We are the same in our grief

I recently had the honor of speaking at the Rwandan Celebration in Portland Oregon at the Rwandan Genocide Remembrance Day at Lewis & Clark College.  The Pacific Northwest Rwanda Association sponoroed this important event.  Second Counselor Andrew Tusabe from the Rwandan Embassy in Washington DC was one of the speakers who talked about the challenges and success that Rwanda is having in their country. 

 

I am always humbled when asked to speak at such an event.  But I have learned we must each do our part no matter how small we believe it is.  Following is the text of my speech.  

 April 11, 2010

We are more alike than we are different. 

Grief is universal; laughter connects people and the decision to change the world lies within each of us.

If you wonder why a mazungu is speaking today, you are not alone.  I wonder myself.  But I am.  And so I'll share what I know - which I know is nothing compared to what many of you know.

I am here to commemorate and honor the people of Rwanda.  Those of you who are here to today, and to remember those innocents who were killed through no fault of their own.  Today we honor those who suffered or died, more by our action than our grief. 

I just returned from my 7^th trip to Rwanda in less than five years.  I pay for these trips myself so if you ever consider donating to Itafari, know you're not paying for my seat on the plane!

If you don't know my story, I went to Rwanda because one woman asked me to come and speak about hope.  What do I know?  I knew what hope can look like.  I know that healing can come over time.  That when we lose someone we love, we can choose to never let their goodness die if we choose to focus on the difference they made while they were here. 

Rwanda has changed tremendously in the five years since I've been traveling there.  There's tremendous progress, but a huge amount that's left to be done.  I was concerned on my last trip because the night before I was leaving three grenades went off simultaneously in the city.  More innocent people were killed.  And the terrorists (my word) accomplished their goal:  to make people afraid.  And there have been more grenade attacks since.  So what can you or I do about it?  We continue on.  We don't become overwhelmed or intimidated by cowards who use violence to speak, rather than words.

You may not be able, willing or interested in getting involved in the politics of your country.  I can't blame you!  I'm not interested in becoming involved in the politics of this country.  But how you or I live our lives speaks volumes of what we truly believe. 

You're here today.  Some of you because you want to be.  Some of you may feel you should be here.  But you're here.  And this unique group of people will never be gathered again.  We represent different experiences, different attitudes, different goals, different hopes, and different dreams. 

We have different colors of skin, are of different faiths, or of no faith at all.  We are men and women, boys and girls, young and old.  We have vastly different experiences.  Some of us want to talk about what is possible, others want to be silent.  Some have hope, some have lost all hope.  But what if who we are as a group, is just the group we need to be? 

The role John and I play here today is a small one.  I'm honored as always to be asked to speak.  I'm so inadequate for this job, but I do it anyway.  So know that I know I don't know much.  But I'm passionate about making a difference in the world and the part of the world that I care to make my difference is Rwanda. 

Some of the finest people I've ever met in the world are from Rwanda.  Rwanda has changed my life.  And so I do what I can to pay that forward.  To change lives as mine has been changed.

I'd like to conclude with the following thoughts:  your attitude and words have power.  Choose (and use) them wisely.  Don't wait until you're perfect to reach your goals and dreams.  Never stop believing in the goodness that is in the world.  Be vigilant in speaking out or taking action against those who would choose to tear down what is good.  Disagree with courage and respect.  Keep hold of your emotions so that you can be heard.   Know that forgiveness is for your soul, not the soul of the one that caused you or a loved one harm.  To find peace within yourself is the greatest gift you bring to the world. 

Murakoze cyane and "kora ibyiza buri munsi" -

in Kinyarwanda, "do good every day"

Thirsty goats are NOT an impossible problem in Rwanda

 

What do hippos, goats, and rollers have in common?  Everything if you're in Rwanda. 

I'm here in Rwanda for my 7^th visit in less than five years.  Nothing is better than doing what you're meant to do with people of vision and integrity.  The work of the Itafari Foundation allows all of us to work with people determined to be known by their strength and resilience, not by a genocide that happened 16 years ago.  The past should never be forgotten, but the future lies ahead of us: full of hope, challenges, joy, sorrow and impossible problems which will be solved.

One of our problems right now is getting water to the goats in our child headed households.  Each of these 35 cooperatives, which are in the south, east and northern regions of Rwanda have been given 15 nanny goats and a billy goat from S. Africa.  Their task:  raise the goats, plant elephant grass for feed, use the manure for fertilizer, run their small business and within about three years become self sufficient.  A huge task - much more so for children raising their siblings.  But NEVER underestimate the power of the human spirit and a big dream to be independent.

