundation SCA is looking to possibly fund this project and its activities for 2010. The residence is a simple apartment that sleeps about 10 girls and is walking distance from the University. They were kind enough to cook dinner for me and talk about their situations. It was so good to have a home cooked meal!

The girls explained their situation prior to having the pleasure of living in Kere. Many of them had to get up at about 5am to be at school by 9am. They don’t live close to Abidjan and the buses are often late, unreliable, full, and the traffic can be terrible. Four girls, Bertine, Bertina, Rose, and Vicki all had these similar stories. When they started their University studies they commuted from their homes. After realizing that getting up at 5am, not being able to afford to eat all day because they needed transportation money, waiting hours to fit onto a bus home, and finally walking in the door around 10pm was not allowing time or energy for study, they looked for an alternative.

[Sidenote: there are very few buses and people literally fight to fit onto the bus. The bus stops are packed and students often wait for hours to get on the bus and are even forced to sleep on the University campus because they don’t fit on the last bus]

Their alternative was usually living with a distant relative or family friend who was somewhat closer to the University. As I explained before, this living situation is not ideal either. These girls can now walk to school and save their money for FOOD to fuel their minds during the day. They have a peaceful place to live where they can help each other with studying and schoolwork. They kept telling me how much they all felt like a family.

Bertina described her brief stay in the public University residences. She shared a tiny room with 2 other girls. She said it was impossible to live in this environment, much less study. She would try to buy food to eat during the week and people would just take it out of her room and eat it without asking. Parties were going on at all hours of the night, electricity was a rare luxury, etc...I think you get the idea.

I never realized how much I took the facilities at my College for granted. I can’t imagine nt having anywhere but the woods to study. This is no exaggeration either; I have seen it with my own eyes.

The girls were so wonderful though. After a delicious meal they asked me questions. The one girl was cracking me up with her questions. She kept asking me about ridiculous things she had seen on tv. She said she saw a show about cheerleaders and was really curious as to how 'cool' they were in high school. I assured her that cheerleaders were NOT that cool. (haha sorry I went to an all girls high school.. so biased) I also told them about my college living situation, which they found to be amazing. Although I have found it difficult sharing my experiences with the women I have met, I think it is important that they know that the state of their country is unacceptable, and they should demand higher standards. It has been hard to find a balance between conveying 'this is what you should be demanding' as opposed to 'haha look what the US has and you don't, you should just move here'. I think I have found a good balance.

We sang and danced after dinner. The girls even prepared a rendition of Alica Keys’ song ‘No One’ for me. They were good!! I was sad to leave them and wish I could’ve spent more time talking with these strong and determined young women.

Healthcare in Cote d'Ivoire

Today I went to Ilomba which is a health clinic for a village near its location, as well as a professional school for young women. The village was probably an hour or so from Abidjan and basically in the jungle. There are no real roads to get there, rather scary driving this way. I may have hit my head on the side of the car a few times from the bumps. No one was at the clinic since it is now Holidays, but I got to see the facilities. This year they have given over 400 tetanus and typhoid shots to villagers. The doctors at Ilomba are also very focused on child malnutrition and maternal health. I saw pictures of all of the adorable healthy babies that have Ilomba to thank.

After a tour of the clinic I went to see the nearest village. People here are living in shacks made out of tin scraps and wood/sticks. It’s so hard to see people living this way. I saw lots of women and young girls preparing atchike – something women sell in the market place. It takes a long time to prepare and earns them very little money. I saw the local school which was unimpressive, to say the least. Many times the teachers of this school will take the children from the school hours and make them work on their plantations instead of teaching them. How do people get away with this stuff?

After the village I had lunch back in Abidjan with some students. They explained to me how difficult studying and living in Abidjan was. Many didn’t even have a place to live and had to stay with distant relatives. This situation sounds ideal but really isn’t because many times they must do housework to earn their keep and don’t have time to study. These relatives many times do not live that close to the University.

After lunch we visited a public hospital – also appalling. The women I was with basically told me that you don’t go to the public hospital with an illness and get better after being there. Pregnant women were lying around outside waiting to be treated or to fit in the hospital. They were camped outside of the hospital. There are mice running around and the buildings are completely deteriorated. It’s hot and smelly inside of the hospital too. Maybe it was my exhaustion, dehydration, or the things I was looking at but I got sick at the hospital. Funny part of this is that I was taken back to my hotel and not treated at the hospital! I think that sums everything up that’s going on there (shudder).

