Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Thu, Feb 18, 2010 @ 01:45 AM
What do hippos, goats, and rollers have in common? Everything if you're in Rwanda.
I'm here in Rwanda for my 7th 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 21st.
$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
Posted by Victoria Trabosh on Wed, Sep 23, 2009 @ 11:38 AM
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 4th 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:
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