Today I go back to Nyagatare to visit the first cooperative to whom we gave goats to in 2007.  They call themselves the Power of Love!  They get the need to inspire themselves and are aptly named.  They've had success but also some severe challenges.     Water is not always easily accessible.  And goats are thirsty.  The minerals they are given make them thirstier. 

To get water to them requires the herdsman to fill jerry cans full of water.  They each weigh about 45 pounds when full.  Can you imagine carrying one for each goat each day over the land of 1,000 hills?  The herd we were looking at has 35 goats.   Can you imagine walking miles and miles each day carrying 45 pounds in your arms?    Understandably, neither can the herdsman!

But if I've learned one thing in my work in Rwanda it's that you don't keep your problems to yourself; you ask others how they can help you.

Before I left for Rwanda I was speaking of my thirsty goats and said, "I don't know how we'll solve this impossible problem, but we will!"  Two people from the audience came up and offered to help.  One mentioned HIPPO ROLLERS which are on display at OMSI in Portland.  Had I ever heard of them?  No.  the other person sent me the link to their site:  http://hipporoller.org/  and then offered to buy three for Itafari and our cooperatives. 

 

From there, the dream has grown bigger.  The Hippo Rollers, which allow a woman or child to move 200 pounds of water EASILY only costs $100 each!  It's the shipping that's the killer.  But, impossible situations are meant to be solved, and we'll figure it out.  In the meantime, the first person that offered to help donated $500, then another friend donated $1,000.  We have enough to buy 15 rollers - and we've only just begun. 

Have YOU ever been extremely thirsty?  What do you do?  Get water.  Not so easy for a goat, a young person trying to carry water, or a group of people trying to thrive on their own.  But you can help.  Give us a hand, and literally, the children will do the heavy lifting which you have just made light.

Many things are changing in Rwanda - for the better.  But there will always be challenges if you want to make a difference in the world.  And I do.  And so do all the many donors of Itafari.  Join us.  Send me an email letting me know your interest.  I'll contact you when I return home on February 21^st. 

$100.  In Rwanda, a hippo roller becomes a gift to a cooperative of children determined to raise goats, raise their standard of living and raise their opportunities in life.  Can you imagine?

Write to me at Vicky@itafari.org  or call the Itafari office with your donation at 503-636-3692.  If you want to give on the website go to http://itafari.org/donate and check give any amount - make sure you note as you pay that you want it to go for a hippo roller. 

Murakoze cyane!  (thank you so much!)  Warmly,  Vicky

Vision 2020

 

Rwanda is unlike many African countries.  One of the ways they distinguish themselves is with their plan to transform the country by the year 2020.  This aggressive goal is not just a good idea:  it is the compass by which the country and its leaders are charting their course. 

In the conclusion of the document the writers state:

“VISION 2020 represents an ambitious plan to raise the people of Rwanda out of poverty and transform the country into a middle-income economy. Some will say that this is too ambitious and that we are not being realistic when we set this goal. Others say that it is a dream. But, what choice does Rwanda have? To remain in the current situation is simply unacceptable for the Rwandan people. Therefore, there is a need to devise and implement policies as well as  mobilize resources to bring about the necessary transformation to achieve the Vision. This is realistic based on the fact that countries with similar unfavourable initial conditions have succeeded. The development experience of the East Asian ‘Tigers’** proves that this dream could be a reality.”

 note:  **East Asian 'Tigers' refers to the term Four Asian Tigers or Asian Tigers refers to the highly developed economies of:

• Hong Kong
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Taiwan

Please download the PDF to read more about the focus of this amazing country and its leaders:  click here for download

 

Itafari Foundation's Version of a Holiday Newsletter

Dear Friends of Itafari Foundation,

Whatever memories you choose to create during the holidays, consider making a special gift to the Itafari Foundation. In Rwanda we are having a Christmas party for 211 children. Not all are sponsored yet, ($25/month), but all are welcome to attend a party at year's end. This party will be for one purpose only: to celebrate with the children. A party. With food. And a gift. Each of the 211 children will share a special meal and receive a gift of a foam mattress - so they no longer have to sleep on the ground.

