Pictures!!
1-My good friend and 7th grader Carolina packing up potato seeds to plant next season.
2-Mariamu sitting on a sack of potatoes ready to be packed and driven to Dar es Salaam. This is my best friends field after all the potatoes have been harvested.
3-Very strong guy carrying a 110 kilo sack on his back. Gives a whole new meaning to sack of potatoes!
4-Agape and Mariamu dancing with cat toys.
5-Mama's Clinic. The first and second Wednesday of each month is mama's health clinic for women with children under 5. At each clinic I give lessons on mother-child health. It's EXTREMELY overwhelming.
6-The row of mama's selling assorted fried foods.
7-My neighborhood kids eating corn stalks. It's like sugar cane, but not as sweet.
8-Getting a "pedicure" in town. $2.25!!!
9-6th tea partay at my house
10-Mariamu and Agape showing off their freshly painted nails!!
GUESS WHAT? My grant was fully funded in just about 10 days. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your genorosity. We're advised that writing Peace Corps Partnership grants is a risky and lengthy way of collecting money. Generally projects can take 2-4 months to fund. We did it in under 2 weeks. I am over the moon grateful, speechless, excited, shocked, thrilled, and ready to get dirty building some toilets! My villagers will be holding meetings, auctions, and generally peer pressuring one another to raise their 25% contribution in the month of June. The plan is to break ground July 1! I will take pictures of every step of the process and post them for your viewing pleasure.
I'll post more about the daily this and that soon.
For now, thanks a million..or should I say, $2,300!?
Getting all your grant money is wonderful. It shows,even though people don't leave you a comment, that I am not the only one who reads your blog..Most happy for you. Loved the pictures here and also on facebook. Can't wait to see for myself. Hugs for now. Kisses later.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Kate! I am so happy for you! You are a super star. Miss you and lots of love from Michigan.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate -
ReplyDeleteThis is Adam with Peace Corps Partnership. Glad to hear word travels fast. Hope things are going well over there and good luck with your project!
Kate, I'm going to have a small fundraiser for you- kind of a back yard BBQ and instead of guests bringing sides or a bottle of wine- they are going to bring a few dollars and we'll amek a tranfer then. We'll get you your toilets- the kids need to poop damnit. Can you help me find the link a little better for the donation box? When I put in your number it doesn't give me any results.
ReplyDeleteI see your project has raised it's $2300- which is why I now know I can't find it. I'd like to help for the other $800- that's a lot of money in Africa, I know. How can I get that to you? Can you setup another link?
ReplyDeleteCarol, I am urgently trying to get in contact with you so that I can get the toothbrushes and paste to you- I have all 500 of them! Who ever gets this first please send me your phone number and or email so I can get it to you.
ReplyDeleteHi All,
ReplyDeleteHope that your flight over went quickly and yo guys are having the time of your lives.
When possible post some pictues and let us know about your adventures.
Kate, has your mom tried to take over your village yet?
Love,
Uncle Richard and Ester