Visit to Iloshon in July 2023: Successful parent meeting and positive developments
In Iloshon, a small Masai community in the Kajiado District, a successful parents’ meeting recently took place. The newly arrived school principal Mr. James invited Agnes Gitonga, a member of the WeCare Association, to this important meeting for the first time. The meeting was held in English and covered various topics including the work of the WeCare Association, the issues of FGM and teenage pregnancy, and girls’ achievement. In addition, challenges such as increased food prices and the need for a printer for the school were discussed.
Meeting of the Parents’ AssociationAgnes talking to PurityRepresentatives of Parents and Community
WeCare Association takes action against FGM and teenage pregnancies
Members of the parents’ meeting were extremely positive about the work of the WeCare Association. In particular, the issues of FGM (female genital mutilation) and teenage pregnancies were discussed in depth. The meeting agreed that these problems must be fought to give girls a better future.
New demands for the program and rising food prices.
Another topic discussed at the meeting was the girls’ ability to perform, which is required to be accepted into the school’s program. It was decided that new girls must have both a certain level of achievement and come from very poor backgrounds. In addition, due to the sharp increase in food prices, an increase in the cost of staying at the Nasaru dormitory was discussed. This issue will likely lead to further discussion in the future.
Food prices increase due to high inflationKids are queuing for their mealMost likely her only meal for the dayPurity with girls – the aprons are part of a school project
Higher administrative costs require a printer
Due to the newly introduced curriculum of the Kenyan government, the school needs a printer to cope with the increased administrative workload. This was addressed by the school administration during the meeting and will be implemented in the near future.
Chief Petro as elected representative against FGM and teenage pregnancies
Chief Petro, the elected representative of the community, also spoke out against FGM and teenage pregnancies. His presence at the parent meeting underscores the importance of these issues to the community.
Repair of the entrance gate and completion of the fence
The entrance gate to the school was destroyed by elephants in search of water. The school is now planning to repair the gate with the help of the community. Another issue was the fence, which is still not completed. The needed material is already on site and the meeting decided to mobilize some men to finish the fence.
Appreciation of teachers and maintenance work
Parents expressed their displeasure that teachers receive useful gifts such as rice and ugali flour during visits to Iloshon. However, Agnes Gitonga was able to explain that this appreciation to teachers is done for the benefit of their children. In addition, positive developments were mentioned regarding the maintenance work on the drainage pipes of the toilets and the orderliness in the rooms of the dormitory.
Our matron The rooms are tidyDorm
Installation of a rain gutter planned
During the construction of the dormitory, the installation of a rain gutter was omitted, which leads to stagnation of water in the courtyard when it rains and does not collect the valuable water. To solve this problem, it is planned to meet the two companies that offer rain gutters during a next visit to Kenya at the end of October 2023. There, the possibilities and costs for the installation of a rain gutter will be discussed.
The water is stagnating in the patio of the Nasaru dormitory
In conclusion, the visit to Iloshon was extremely positive. The parent meeting was successful and important issues such as FGM, teenage pregnancies and girls’ performance were discussed. The WeCare Association is actively campaigning against these issues. In addition, challenges such as increased food prices and the need for a printer for the school were addressed. Repairing the entrance gate and finishing the fence are other projects being worked on. Teacher appreciation and positive developments in terms of maintenance work are also worth mentioning. In the future, the installation of a rain gutter is planned to solve the problem of water logging. The visit to Iloshon shows that the community is engaged and driving positive change. The WeCare Association plays an important role in this and is committed to the education and well-being of the girls. With further support and collaboration, even more positive developments can be achieved in Iloshon.
We are currently working in Kenya in three different schools that are facing different challenges and problems. The new semester started in all three schools on 03 July 2023.