The cost of this party? $40 per child. And we need your help. Many of our child sponsors have given an additional one time $40 gift. But not all are able to participate. And we've even lost some annual sponsors of our children. Yet Itafari continues to support these children every month, regardless of our sponsor's ability to pay.

Can you help us close the gap? Can you give $40 or any other amount to help us help the children of Rwanda? We are in need of approximately $4,000 to complete this year's giving for the children and the party. WE HAVE AN ANONYMOUS DONOR WHO WILL MATCH THE FIRST $2,000.

Will you be one of those who can make a difference? It's been another amazing year of making a difference. And by giving, you know you receive far more than the satisfaction that you helped another. You are changing lives. And we at the Itafari Foundation thank you for considering us in your yearend giving.

Read the "Christmas Letter" from our friends in Rwanda to learn more about the difference your donations are making. Please donate $40 or any amount (no amount is too small) and help another's celebration be a little brighter.

Contact me directly at vicky@itafari.org or call me at 503-636-3692. You can also donate online, or send a check to the Itafari Foundation. 100% of your donation is tax deductible.
From all of us at Itafari Foundation to you and yours, may you experience a wonderful and blessed holiday.

Warmly,
 

 

 

Vicky Trabosh
Co-founder and President, Itafari Foundation

PS: IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR GOATS AND BRICKS WE ALSO HAVE THOSE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THE OFFICE. GOATS AT ($25) MAKE A WONDERFUL GIFT WITH A BEAUTIFUL CERTIFICATE OR A BRICK WHICH WILL BE PLACED IN THE HIGH SCHOOL IN RWANDA ($75) WITH YOUR NAME OR THE NAME OF A LOVED ONE!

Go online to purchase gift certificates for
Bricks, Goats, Micro-Loans or Where Needed Most
 

http://www.itafari.org/donate-online

WE ACCEPT VISA, MASTERCARD, AMEX, CASH AND CHECKS.
Please mail your check payable to:
 Itafari Foundation
27 El Greco
Lake Oswego, OR 97035

This Holiday Season give gifts that make a difference, change lives and are truly beautiful.
The finest quality I've seen anywhere in Rwanda.
AND get a tax deduction! 
Truly, it doesn't get any better than this!

NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER GIVE UP

 

 

When the stock market went wild in the world last September, I was in a hotel room in Kigali.  What little access I had to TV gave me dire predictions of an international financial meltdown.  Fifteen minutes, twice a day, from CNN World and the BBC was more than enough news a year ago.

A year later, I wait to return to Rwanda.  Indeed, some of those dire predictions have certainly come true.  But others have not.  Life goes on. Not as we thought it would and for many of us our future may be different than the one we envisioned.  But I know that we must continue to do the right things right.  We must continue to choose to make a difference in the world.  And those who are so much less able to bear the changes continue to need our assistance.  And NOTHING does more to buoy my spirit then when I have the opportunity to make a difference in the world.

Itafari has given so many of you that same opportunity.  And I’m asking you to support us once more.

Itafari just celebrated its 4^th birthday!  And our work has just begun.  Like any four year old, we’re learning our way, struggling to do things that maybe a bigger kid (foundation) would only have the courage to try, and finding that our efforts are working – but not as quickly as we would have hoped.

In spite of all the challenges, we continue.  So many of you continue to support Itafari. 
THANK YOU again for all you do. 

 Our challenge now is to finish our commitment of $250,000 towards building the Kigali Parents Secondary School.  An amazing school that will support the Kigali Parents Primary School (KPPS).  KPPS has consistently had the highest scores in the country for their children in the national tests.  The highest.  And the school is open to all children, regardless of race or ethnicity.  A school we are proud to partner with. 

And so what better way to build this school than brick (itafari) by brick (itafari). 

 

The government recently required that all buildings be complete before they can be occupied.  (we were going to build the school in phases).  Our goal is to open the school for the January 2010 term.  The building has begun!  You can see the pictures on the website under VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER or on the presentation that’s also on that same page on the website.

MY REQUEST:

• BUY A BRICK FOR $75 – your name will be placed on it and in the school.  It’s the perfect symbol of the Itafari Foundation and will change the life of a child forever.  Forever.  $75. 
• LEARN ABOUT how the Itafari Foundation is helping to build hope in a country
• MAKE A DONATION OF ANY AMOUNT - $75 may be more than you can afford.  If so, please give what you can.  You may also want to give a larger amount.  Naming opportunities are available for gifts over $10,000 and other specific amounts can also be designated and acknowledged in the school.  Let’s talk about your dreams and the legacy you’d like to leave.
• Share this blog with others...friends, loved ones, co-workers.
• JOIN US - VIRTUALLY - this weekend, Friday - Sunday, September 25 - 27 for a Fundraiser to complete the building project of the Kigali Parents Secondary School.