Mission Impossible: University Studies in Cote d'Ivoire

I visited the Public University today. I don’t mean to be offensive when I say this but it was a horrifying experience. I cannot believe young adults are expected to seriously learn in that kind of environment. The most shocking thing is that students have somehow kept themselves motivated and try to learn under absolutely appalling conditions. I mean these buildings haven’t been renovated or even taken care of for at least 30 years. They are dirty and falling apart. There are about 50,000 students at the university and it is smaller than where I went to school that had a population of about 3,000 undergrad students. All of the classes have about 1,000 students enrolled when the classrooms can only fit about half of them. Students are forced to try and listen from the hallway or even outside and peer in through the window.

From talking with the students it seems the teachers and the government has zero commitment to education. Many times teachers will go on strike right before students are supposed to take their final exams so they can move onto the next year. So what happens? They can’t take the exam and just sit around waiting to take it for months. They can’t move into the next year without it. This happens a lot. Many of the students are in year 2007 because of the strike – 2 years behind. Also a teacher will often just get another job, leave and are never replaced.

The living conditions are also terrifying. I walked around the public student residences and they look like prisons. I don’t even know how to begin to describe. I mean aside from being just completely depressing looking, these buildings are dirty, smell terrible, are loud, and have no places for studying. They are cement blocks with students crammed into tiny rooms not even big enough for one person. My roommate’s closet is the size of these rooms, if not slightly bigger. Many times the electricity will be off for days in these residences. Forget about being able to study here. No way can you fit desks in these rooms, and they don’t have a common study area like most dorms in the US – not even close. It’s a bizarre scene. There are families living there too with little children running around. Some students just never move out because it is cheap to live there and no one makes them leave.

I sort of barged in to one room where I met a girl by the name of Christie. She was kind enough to tolerate me and speak with me for awhile. She told me how it was hard to study because a lot of times you don’t even have books to work with. Teachers aren’t available for outside help or questions. I shuddered at the thought of this – I told Christie I would absolutely have failed some of my Economics classes if I wasn’t able to stalk my teachers during their office hours. Christie also told me that in one class her professor became sick so they only had 2 classes for the whole semester and had to teach themselves the entire course. Apparently substitute teachers do not exist in Cote d’Ivoire. There is clearly not an environment conducive to learning here.

Kiambu

Today was my last day in Kenya. These trips have been going by so fast! I have another wonderful overnight flight in which I will probably get 1 hour of sleep and look absolutely terrifying tomorrow. Can’t wait! Haha.

So today I saw a project that I really fell in love with. I met up with a woman by the name of Susan, a former banker who is the director of the Kiambu project for village women. This project gives women business training so that they can efficiently budget for their household as well as earn an income and run a business. It was started in 2003, and has since then helped about 1,200 women. Before I start talking about this project there is something that is important to understand. Life for women in Kenya, in Africa in general actually, is very hard. This may be a generalization to some, but usually in the villages the man/husband does not do any work and the woman/wife is left to be the breadwinner. I have seen it with my own eyes… men are sitting around doing absolutely nothing, and women are either in the markets selling things or seen carrying heavy loads of goods on their heads. This isn’t to say absolutely no men work in Kenya, but like I said, in general this is the case.

So you have the woman who is struggling to make a buck, provide for their family, and put the children through school, which is often not a priority for the husband. The husband usually does not see the point in spending money to send his daughters to school, and since the woman is thought of as less of a person, whose opinion does not really matter, the girls don’t go to school beyond primary. Basically if these women ever want to see a better life for themselves, or their children, that responsibility rests solely on them.

Now…Kiambu enters the scene. Susan has recognized these issues among the women of Kenya and has decided to do something about it. University students studying business volunteer their time to teach these women, who are anywhere from 25-60, about business. Some things that are covered: startup capital, time management, efficiency and record keeping, inventory, marketing, micro finance, budgeting, saving, and even stress management since many of these women are living in very stressful situations. The integration of University students and village women is so unique and really works. Many of these women are illiterate so the youthful teaching style of the University students really helps the women remember the lessons. Each lesson is followed by a skit that covers the topic of the day. I had the pleasure of attending a class and watching a skit on marketing!

During a break of the class I got to talk with the women. Some of them are very bright!! They were very curious as to what I was doing there and weren’t shy to ask questions. They were very interested to know what “Obama Land” was like. I tried to paint a picture of democracy for them; a land where government, despite its flaws, is mainly there for the people, and if it isn’t it will surely hear about it. I don’t want to trash the Kenyan government because after all I am not a citizen and don’t know every detail of what goes on, but I just can’t help but wonder where the government is. The people in Kenya don’t even have water for God sakes. Lack of water has become a grave problem across the Country. It is truly amazing the lack of support anyone receives from the government; voices are not heard.

They also wanted to know what kind of programs Foundation SCA was interested and how they could help! I told the ones that expressed an interest in volunteering that I would remember they offered!

