Beginning of Journey ~ Radnor High School, Pennsylvania

You are about to read a fascinating account of a collective effort of compassion that almost derailed. In the public schools of Pennsylvania, all twelfth grade students are required to complete a senior project, often a community service project, to fulfill their graduation requirements. Our Hope For Change story takes us to Radnor Township School District located west of Philadelphia in the Main Line. “The mission of the Radnor Township School District is to inspire in all students the love of learning and creating, and to empower them to discover and pursue their individual passions with knowledge, confidence, and caring to shape the future.”  (Italics mine)

On April 20, 2010 my twin sister, Mary Brown, called me on her cell phone and asked, “Sarah, does Hope For Change operate elementary schools in Africa?” Mary is the Director of a non-profit organization, “Teen Learning Community”, which assists Main Line seniors with conceiving, organizing, and implementing their senior projects. On that day while Mary was talking with Jin Hwang, president of the senior class at Radnor High School, she was informed that a certain “pencil project” had hit a impasse on the tracks ~ so to speak. This senior project, “Pencils For Africa”, challenged the student body of Radnor High School to purchase and donate pencils for children in an elementary school in Africa. However, the go-between agency failed to follow through and contact the two project organizers, Radnor seniors, Gigi Blanco and Lauren Bridges, regarding possible recipients of their collected pencils. On April 20th, they had no school to which they would send the pencils.

Lauren with promotional flyers ~ click on image to enlarge

Mary put Gigi on her cell phone and after brief introductions, I said we could help. My husband, James R. Smith, Director of Hope For Change International (H4C), would be traveling to Tanzania in June. Visiting our schools would be included in his itinerary. The cell phone exchange ended with my asking, “Could Gigi and Lauren get the pencils to our home by early June?”

Another thing…seniors are required to prepare a verbal presentation of the stages of their projects to a review/grading committee comprised of teachers and the senior project coordinator. The girls’ presentation was scheduled for Thursday, April 22 ~ two days away. After weeks of hard work in collecting the pencils, now only two days away from their presentation, they had  no destination school for the pencils ~ which now numbered over 1,000. You can imagine the disappointment that would be caused by a  “no completion” grading of their efforts! The caboose had to be put on this train. By Wednesday, the eve of their presentation, all plans were in place for James to take the assortment of pencils to Africa with him! That is, if the young women could get the donated pencils to him by early June. The presentation would go on with now “Plan B” destination schools in place.

Gigi hanging bags for collection in Home Rooms

When I checked in with Gigi on Thursday afternoon, she passed along the good news that, “Yes, we did our presentation today and we got a Distinguished Pass which is the highest you can get!” James and I were thrilled that children in two H4C African schools ~ one in Sakila Village and the other in Arusha ~ would be the recipients of their endeavor!

Five weeks went by and the pencils which were  now stored in a “pretty good-sized copy box” had still not arrived at our home. Here was another gridlock for the pencils on their journey ~ no money had been collected for transport of the pencils. 

Enter Paul Grimsland, our H4C Philippines Director, who had just returned from a Foundations Center Seminar held in Manhattan. During the  breakout session, Paul had met Lisa Williamson, Director of Communications for a school district. Can you guess which school district? If you said, “Radnor”, then you win the prize. 

This amazed Paul too. Interestingly, I had casually let Paul know about the “derailed pencil project” back in April. Once we talked after he returned from the Seminar and we realized it was the same “Radnor”, Paul put me in contact with Lisa and the pace picked up after that.

Taylor, friend of Gigi & Lauren's, donating pencils

Lisa made arrangements for Gigi to drop off the pencils at her family’s home in Wayne, PA. She and her husband, Phil, would make sure the pencils kept moving. On Saturday, June 5th, Lisa and Phil took the pencils to Wayne Post Office and VOILA! they were on their way from the Main Line and the homerooms of Radnor to our home in Saugerties, NY.

Phil sending off precious cargo from Wayne Post Office

By the following Tuesday, the “good-sized box” was sitting on our dining room table in plenty of time to be included in James’ packing and for the air flight to Amsterdam en route to Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania.

What a selection ~ spread out for packing!

You may, as I did, want to know the back story to this scenario and to read why Gigi and Lauren chose education as the theme of their senior project. So here are their answers… 

My (Lauren’s) older sister was always doing community service for different schools in Africa, and seeing how many lives she was able to change really inspired me to do the same. She actually ran the African Education Program for a while, and so I had originally planned to do my senior project through that. I have also always been interested in international culture, and aspire to go in to international business so this was the perfect start for me. Then, after talking to Gigi, we realized what we wanted to do was very similar and we could be twice as successful if we worked together.

 

Why did you choose an African school?
We are both African Americans, so we really saw this as an opportunity to give back to our roots. Also, Africa has always struggled, and we know that as a continent it has so much potential; the least we could do was to give them basic necessities to prosper.