A unique and personal gift.  An incredible remembrance of a loved one.  A statement that you believe in the power of education.  A reminder to yourself that anything we do, large or small, changes the world.

You can donate online at the website, call me, or send your check to
Itafari Foundation
27 El Greco
Lake Oswego, OR  97035
503.636.3692

Your gift is 100% tax deductible.  We will give you a beautiful personalized gift certificate.  And you know that this brick, this itafari, is a sign for you and the children of Rwanda that we must never ever ever ever ever give up.

I hope to be back in Rwanda in January or February to see what we have accomplished together.  Itafari by itafari by itafari.

Warmly,
Vicky

Alameda Floral Hosts Itafari Event February 4th!

1st Public Event in 2009!

Many of you know that opportunities to buy our baskets usually only happen at our Pay-It-Forward Events. We have an agreement with Gahaya Links not to sell our baskets online so that Macy’s, who does an incredible job supporting the thousands of women, can take the opportunity for sales on their website.

WELL, HERE’S PORTLAND AREA’S

OPPORTUNITY TO BUY

OUR BASKETS!

Debra Brocato, Owner of

Alameda Floral

HOSTS FUNDRAISER FOR ITAFARI!

CHRISTMAS GIFTS: GOATS/BASKETS/BRICKS! purchase on Dec 6th,7th and Dec 12th

There is never a better time to make a difference than now. While times are difficult one constant remains: making a difference in the life of a child never ceases to be important.

Many of you have purchased goats and bricks online as gifts. We send you or your loved one a beautiful certificate for the holidays, any occasion or ‘just because’.

But buying baskets usually only happens at our Pay It Forward Events. We have an agreement with Gahaya Links not to sell our baskets online so that Macy’s, who does an incredible job supporting the thousands of women, can take the opportunity for sales on their website.

BUT I HAVE SOME GREAT NEWS IF YOU’RE IN PORTLAND!!! 2 OPPORTUNITIES TO BUY OUR BASKETS FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

#1 SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6TH AND 7TH 10AM - 5PM at the Mt. Park Recreation Center in Lake Oswego. ADDRESS: 2 Mt. Jefferson Terrace - Lake Oswego, OR 97035 phone:503-635-3561

HOLIDAY BAZAAR OFFERS
LOCAL SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES

On Saturday and Sunday, December 6-7, from 10 am to 5 pm Mountain Park will be holding its annual Holiday Bazaar at the clubhouse. This two-day annual bazaar offers holiday shopping, unique gifts, and original art from over 30 crafters, artisans, and local businesses - many of them Mt. Park residents.

This is a great opportunity to do your holiday shopping and find the perfect gift for the hard-to-buy-for person in your life. And while you’re out shopping be sure to swing down to the West End building on Kruse Way where Lake Oswego will be holding their annual Holiday Market. The Holiday Market will be open the same hours as the Mt. Park Bazaar. For more information please call 503-635-3561.

#2 FRIDAY DECEMBER 12TH, 5:30-8:30PM – ADDRESS: 1225 SE Grand Avenue Portland, OR 97214 phone: 503-885-8211

CALIFORNIA CLOSETS HOSTS FUNDRAISER FOR ITAFARI!

Judy Romano, Owner, has generously offered this stunning space for an event for Itafari! We’ll have goat certificates, brick certificates and many beautiful baskets. Music, drinks and goodies too - a party with a purpose!

Restoring Rwanda - Northwest University Event November 7th

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT:
Stephanie Tell Public Relations, Ignite Marketing Co. 360.710.4439 stephanie.tell06@northwestu.eduAndrew Jenkins Public Relations, Ignite Marketing Co. 408.603.0016 andrew.jenkins07@northwestu.edu

College Students to Host Banquet Fundraiser Event for Rwanda at Hyatt Regency in Bellevue
Kirkland, WA

On November 7th at the Hyatt Regency Hotel’s Grand Ballroom in Bellevue, a group of college students from a small liberal arts school in Kirkland will host Restoring Rwanda, an Itafari Foundation pay-it-forward fundraiser event. The students were given 10 weeks to plan and execute the event, and, in partnership with the Itafari Foundation, are well on their way to pulling it off.