Every woman gets a mentor after they complete the program. These mentors meet with the women every week for 6 months. They not only talk about how the business is going, but how they are managing family and life in general.

I know this post is becoming terribly long but just one last thing I want to talk about. The success stories!!! One woman in particular has an amazing story I want to share the condensed version…

Meet Naomi. Naomi wasn’t allowed by her husband to leave the village and partake in business activities. She somehow managed to enroll in the program in 2004 with her husband’s permission and immediately gained value from what she learned. She bought her own cow when she had enough money. Her husband had his cows, but she wanted her own. Because she was illiterate she made sure that she sold her milk to the local dairy store because they would write down the amounts and money owed on a paper. She would make her son confirm that they had written the correct amounts and weren’t ripping her off. This is how she was able to keep records despite her illiteracy.

Flash forward to 2009 and Naomi now has 3 cows, water, a truck, no dirt floor, electricity, a plot of land in her name, and the respect of her husband. She has even gained the income to send her youngest daughter who is 15 to private school.

Muuuzoooonga

Today was great. I went to a refugee camp about 2 hours from Nairobi that is now being converted into a farming community. There was a war between two tribes about 1 ½ years ago due to politics. Things got pretty ugly and many had to leave the area. During the height of the war women and children were sent to take refuge inside of a Church. What did the opposing tribe do? Torched the Church while all of the women and children were still inside. Needless to say, most died and the few women and children who survived have serious scars and nerve damage as their constant reminded. One woman who was holding her child threw him through the Church window when she realized her back was one fire. She woke up charred after passing out from pain and crawled to try and find her child. Miraculously her child was completely unharmed. She still has serious scars from her burns, but is doing well (well meaning alive).

Right now the people of this newly formed community are building houses and moving out of their UN Refugee tents. Progress has been slow because they have been displaced and now have no employment which means no income. They are all anxious to begin their new lives and have started cultivating the land they have been given. The positivity I sensed was incredible. These people literally have nothing but were all smiles and kept offering me tea or food.

As I was touring the community a line of curious children following me steadily grew. There are some impressive things starting in this community. One woman has started her own little business making umm I guess fried pastry things you could call them? She cooks all day then her husband delivers them to stores on his bike. She has even made a little table outside of the place where she cooks creating a restaurant like feel. There is also a young man about 20 years old who has started breeding rabbits. He bought one female, borrowed a male and now has about 20 rabbits. Apparently the type of breed sells for about 3,000 shilling which has the potential to provide a good income. They were cute to look at if nothing else!

After seeing the progress and speaking with mainly the mothers– their husbands have either abandoned them or gone to Nairobi to look for work, I got to entertain the children. I handed out cookies to them which started out civil and orderly and quickly turned into chaos. Pretty soon I had about 100 children hanging on me or trying to and screaming, “Muuuuzoonga!!!!” I definitely spelled that wrong but it’s the Swahili word for a white person.

Once the children had raided the cookie stash and calmed down I tried to get them to sing for me. They were being terribly shy so I decided to break the ice and started torturing them with my singing. Let’s just say they got a good laugh from this. I sang twinkle twinkle little star, row row row your boat, and head shoulders knees and toes. I also started dishing out ‘high fives’ and taught them up high, down low, around the back, to the side. This was also extremely entertaining for them (and me too!). I tried Miss Mary Mack but that was a little too complicated. They finally started to sing for me, and oh my God they have angel-like voices. They were all standing in front of me shoeless, sick, and dirty but had such innocent and adorable little smiles on their faces. I wanted to give them everything I had with me, I mean it was extremely hard for me to not just take everything off and give them what I had. I want their mothers to find jobs and be educated so badly so that these little children can go to school, have shoes, and not be sick!!! I was sad to leave them.

On my ride back to Nairobi I became very sad for those people. When I was there all day it was hard to feel sorry for them because they were all smiling and happy. Once I was away from the smiling faces, and had a chance to reflect on the conditions in which they are living I became very sad for them. I hope I can find a way to help them continue to improve their living situation and start their new lives. They need so much.

You look like you are 18

So I am unwinding from Day 2 of Nairobi, and Day 8 of my trip. In 2 days here I have seen 7 different projects! Today I spent most of my day at Kibondeni Catering School for Women. Let me just say that the name does not do it justice. I talked with students, teachers, past graduates, and administrators and let me just tell you that this school is changing lives every day. First year students are so incredibly timid and nervous and adorable wide eyed 19 year olds. Flash forward 3 years and you are talking to an eloquent, well spoken, ambitious, young woman. I mean I am constantly amazed at what these schools are doing just for these women’s confidence level. They come here not knowing basic skills and having no real chance of advancement and leave a changed woman. It is so incredible.