  

What would you & Lauren like to say to the students at the Sakila Village School and the Arusha School?
We would just like to say hello, and hope that they are all enjoying the pencils! We know the students will put them to great use, so stay in school, be creative, never give up, and you will move mountains! We believe the very best in each and every one of you, so keep smiling, and we promise you will be great in life!

 

 Would you like to travel to Tanzania next year? Our H4C director hosts many teams from the U.S.

 It is hard to speak so far in advance, but depending on our schedules, we would LOVE to come to Tanzania next year! Community service is very important to both of us and we plan to continue it as much as we possibly can in the future!

Children in Saklia Village

 

What were those words in the Radnor Township School District’s mission statement? ”…caring to shape the future.” I don’t know about you but I have tears in my eyes as I write this. I consider it an honor to be a part of this story and wish success to Gigi & Lauren, the students at Radnor, Lisa and Phil, Mary and her “Teen Learning Community”, and the children of Sakila Village School and Arusha School.

H4C’s mission statement declares that, “We believe in HOPE that inspires CHANGE.” Visit our web site www.H4Cinternational.org and please consider us as your vehicle organization to bring Hope and Change. Thank you!

MBELE! Sarah Anne Smith

Caring from RHS to Arusha School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, this picture of an avocado tree will have to do until our African traveler sends me the “actual” image of the avocados that he has to dodge while he ambles along the village paths. ”You  have to be careful when you walk under the trees because avocados are falling from trees and will hit you on the head.” Do you think this image is big enough? As I look at it, I feel like ducking under so an avocado doesn’t fall on my head! James has not  been on the Internet or our blog publisher, WordPress, long enough to send “his” picture to me. But ~ it might be coming in the next few days and then I will replace this image ~ or maybe NOT!

Here’s some very good news ~ the well-driller from Gillette, Wyoming, whose real name is Trusty, arrived on June 26th (or thereabouts) in Sakila, Tanzania. Trusty’s plan is to drill twenty or twenty-five new wells within the two weeks of his stay. Factors such as drilling in the right spot and breaking of equipment will limit the number. James tells us that, “Each village is very joyful when they see the well-drilling rig come to town.” Here’s the bad news: Trusty and his trained African crew are up and out drilling wells but they are not having success. Despite digging deep in two spots they have not found water. This is disconcerting and has praying people doing just that ~ praying that they will find water.

Good water flow from this village well.

Here are some other facts:

1) Three containers arrived with food, medicine, drilling supplies, educational materials, building materials, clothing, etc…

2) Elementary school registration begins this week; additional sponsors are needed or the number of students will be cut back.

3) The orphanage has had its needs met.

4) There has been good rainfall so that the corn crop is going to be good!

Bags of food unloaded from container.

Our Hope for Change African partner, Eliudi Issangya, sends his smiling “thank you” to everyone who has contributed to the ongoing projects that supply water, medical care, educational opportunities, and trade training to the people of Arusha Region. In a future blog update we will tell you the state of affairs of “New Hope International Hospital”.

There’s another picture that James has to send me ~ when he delivers those pencils to the students of the elementary schools in Sakila and Arusha. 

Please visit our web site www.H4Cinternational.org and also send us your comments ~ we’ll be happy to hear from you. ~ Sarah

Hydraulic pump for well ~ heavy to carry!

"Let's go over that list again."

The countdown until James’ departure for Africa on June 16, 2010 has come and gone a week ago. Earlier today, Wednesday, June 23rd, we spoke using his Motorola phone with a SIM card. James is adjusted to the environment in Sakila Village, Tanzania. As his wife, I was relieved to hear that!

Since his arrival, there has not been electricity in the village, or more accurately, the supply has been intermittent. James does not forsee having electricity to power his lap top or the Internet until next week. In light of that I will post these “send-off” pictures in the meantime.

When I spoke to our African H4C partner, Eliudi Issangya, this morning he was exhuberant when declaring that, “James had arrived safe and sound. ” Eliudi will host James during the visit without the help of  his wife, Mama Helen, who died on February 2, 2010. She will be missed greatly.

About to say good-bye again ~

On a personal note, I am writing a daily journal of “life at home” while James is in Africa. We’ve never taken the time to count the exact number of trips he’s made and the number of our goodbyes. The estimate of twenty-one or so has served to make the point that he has gone there a lot. On “Day 3″, which was last Friday, I pulled out James’ old U.S. Passport and attempted to count the Tanzanian, South African, Mozambique-ian (heh-heh), and Kenyan visas stamped on the pages. I wasn’t able to do it which was daunting for me since I love to count things.  Anyway, he’s been using his new passport since the trips in 2003 so I would only have half the number anyway.

Paul trying to pack James into the back of the Subaru.