The college students chose to partner with the Itafari Foundation because of its enthusiastic concern for and skill in meeting identified needs of the people of Rwanda. Itafari is a not-for-profit founded by Victoria Trabosh, of Portland, Oregon, to help the people of Rwanda rebuild their country by supporting widows and orphans of the genocide through education, entrepreneurial financing and training, child sponsorship, goat-rearing programs, and school construction.

As a class project, the students decided to put together Restoring Rwanda, an elegant, banquet-style fundraiser to help raise money for the foundation’s efforts. Currently the students have booked the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue and planned an evening meal, various speakers (including Mrs. Trabosh), and silent auction for 150 donors. The doors open at 5:30pm and the event will begin at 6pm on November 7th, 2008. Next, the students will focus on ticket sales and securing corporate sponsorships. They have 4 weeks left.

For additional information regarding Restoring Rwanda, please contact Stephanie Tell at stephanie.tell06@northwestu.edu or Andrew Jenkins at andrew.jenkins07@northwestu.edu. For additional information regarding the Itafari Foundation, please visit www.itafari.org. To secure tickets for Restoring Rwanda, please visit www.iamincorp.com/itafari.

ABOUT IGNITE MARKETING CO. – Ignite Marketing Co. was formed solely for the purpose of planning and executing Restoring Rwanda in partnership with the Itafari Foundation. It consists of and is operated by 27 college students in a Marketing Theory class at Northwest University in Kirkland.

- END -

PARTY WITH A PURPOSE

Have you ever wanted to hold a party for 140 children? In a foreign country? With children who speak little English but desperately want to believe in you and how you can help them?

Then come to Rwanda and meet our sponsored children! Children of little to no resources, often orphaned, desirous of a better life and willing to trust you will keep your word and support them.

When we began our child sponsorship program just over 2 years ago, I hoped we could find 25 people willing to sponsor a child for $25/mo for 12 months.

In over two years we have NOT found 25 people….WE HAVE FOUND OVER 170! People are so generous – and have committed to this project. Not all can continue after one year but we have an extremely high retention rate of donors.

Some of the children’s stories are heartbreaking – some breathtaking – all deeply affected by the generosity of a stranger.

The report cards, letters, words of wisdom shared by the donors and the money are all part of the ability to save and change lives.

And then there’s the party! Who doesn’t love to party!!??

The air was electric as Sara and I were joined by Lauren, an American who I met while on my 53 hour trek from Portland to Rwanda.

After greeting the kids, we introduced Sara and Lauren.

We sang the wildly popular “some sailors went to the sea sea sea” song (with hand motions),

interviewed many of the children to send back personal messages, gave some of the children gifts sent with me by their sponsors (including a bike promised a year ago for good grades –

J. Paul almost cried!) ,

fed them incredibly large plates of food,

talked with them about writing to their sponsors and handed out a little bag of goodies which included toothbrushes, pens from Umpqua Bank, pencils, little toys, candy and TWIZZLERS (red licorice)

The kids had never seen licorice and had no idea what to do with it until I popped a piece into my mouth. Enough said!

We also played the Itafari game: Lauren or Sara stood with their back to the kids and the kids chose one side of the room or the other to guess which hand she would raise. Until we got down to two kids and the winner would get a gift.

LIKE THE EVER POPULAR WHOOPIE CUSHION!! The party took seven hours, all of our energy and yet we walked away knowing that to honor these children was to honor all children. That a party whose purpose was to bring joy and laughter was a significant way to spend the day. And that our efforts today will help change the face of Rwanda in the future.

We don’t have the children who need sponsors shown on the website. We bring the books with their pictures and stories to our Pay it Forward events.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a child and can commit to $25/mo for 12 months, please contact me.

Or hold an event for Itafari. A Pay It Forward. Another party with a purpose. We come to you and are happy to travel - just talk to us and tell us what you’d like to do.

To our child sponsors: this party was your party.

Truly your heart would burst with joy at what you have given to them. For the children I say murakoze cyane cyane!