So Foundation SCA is not funding the Kibondeni School. Nairobi is one of my stops to look for perspective projects to fund for the year 2010. I cannot tell you how much I hope we continue to raise funds because I have fallen in love with all 7 of the projects I have seen.

Kibondeni has 225 students and 3 different levels of programs. There is the 1 year program that is practical training in catering and cooking with some theoretical training, a 2 year program called Craft which is more in depth with practical and theoretical and in which students take National Exams and take on internships, then the 3 year diploma course which is more in depth and adds more business management training.

When I say that these schools are impressive I don’t mean for African standards. If any of these women came to the US to look for employment they would be extremely strong candidates. They are so well spoken and refined. I don’t know how easy getting a job in the US is under current conditions, but I’m sure you know what I’m trying to say.

The students were so great to talk to. The first student I spoke with shared my name – Katherine. She is 22 and a 2^nd year student hoping to complete her diploma. She was emphasizing to me that she is so grateful to Kibodeni and the teachers there because they have not only given her skills so she can acquire a job, but have strengthened her as a person and taught her how to be ethical and live well with others. She also told me that she has tried to teach her younger sister everything she has learned in order to help her grow as well. Some day she wants to open up a bakery and is confident she can do so. What’s her favorite thing to bake? Carrot cake!

The next student I talked to was Emma and she was great. She is also in her 2^nd of 3 years in the diploma course. She told me she was 22 and I said “Ah, I am 23.” She found this hilarious and replied, “You look 18!” I can’t be mad… it is true. The one thing she said that struck me the most was, “I am so glad I came to Kibondeni because now I know I can depend on myself and have the chance to live a good life.” She also expressed how much Kibondeni has really taught her to accept others. She said it was difficult in the beginning to do this because everyone comes from a different tribe or background.

I got a chance to speak with a teacher, Pauline. She was very helpful in explaining the many things these students learn. I was impressed at all of the business classes these students take: marketing, accounting, management, inventory, quality control, budgeting etc. An important aspect of the business program is for the women to create a business plan and go through all of the steps of operating a business. Also, to put training into practice the students take on a 3 week internship, then a 3 month internship – Well they call them ‘attachments’.

After grilling everyone with my questions they kicked me out. Ha, just kidding. I went to see a teacher’s home. Many of the teachers have opened there homes to let students who live far away. This makes their commute shorter and they don’t have to pay for transportation. Kibondeni does have a residence, however, only about 40% of the students can live there due to the size of the facility.

In the afternoon I also got to go visit some graduates of Kibondeni. I went to Strathmore University where I met about 7 or 8 women who are now employed in the cafeteria as managers, cooks, etc. I am so upset that I did not catch this one woman’s name because she was hilarious. She ran the stock room and went through every detail of what she did. Her job wasn’t hilarious or anything she was just so charismatic and animated that I couldn’t help but smile. She kept saying how the people who deliver the shipments always try and scam you and don’t deliver everything you have paid for so you have to be very sharp and count everything. The stock manager must also be very trustworthy because in the past there have been problems with theft. She was great to talk to – so happy and full of life.

After Strathmore University I went to a place called Java which is similar to Starbuck’s but 1,000 times better and less expensive. Here I met a former student of Kibondeni who is just clearly dominating the working world. She started as a waitress at Java and was such a good worker that she kept getting promoted. Today she manages Java and every time they open a new branch she is sent there to train and set up management, etc.

Sleeping with your eyes open

I have arrived safely to Nairobi and my first day here has come and gone! This will be short since I am extremely delirious and keep thinking in French after my stay in Cameroon; totally confused right now. I had an overnight flight, slept about 1-2 hours total and immediately started checking things out when I got off of the plane so I have yet to sleep. I think I had my first sleeping with eyes open experience during a car ride today. It made me feel rather nauseous. I don’t think adjusting to the high altitude helped me either! Anyhow, 3 cappuccinos throughout the day helped me to survive. I’ll sleep when I’m dead!

I met my contact Mercedes who runs the programs we are looking at for funding in 2010 in Nairobi. She is great! She is originally from Spain but has been in Nairobi for 32 years and is a legal citizen now. She knows the needs of Kenyans very well and I have already learned so much from her in just 1 day.