Here’s a shout-out of “thanks” to our H4C Philippines Director, Paul Grimsland. Paul drove James to JFK on June 16th and there’s a good possibility that he will be making the trip down to JFK again when James returns. Don’t tell Paul I said that though.

Paul is punctual and reliable and a good friend who’s heart burns for doing what he can to provide educational opportunities for impoverished youth through our child sponsorship programs. I can tell you that Paul loves these kids! By way of making that point, read some of his MBELE! blogs posted earlier in the year. (See the archive box up above to the right.) Another tremendous friend, Vinnie Smith, has altered his work schedule many times in order to transport James to and from airports. Wow, personal drivers sure make the difference in getting started from home and getting back to home.

Pencils for Africa from Radnor High School

This backpack in the picture above holds a lot of pencils, more than one thousand, and a lot of caring by the students of Radnor High School which is located west of Philadelphia in the great state of Pennsylvania. I plan on writing a blog titled, ”The Journey of the Pencils”, to tell the entire fascinating story once James sends me a picture of the recipients in Africa. However, this will be the first “thank you” to all those PA residents who assumed a role in this effort to demonstrate concern for the children in an African village school.

Finally, H4C sends thanks to all of you who financially support our water, medical, trade-training, and educational projects in Africa. If you are newly learing about HOPE FOR CHANGE  please visit our web site www.H4Cinternational.org and learn more.

MBELE!

Sarah Anne Smith

Tiala Ao presenting us with precious gift

In 1996, my friends Chuba and Tiala Ao opened a children’s residential school, referred to as an “English” school, in Mokokchung, Nagaland which is part of the Northeast States of India. Hindi is also taught to all students. Currently, the enrollment is four hundred children ranging in age from four years old through eighteen.  Last week I spoke with Tiala and her daughter, Sentila, who now runs the school since her father’s death in July, 2005.  Sentila and her husband, Moa Jamir, are our HOPE FOR CHANGE partners in India.

This year Monsoon brought rain during the second week of April which was much earlier than last year when the school campus was parched until mid-June. Generally, the “dry season” lasts for four months from January thru April and everyone watches the skies over Mokokchung for the winds of Monsoon to bring the big, dark clouds. However, in order to “harvest” rainfall from the sky, the bulging clouds must stall long enough to deposit the rainfall in the existing roof reservoir. When they don’t - the school staff must purchase bottled water.

Last year’s rain was too sparse; this year’s has been too much ~ crops are being ruined. Too much rainfall also brings sickness ~ epidemics of malaria, cholera, and typhoid. Sadly, immunizations are few and far between. 

Earlier this year, for the months of February and March and early April, school administrators had to send their chief driver, Bahadur, to town to buy water every day. Actually, Bahadur made the 5K drive twice a day never knowing for certain if the town supplies had run out or not.

Now look at the picture up above. Tiala is standing next to a case of twelve 1-litre bottles of water. Add 7,988 litres to that case and you’d have the amount that Bahadur loaded into the school truck each morning and afternoon during February and March and into early April ~ 8,000 litres of water a day. At the present exchange rate the purchase price comes to approximately $ 17.40 per day plus the cost of diesel fuel and Bahadur’s pay. That adds up to just under $130.00 per week and close to $520.00 a month.

In Tiala's kitchen ~ Bahadur on far left

I can think of better uses for the school’s precious operating funds. So can Tiala, Moa & Sentila. For example ~ placing more children in the classrooms and dormitories ~ local children who long for the type of education provided by the school.

Here’s the good news ~ there is a solution to having to buy 8,000 litres of water a day! Moa, the school’s resident engineer, has a plan to build a second “Roof Reservoir System” which would harvest rain from the heavens during the rainy season. Enough could be collected, stored, and filtered to see the campus residents through next year’s dry season. Wouldn’t that be wonderful!

You can read all about the details of this system and the modest cost on our web site www.H4Cinternational.org  Click on the Current Projects Tab and then the Engineering icon and scroll down to “Nagaland Water Reservoir System”. Construction can begin as soon as the funds come in.  Donations may be sent via U.S. Postal System to our Lake Katrine address or through PayPal on the web site. Please note that PayPal deducts a processing fee.

Yours for Hope For Change,

Sarah Anne Smith

Naga school children enjoying "snack time"

windows of boys' dorm ~ middle years

In less than one week Hope4Change will be hosting its first benefit concert with the help of our friends in the music world. James, Paul, and I (Sarah) agreed that holding an event that will allow us to share our passion for the poor “eyeball to eyeball” with concert-goers would have great impact. So we’re doing it! Mbele!