Where Hope is a Constant

In a world gone slightly mad I find a constant that does not change: hope and healing. Being in Rwanda during the world’s financial crisis is a bit comforting. The worries and fears that are riveting the world, are less so in my work in Rwanda. It’s like being on a vacation, or when I was at University. It’s buffered. And that is not a bad thing. Because in spite of the problems which will affect me financially and personally, good work is going on. The good work of our donors is continuing. Let me tell you a story to illustrate my point:

A CAMP - A FIRE - A PURPOSE

Last year I visited the ex-child combatants (see blog dated October 20 2007 - When a Child is No Longer a Child). In it I described the problem of children (7-16) years old being forced to become soldiers in the Congo along the border of Rwanda. Can you imagine? But it’s not necessary to try. Because it is not about the atrocity of war or the exploitation of children. It is about the hope they have, the healing that is taking place, and the reintegration of these boy soldiers back into their communities. It is about the the belief that the past in not the future.

Last year I vowed to return to the camp of healing and prepare a meal for the children. And late last week that vow became a reality. Sara Oberdorf and I left Kigali with 10kg (22 pounds) of a combination of minced ihene (ground goat) and minced beef. 10 kg of spaghetti; 6 cans of tomato paste; 50 kg of tomato sauce; vegetables;spices carried from the US; AND oranges, candy, cheese, eggs, bread, cheese graters, ladles, spaghetti tongs, ice chest, and enough miscellaneous items to insure our campfire meal of spaghetti and meatballs would be a raging success!

Five of the children were chosen to be aspiring chefs for the day. We began by discussing hygiene and using the kitchen disinfectant spray to clean our hands and our work area. That was a big hit. Sara who is a US scientist living in London studying infectious diseases discussed unseen bacteria and the need to keep ourselves and all work areas spotless. The children were focused and learning.

Did I mention this is taking place in a large shelter with only a table, some huge pots and a raging smoky fire in the background?

After the cleanliness lesson we began our mise en place of our ingredients. Then the boys began to carefully chop the vegetables, pore the sauce into the HUGE pots, prepare the meatballs, begin to fry them on another raging fire and stir like crazy because MAMA Itafari (yours truly) was giving them multiply warnings NOT to burn anything. This is all taking place on wet wood with water oozing out the ends of the firewood causing enough smoke to can and smoke all the salmon in Oregon!

As we were literally in the ‘thick’ of it, all smoky, all working hard, all anticipating a great meal, we worked as a team for 4 hours. The meatballs were sticking to the bottom of the pan and so I made the executive chef’s decision to turn the sauce into a bolgenese and prayed the eggs, bread, cheese, etc of the meatballs would be delicious in this new recipe. Of course there is also the issue of cooking 22 pounds of spaghetti….that was a challenge. I will never again mind cooking anything on my gas stove with controllable heat…

As we progressed, the miraculous happened: a meal began to emerge! Five large baguettes were cut. These huge pots were carried to the area where 42 boys + staff + curious onlookers awaited. (the camp chef, an older wiser man was a bit perplexed by these activies in HIS kitchen - a lot of head shaking and laughing on his part). We served huge portions to the kids.

Such an unexpected meal - and they ate a lot - once the first one came back for seconds, a great portion of the kids followed suit! My heart was made glad! Then they danced. As only they can dance. With joy. With abandon. With grace and beauty. It was their

way of showing their appreciation.

Our Jr. Chefs couldn’t believe what they called our ’sacrifice’. But it of course was no sacrifice but an honor to serve them. Food heals. Love heals. And there was a lot of love in this food. We told them about the goat program we will establish in their camp that that will be incorporated into our existing program. To teach them a skill so that when they leave the camp, those who are interested in animal farming will have a marketable skill and will be able to incorporated them into our existing child cooperatives.

MAMA Itafari made too much sauce but just about the right amount of spagetti. The meal was ended with fresh oranges and candy. And many cheers of thanks. As we left, I was concerned that our additional sauce would go to waste (no refrigeration at the camp). But Ally the Director of the camp called later and said they pored the remaining sauce over the beans and rice (their usual fare) that evening for dinner and the boys were ecstatic. And he laughed and said they couldn’t quit dancing.

How hard was that? Not at all. Just challenging. But comparitively speaking, to their life and challenge, it was nothing. And perspective is everything.

Thanks to Jo Smith who accompanied me last year on the Tour of Hope and gave generously for this meal. The future does belong to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. And the children are always a wonderful reminder of how little it takes to make a great difference in the world.

How little is little? $25 will buy one goat (which will not be minced!) to give to a child in one of our cooperatives. Don’t resist the urge to make a difference. Go to Itafari.org and donate.

Murakoze and Bon appetit!