At first glance Nairobi seems fairly developed and civilized, but take a closer look and the poverty is obvious. Also outside of the city there is such poverty among the workers in the tea plantations. I saw a few different projects today. The first is called CHEP and it is part of a school called Umoja. This program provides daily checkups for the primary school children attending Umoja. I made a terrible mistake of wearing a green sweater that just so happened to be identical to the ones the students wore for their uniforms. Man 6 year olds can be brutal. They were making fun of me!! Haha. To get them to stop laughing at me I took my camera out and started taking pictures of them. Man did they love getting their picture taken. So much so that they pretty much started climbing on me for me to take a picture. It was hard to explain that I couldn’t take a good picture if they were hanging on my arms haha.

After I went to check out a tea plantation where most of the students Mercedes deals with live. The houses are tiny, I mean not even the size of a walk in closet. Keep in mind most families have about 8 people. I must say the tea plantations are very beautiful. Kenya is so green.

My next stop was Kimlea which is a school for young women who have only completed primary school and would like technical training and general education so they may have a chance to obtain employment. Kimlea is a really awesome place. They teach these women all sorts of skills, agriculture techniques, cooking, sewing, business, language, etc. The girls are in charge of making their own honey and growing vegetables in the garden as income generating activities. They also sell the clothes they make in sewing class. Anything from sweaters, shorts, vests, to pot holders – pretty impressive stuff. I really liked a pair of shorts one student had made, but she made them for her sister and I couldn’t buy them L.

I spoke with a few students and former students who are now currently teachers at Kimlea. It is clear that not only do these women receive education and training but they receive an actual chance to reach a higher standard of living. These women are bright and deserve to feel confident about their abilities and see a bright future on the horizon.

I talked with a year one student, Margaret, first and oh my goodness she was terrified. She is 19, has 6 siblings (3 brothers and 3 sisters), and her parents work on a tea plantation. She timidly told me that she really liked knitting and wanted to do something with that. Kimlea has taught her how to organize herself and prioritize. She has taught her mother how to cook and often cooks for her family.

I spoke with many other students but just to give you a picture of how Kimlea changes these women I will contrast shy year 1 student Margaret with Paris. Paris graduated 7 years ago and now teaches cooking, nutrition, agriculture, sewing, and knitting. Some may call her a “jack of all trades.” Her family was displaced due to tribal clashes when she was 19. She heard about Kimlea and decided to give it a shot. One thing she really loved about Kimlea was the family-like atmosphere. Teachers and administrators truly care about the well being of the students and help goes beyond just education. Using the skills she learned, Paris started making cakes and selling them on the side for income. With this extra income she made while attending Kimlea, Paris was able to put her 2 bothers through school. Her father also received help from Kimlea. He received a loan from Frankie, Kimlea’s Principal, to start up a business after being displaced. Today she is married and about to have her first child.

Oh I almost forgot to mention, not only is there a school, but Kimlea also has a clinic where girls can receive clean, reliable, and affordable medical treatment and even counseling.

There is Hope

Today was my last day in Cameroon and I must say that it was a very good one. I am waiting at the airport right now, and just had a funny encounter with the lady who searched my carryon bags. She was coveting a DVD TV series I had and said, “I wish you could give this to me…” I replied, “I’m sorry but it is the only thing getting me through my lonely nights, no chance!”

Since I was curious to see how University students lived, Maria took me to where the public University was, as well as where the students live. One of the MANY frustrating times when I wish I could have taken pictures. You can’t even imagine the student living. You would think a Public University in the capital would have something similar to dorms like we have in the US… this is not the case. The students live in little village-like places where they rent rooms. They have no facilities and it doesn’t exactly look like a place that is conducive to studying. So much needs to change in Cameroon.

The people of Sorawell rent a building near the University that supplements young women’s education. Education is not so developed in Cameroon as there is a lack of resources (books, educated teachers, etc), so Sorawell has tried to create a place that has libraries, study areas, and classes that supplement University education. Maria showed it to me and it is a very nice place to learn. I must say all of Sorawell’s facilities are so well thought out, clean, and create a great place for students to take their studies seriously.

Lunch time rolled around and Maria and I met up with Alice, Maria’s friend, and former participant in the supplemental University program I mentioned above who works for the Department of Foreign Affairs. We had such a great talk. Alice has such a clear vision of the problems in Cameroon, and what exactly needs to be done. She didn’t dance around the fact that there is much work to be done either, and recognized that most of these changes are facilitated by NGO’s in the country, as the government can often be ineffective (to put it politely). It was very refreshing to hear a native Cameroonian know the path that the country must take. The first step is recognition and I think that Cameroon will see progress!

After lunch Maria took me up on Mount Febé so I could get a complete view of the city. It was very beautiful. We then went to the artisan market which was so great to see. I love little artisan markets, and I got to pick up a birthday present for my roommate.