First, we’d like to thank the musicians who will be donating their time and energy to H4C. We’re expecting that the “transforming power of giving” mentioned in our mission statement will pour out upon them. Also, we pass our appreciation on to those who have helped with design and printing of the concert’s promotional posters and hand-outs. Your generousity has urged us on. Our web site and blog are what they are because of the technical & creative design capabilities of  Matt & Christine of Lilypod Media (www.LilypodMedia.com). They are”on board” with our H4C vision!

We’re shouting out a huge thank you to our friends at Sound of Life for air-time through the Irish-brogue radio spots. Whose voice is that anyway? Finally, we send our huge thanks to the folks at Pointe of Praise Family Life Center for the use of their welcoming and spacious facility. Parking will be plenteous!

Some of the plans for the night are…great music and a charged atmosphere of enthusiasm for being together and for the cause. At different points during the concert, three urgent projects will be presented…briefly. They are: the hospital in Arusha, Tanzania, the water reservoir system in Mokokchung, Nagaland (India), and child sponsorship in Manila, Philippines. More about these projects may be found on our web site under the CURRENT PROJECTS tab – click on thumbnails for medical, engineering, education respectively. If Internet technology is in a cooperative mood on May 8th some short videos will be shown depicting the needs in these three locations. And I do mean “short” – three minutes or so.

So come on out on Saturday night of Mother’s Day weekend (in the U.S.) for a night to remember. Stop by our display table which will be set up in the entrance area. We’d love to meet you! Together let’s supply what’s needed to our H4C partners who are joyfully bringing HOPE & CHANGE to the people of their villages, cities, and regions.

Thanks!

Sarah, James, & Paul

www.H4Cinternational.org

Myca Amaro died on March 1st, 2010 of Dengue Fever in Manila, Philippines.

Myca’s life on earth is now gone.  She died of  Dengue Fever –  and it could have been prevented if she had gotten the right medical treatment at the right time.  Who can find the words that can that express the pain that her family felt as they watched death take it’s toll on her.  Dengue Fever is known among some as “Breakbone Fever.”  Does that speak for itself? 

If you read my last blog you know that I had just returned in late February from Sakila, Tanzania, Africa after the death of our beloved Mama Helen Issangya. Then, Sarah and I received the news of the death of Myca on March 1st.  Myca was a young girl that we were sponsoring.  We had hoped to sponsor her, at least, until she had gotten through High School.  I had thoughts and plans of visiting with her and her family to build a friendship and watch her grow into a young woman who so desired to live a productive life.  One of her quotes in regard to now being offered an education was, “Education is important to me because it is one of the things that no one can steal from me.” 

Myca, Sarah and I never knew you, but we had planned to get to know you and your family.  I hope to visit your family one day when I get  back to Manila. 

Speaking for Hope for Change…..www.H4Cinternational.org, this is “why we do what we do.”  For all the Mycas all over this world we believe that we can make a difference in the lives of some of them.  Myca, we never knew you, but we will remember you always!  Your short life has given me (us) a more firm resolve to do what we can do.  We will always move forward!  Never a step backwards.

James R. Smith

Mama Helen with one of  her daughters Rogathe and one of her grandchildren, Shirley.

The first time I went to Africa was in 1993; that seems like two lifetimes ago.  Since 1993 I have been back to Africa well over twenty times (thank you MSCF!).  Most of these times I have stayed in the home of my dear friends Eliudi and Helen Issangya, in Sakila, Tanzania. 

The first time I rode from the Kilimanjaro Airport to the village of Sakila I felt as if I had travelled to some foreign planet, or possibly the moon, that’s how strange it was to me (and also to my good friend, Mike Wood).  Now when I go to Sakila it is truly my “second home.”  Other than my own house I feel most at home when I am in Sakila.  Much of that credit goes to Mama Helen Issangya who saw to it that I was welcomed and cared for over the last seventeen and a half years.  This dear woman, wife of my great friend Eliudi Issangya, and mother to six children, has now passed on to her eternal home, a greater home.  A land that will never grow old.

This blog is a small attempt to show her the honor and respect that is due to her for taking care of me and the many other people who showed up at her home in need of care.  Mama Helen was always there for me. She made sure that I had the food that I needed, the clean water that was necessary, and she showed great compassion towards me as I went through everything from malaria (1996) to a heart attack that caused me to be hospitalized and have surgery in Amsterdam  in 2007.  She had suffered so much with her illness that she knew how to care for those who were in pain or distress. 

Helen treated me with such respect. I hope that I sincerely returned that respect back to her.  Thank you Mama Helen for giving yourself to all of us for all these years.  I, and many others, African and Americans, will never forget all that you did for us, and  the “Mama” that you were to us.  Be at rest, Be at Peace, Mama Helen. 

 Helen Issangya went to her eternal home on February 2, 2010.

James R. Smith

MABUHAY NG PILIPINAS

 AKO AY BUMALIK SA LALONG MADALING PANAHON!