Wait... First go to your sink and pour a glass of fresh clean water to drink... then come back and watch this short video.
Wait... First go to your sink and pour a glass of fresh clean water to drink... then come back and watch this short video.

African Empowerment Project is committed to implementing and nurturing community run development projects focused on creating opportunities for income generation, achieving access to quality education, and improving health and wellbeing, in order to empower the people of Africa to build a sustainable life for themselves and future generations.

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Please visit our website at www.africanempowermentproject.org to learn more about who we are and how we are empowering the people in the village of Mnang'ole, Tanzania to pull themselves out of poverty.

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IRS EIN # 27-1519070

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

On the way to get my volunteers..

Stayed in Lindi over night in order to buy the bus ticket the day before departure. We were late for a quality bus so we had to settle for a budget bus which meant it probably leaks when it rains and could have any number of problems... Which in the end was the least of our problems! About an hour and a half after we hit the road we came to an impass... The road was filled with mud and rivers of water.. The bus was going nowhere as there was a que at least 50 busses long behind a truck stuck in the mud ...it was unclear at the time what was keeping them from pulling the truck out or making the road passable.. We waited all day sitting on the bus because if you stepped out of the bus we would be covered with mud... Most got out only to relieve themselves. Around 6:30 pm there was no progress so we were told that we would be staying overnight in the bus!!! When I heard the news and said 'SERIOUSLY?' to Salim .. Two other men on the bus turned to me and stated ever so clearly...'seriously!' We had no food and only a small amount of water.. But really that was not so much of a worry for me as how I was going to sleep on this smelly uncomfortable bus... Babies had pooped their pants and mothers had no clean clothes for them on the bus... It appeared that we were far from any homes or civilization of any kind.. By 8:30 pm I was not sure how I would survive the night... Soon though I settled into the fact that I had no choice but to try to sleep and hope that I could sleep all the way till morning... I did fall asleep and slept off and on till about midnight when I was woken by Salim .. He had taken a walk and found a small hut a short distance away where a woman was selling rice cans tea from her home... I was actually thrilled to take this messy muddy walk to get some rice but mostly to get away from the smelly bus! We sat there in the rain under this damp dark banda for a few hours just to pass some more time. Around 3:00 when the Mosquitos were so thick they were eating me alive, we went back to the bus and I slept off and on woken often by that familiar head bob we all know of... till dusk. Then we began to see military officers gathering around.. Apparently they were directing the progress of this situation. After a couple hours we decided to get out and see what they were really dealing with ...ahead was a que 25 trucks and busses deep and probably 50 or so deep behind us... What i observed was Sooo interesting..though noone seemed to be making any moves to remedy this situation there were many groups of men gathered together in different areas along the road speaking very loudly and pointing infaticaly at each other speaking their minds about how they think they should resolve the problem and then moving into heavly conflicting conversation about the political situation thatcbrought us all together in this place. The fact that they have building rhis road for years and promises to complete it continue to come up empty. Along with the fact that the contractors have not been paid by the government yet this month so all construction and progress has cone to a halt! Today poses yet another problem. It was saturday and the contractors don't work on the weekend so each of the vehicles stuck in this mess had to contribute 2000 shillings ($1.50) to pay for a bulldozer to pull this one truck out of the mud and push some mud around to make the road passable. Around 1:30 pm we were finally on our way.... What a relief!! But... As I expected we were stuck a few more times before we actually free and clear of getting stuck. I have never ben so happy to arrive in dar as I was today! So good to sleep in a bed this night! The next night we picked up the girls at the airport at 3:30 am. Their first day was spent getting tshillings from the ATM and getting them acclimated to the Tanzanian ways! Salim suggested we go to the dispensary for a malaria test because of all the Mosquito bites we had from our bus adventure. Sure enough we both had it.. It has become like getting a cold for me now.. Just take the meds and go on with life ...so more introducing jess and Rachel to Tanzanian food language and people in Dar. Went to buy bus tickets to lindi and were told that it is taking 2 or 3 days to get there because if the rains and bad road sooo ... Plan B...off to Bagamoyo we went for a few days to experience Tanzanian culture at it's best.. Drumming, dancing and beaches of the indian ocean! Took a cheap hotel on the beach and enjoyed amazing times sharing my good good friends of Bagamoyo with my American friends!

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