So reflecting on my trip I think I have had a lot of ups and downs. Seeing all of the poverty in the city was tough for me. It makes you feel so helpless. I am, however, not helpless because although it sounds terrible cheesy the girls we support at Sorawell really are the future of Cameroon. They will be the ones to change attitudes and the broken system. I only hope that Foundation SCA can continue to raise the funds they need to not only run the school, but expand!

A bientôt Cameroon…

Exam Day

Today was exam day at Sorawell. All of the ladies were so nervous! I felt bad that I was taking pictures of everything, but I didn’t want to miss the action! I had the pleasure of getting to taste some delicious pastries that were made as part of the exam. A+ in my book. There are a few parts to their exams; today were the practical exams which consisted of cooking a 5 course lunch and preparing a natural juice. Then one girl has to be the server and gets graded on her performance. I arrived in the middle of the practical training, just in time to eat some sweets.

Around 1pm it was lunch time, which also meant grading time this particular day. I reluctantly closed up my dorky tri-pod and set my camera down to enjoy lunch with the students. The young woman serving us (her name is unfortunately escaping me) was SOO nervous. She was shaking! I felt I was adding to her nerves. She loosened up a bit and even tried to speak some English to me. When she was serving me instead of asking me if I would like another helping she said, “Again!?” it was pretty funny.

So in total I had 5, yes 5 courses for lunch. For those of you who do not know me, I don’t have the largest appetite so this was such a struggle for me. I must say all of it was delicious though and my body probably needed a large meal.

The first course was a Cameroonian twist on a Cobb Salad. It was really good! Next we had a quiche Lorraine which was delicious. I wanted seconds, but knew I still had 3 more courses to go. Next in line was sweet and sour pork with brown rice – also delicious. The quiche still held as my favorite. I kind of want more right now, now that I am thinking about it. After the sweet and sour pork there was a gnocchi and busa---something. I should know the name of it because it is Italian and I am Italian, but the name is completely escaping me right now. If anyone knows what I am trying to say please help! They were all anxious to know what I thought about the gnocchi since I am Italian and lived in Rome for a short period of time. I gave it the thumbs up! After the gnocchi I was starting to hurt and had to skip the curry dish. I did, however, save room for the chocolate mousse dessert which was out of this world.

I mean it really is incredible when you think about what these girls can do. To some, being able to cook multiple cultural cuisines may seem trivial, but these girls come to Sorawell not knowing anything but simple Cameroonian dishes their mothers have passed on to them. Keep in mind they prepared all of these dishes without a recipe. I mean I love to cook but 90% of the time I log on to epicurous.com and print out my recipe that I follow diligently. This skill makes them so marketable in Cameroon that employers in hotels and restaurants basically beg the administrators of Sorawell to send their students to them after they graduate. The next class graduates in September and they are all already employed!

After lunch I went to see Alice, a former student of Sorawell. It is truly amazing seeing the difference in the students who are in their first year, and those who are in their third year or have graduated. The girls in their first year are still very shy and unsure of themselves. By the third year they can talk confidently with anyone and start telling you how much Sorawell has taught them. Then you talk to the graduates and it is obvious that they aren’t going to let anything stand in the way of their dreams. They have a bit of work experience under their belts and talk about opening up their own restaurant, etc. They come to Sorawell so unsure of themselves and leave as proud young women with a future.

Alice was so great. Her brother owns a roasted chicken place and she now helps him run it. She brought a bit of innovation to it by creating new marinades and sauces to accompany the chicken. They sell about 35 chickens a day. She was so great and let me take pictures with her – very sweet young lady. I just realized I am calling these young women ‘young ladies’ like I am so much older than them… they are all my age!

After meeting Alice, Hermine, another graduate of Sorawell, took me around the market place. It is not so safe so she promised to act as my second pair of eyes and body guard. I met her mother and two sisters who sell things in the market. Hermine has passed on her business savvy that she learned at Sorawell to her family to help them with their selling. Her mother was so great; she let me take a picture of her, but demanded I send her a copy. Don’t worry that is all taken care of and she will get her picture!

The Ladies of Sorawell

So right now I am sitting in one of the offices of Sorawell wrapping up my day here. I think I have totally freaked all of the young women out with my incessant videotaping and picture taking. I noticed one girl in particular refusing to smile about 10 minutes ago. I’d probably be exhausted of me right now too!

It has been a long but great day. I arrived at Sorawell in the morning and had the chance to see all of the students going through their daily routine, speak with them, and even talk to some of the graduates of the program.

The students are definitely kept busy and they enjoy it. In the morning they have practical training in cooking. These young women learn all kinds of international dishes. This makes them very valuable to employers in hotels, embassies, and people needing personal chefs because literally no one in Cameroon knows how to cook anything besides Cameroonian dishes. It’s not like America where you turn on the Food Network and learn how to cook something ethnic. This makes Sorawell’s training very unique which in turn puts these young women in high demand for employment.

For example, the US Embassy where I had lunch had such problems with its employees. They had problems with the money, as well as the overall quality of the food. The employees did not understand the concept of ‘fast food’. The embassy heard about what Sorawell was doing and basically begged them to suggest girls to hire. How awesome is that? Four former Sorawell students now run the café in the US Embassy, and I must say I was quite impressed with the French fries!

Something that really struck me was how all of the students kept saying how Sorawell taught them how to live with one another, work as a team, and understand the concept of unity and cooperation. This is definitely something I know I at least take for granted. I mean in America we all think of each other as Americans, united. As much as we have differing views at the end of the day we are one – Cameroonians don’t think this way. How can you blame them… there are over 250 tribes each with their own language!

The graduates I talked to almost laughed when I asked them where they thought they would be today had they not attended Sorawell. Some of them simply responded “nowhere.” How upsetting is that? These girls were hopeless before the program and now some of them are talking about opening their own restaurant up some day. I can’t get over how amazing the transformation is.

During lunch time I was lucky enough to witness a Birthday celebration. It was Flore’s 26^th Birthday. They sang Happy Birthday in English, French (Bon Anniversaire), and a local language. It was AWESOME. I took a great video of it. If my internet is cooperating I will upload it. I also got to taste some of the pink frosted Birthday cake the students had baked which was delicious!

After lunch they all had their theoretical training. These classes include Business Ethics – also a concept foreign to Cameroonians as corruption levels are very high, Management, Accounting, and general Finances; a full day of learning.

Despite me totally freaking them out with my camera in their face all day they were so good to me. They kept saying phrases in English because they knew I was American. They are almost tri-lingual people… it’s impressive!

Well I am heading back to my hotel now. Tomorrow is exam day, lunch with the students, and the market!

A demain…

First Full Day in Africa Under my Belt

So my first real day in Cameroon has come and gone. Cameroonians are truly and amazing group of people. I cannot believe how friendly and warm they all are.

I started my day off by going to a Mass in the newer basilica that was said in the local language. Cameroonians definitely know how to put a little ‘umph’ in their Masses. The singing was boisterous with a lot of impressively in sync clapping from the audience, and some mild dancing from the choir. It was impressive to witness. All of the women had these beautiful brightly colored dresses on which added to the uplifting mood of the service. Another thing I noticed was how many children were at the mass. I did not notice this right away because they were all so quiet! I swear none of them, even the babies, uttered a peep during the 1 ½ hour long service. I should find out their secret for future reference.

After Mass I went to, Sorawell, the school for young women that Foundation SCA is funding. I was only at Sorawell briefly as it was Sunday and not many people were there. My contact Maria gave me a tour. I must say that I was very impressed. I could see the chaotic city around the school and wondered how any young woman could stay focused with the many distractions surrounding her. Clearly the administrators of Sorawell had this in mind when they designed the school. You walk in the door and immediately have a different vibe; a sense of safety and calmness. Sorawell has created such a wonderful learning and living environment for their students. The lower level has a kitchen, dining area, and a small common room. Upstairs there are classrooms and a sewing room. The next two levels are all rooms for the students to live. Many of the students come from the villages and their commute would be much too hard from their homes so Sorawell has created a place for them to stay while they are enrolled in the program. I was impressed by how clean all of the facilities were. Dare I say... I think cleaner than my hotel!!

I met a few of the students and teachers who I will be speaking with tomorrow more in depth. All were very cheerful and spoke a little bit of English (thank God, as I am swiftly learning my French is terrible).

After Sorawell, Maria took me to see the Center Village. Sorawell has done a lot of work for and with the people of this particular village. Maria has been so great so far. She has lived in Cameroon for 20 years and has such a deep understanding of the problems and needs of the Cameroonian people, specifically women. She knew so many women in the village! This is because Sorawell also has short term programs on business management for older women living in the villages. The last one they was in 2008, and they will have another this January 2010. These programs are run by both the teachers at Sorawell and the Students. I really liked the fact that the students were involved in the program. To me this creates a sense of community and unity that Cameroonians unfortunately lack. The work Sorawell does with the Cameroonians is so impressive. I could tell through Maria’s interaction with these women that she truly cared about their well-being and development, and they were eternally grateful for the education they received from Sorawell that had helped them better their lives.

The first woman I met was Ernestine. She participated in the program Sorawell had for the village women. As a result of her new business savvy, she was granted a ‘Nepad’ loan from the Chief and bought 1 pig. One year later she now has 6 pigs and a steady household income.

Next I met Lucy Julienne and Bijoux. Lucy Julienne participated in the business program for the village women as well. With her knowledge she now has 7 pigs, about 10 roosters, as well as fruit growing to sell. She has created a mini farm in her backyard to support herself, husband, and children. I also met Lucy Julienne’s sisters and their children. I shook the one little girl’s hand, who was probably a little over a year old, and she started hysterically crying. I awkwardly said “Je suis desolee!” and backed away. I’m usually good with children :(

Bijoux is about 14 and wants to go to Sorawell when she finishes her schooling.

I then went to see the well Sorawell had built for the village people. Before building this well, which functions very well and is the only well with nice little benches around it, these villagers had to walk very far to get water. Adorable little children were trailing behind me to see what I was up to. There were more children at the well pumping water. You aren’t technically allowed to take pictures outside, but no one was really around so I couldn’t miss this opportunity to capture these adorable children. They were fascinated by my camera and loved seeing their picture on the digital screen after I took the picture. So cute. I tried getting high fives from them and I don’t think they understood what I was doing and looked at me like I was an alien. So to make sure I wasn’t freaking them out I shook their hands and said, “Merci pour les photos!”

We then made our way down to the village kitchen. Here I met such a wonderful woman. She came charging at me with open arms and kisses before she even knew who I was. All of the villagers were like this! They all came over with handshakes and “Bonjours,” without even knowing what I was doing there. Maria must be some sort of savior or celebrity to them. This woman, whose name is escaping me now (I met so many people today), invited us into her house for uncooked peanuts and sugar cane. I still have a stash sitting on my desk she made me take with me.

The house had a spacious room, but very bare. All of the houses in the village are like this. They are made of mud bricks and sticks. The inside is very bare with dirt floors. I noticed that all of the women Maria introduced me to who had attended the business course were the ones who had TV’s in their houses. It was clear to me that these women had learned a great deal about business and were now enjoying a more stable income. Some villages still do not have electricity. This particular woman had a small TV in her home and some furniture. It’s kind of surreal seeing a TV, electrical outlets, and dirt floors all together. A large wooden cabinet, a small table and coffee table, as well as some simple wooden chairs. I can’t get over how warm and hospitable the women are. Even when you drive through the villages all of the people wave to you. I fully expected to be looked at as an alien outsider. You can’t help but to want to give them every opportunity they deserve after seeing them face to face and understanding their potential. It is so clear that these women deserve our help. All they need is education and they make the rest happen. It is truly amazing. I am so happy we are involved with Sorawell and I haven’t even seen the students in action yet!

Tomorrow is a big day stalking the students all day. I hope me being around snapping a picture in their face doesn’t freak them out! They have trimester exams Tuesday and Wednesday so I hope they aren’t nervous. I will keep you all posted!

Always an Uphill Battle

Friday July 17, 2009

Right now I am supposed to be exploring the streets of Casablanca during a layover in Morocco before my flight to Yaoundé, Cameroon. Where am I instead? At the JFK airport in New York attempting for a second time to get to Yaoundé. Long story short my airline had a pilot strike and my connecting flight from Casablanca was cancelled at the last minute. 1 mild headache, 1 very helpful Air France ticketing woman, and 1 day later and I am back where I started…waiting!

I arrived super early to the airport to make sure there were no bumps – so far so good. I will be sitting in terminal 5 for the next 2 hours anxious and excited.

Now that I have a moment to breathe and reflect, I am sort of in awe at where life has taken me. Flashback to exactly one year ago and I was laying on the beach in Ocean City, NJ with the post College graduation blues wondering what in the world life had in store for me. Now flash forward to today, July 17, 2009 and I am on my way to Africa and Eastern Europe to see firsthand the amazing projects Foundation SCA is funding and looking to fund. Although I have only been the Program Manager for Foundation SCA for about 5 months – actually 5 months exactly yesterday, my eyes have been opened. Being an Economics major, I have always had an interest in development, but always looked at reports through a more statistical eye. Some of the reports I have read more recently on the countries we fund projects in are truly disturbing. People go through things I can’t even imagine, and I can’t help but to want to help them better their lives any way I can. Not only have I learned about the perils of the world, but have also been amazed by the desire and self-motivation of the young women we help to better their living situations through education even when the odds are against them. This is truly amazing and a testament to human willpower.

I have read biographies of some of the women enrolled in Foundation SCA’s programs and I cannot wait to meet them personally and see how receiving an education has changed their life. I am also so excited to meet my contacts from each project who I have been communicating via email with for the past 5 months. They have all been so wonderful and cooperative. I can’t wait to be able to sit down with them face to face and learn more about how they became involved with these projects.

That’s all for now…