REHOBOTH SCHOOL
Since the beginning of 2023 we have been supporting the Rehoboth School. This school is located in Kitengela Noonkopir, the largest slum in the Kajiado District, right next to a dumping site, the “workplace” of many of the students’ parents. The school was founded by Jane Gitonga, a mother of five, in 2014 with the aim of giving poor children from the area the opportunity to attend school. Rehoboth is a public school and unlike Europe, in Kenya public schools are for the poorest of the poor as they do not have to pay school fees. The stories of the students are similar and are mostly of sexual and domestic violence, HIV, and abject poverty. Before Covid, the school had about 170 students, most of whom were financed through sponsorships. One consequence of the pandemic is that the school lost many its sponsors. As a result, teachers’ salaries could no longer be guaranteed, and some left the school. A considerable rent arrears accumulated, and the landlord was already threatening to kick them out. The number of students had dropped to 90 as the school had to ask for support from parents who could not afford it. In this emergency, the WeCare Association decided to take over the school’s fixed costs as of January 2023. The children now receive three meals a day, 7 days a week. In the last month alone, 20 new students joined the school, and the total number of students is now 170 again. The number of daily cases of illness has decreased due to the improved nutritional situation of the children. Since there is no caning in this school (a practice that is officially banned in Kenya but is nevertheless common in many schools), the children like to come to school because they not only get food there but also have a haven. As the pupils are also provided with school materials and uniforms due to our donation, the cooperation with the parents has improved massively. The motivation of the teachers has increased, as they no longer must fear waiting for months for their salaries. It was also possible to increase the number of teachers from seven to eleven, which has a direct impact on the quality of teaching and all school subjects can now be taught.
New kids at Rehoboth SchoolNew desks at RehobothChildren are sometimes very tiredTeachers’ conference at Rehoboth School
Iloshon
We visited Iloshon four times in the first semester of 2023, but in April 2023 the visit ended halfway due to a closed road. The “normal” road, on which we have also visited the school in Iloshon several times, had been closed by the landowner due to disputes with the local population. This had a dramatic effect on the primary school in Iloshon, which is attended by 430 pupils. The teachers did not come to school, the pupils also had problems in some cases and of course our aid delivery also had to be picked up halfway by the pupils, as the alternative route was not passable. We contacted the local authorities, but unfortunately the mills grind very slowly in Kenya. The government is working on finalising the new route. Just for understanding: It is not about road construction in our sense, but the roughest stones are being removed to create a “road”. In addition, Iloshon has a new school headmaster named Mr. James. According to Agnes Gitonga, he is an older Masai, but very open. He has promised to motivate parents in terms of having their girls attend the Nasaru Learning Centre. We also organized and carried out the long-needed renovation of the drainage pipes and connection of the washbasins in the “bathrooms” of Nasaru through the vice-director Purity. This was urgently needed as the drainage pipes in the outdoor toilets had holes in them, causing a massive health problem. There is also good news from the sewing studio: the sewing teacher Lilian has managed to sell some bags. We are not sure if these sales were profitable. But it is a very good start. However, Lilian is currently pregnant again and will soon stop working. We will try to find an acceptable interim solution.
WeCare-Girls IloshonThe alternative route is not alwas accessibleVisit in the classroomAgnes visiting with Purity and former head teacher PaulAgnes with new head teacher James
Mperrishi
We visited Mperrishi four times in the first half of 2023. According to the budget, only three visits were planned for this period, but we were able to win a sponsor for an additional 10 girls from Mperrishi. The donation now covers the higher frequency of visits that has become necessary as a result, which will of course also benefit the girls already supported. There has also been a change in the school management in Mperrishi: Mr. Immanuel has been replaced by Mr. Reuben. In addition, the number of teachers has been increased to a total of 9, which will have a positive effect on the learning success of the students. Another positive development is the arrival of a young Masai teacher named Charity, who can act as a role model for the girls.
Reuben – new head teacher of MperrishiThe complete faculty of Mperrishi Primary SchoolThe new role model and teacher Charity surrounded by “her” girls
You can download the entire Half Year Report 2023 here:
After two years we were able to return to Kenya in October 2021 to visit our ongoing projects. As the Swiss direct flight is not available yet, we flew via Frankfort to Nairobi. After a quiet night at the airport hotel we, which is my dear friend Marcia and I, were picked up by Agnes Gitonga and her brother James.
Rehoboth Learning Center for Kings & Queens at Noonkopir
We went directly to the local mall in Kitengela to buy basics for the students of the Rehoboth Centre and the Mpirrishi Primary school. On our shopping list there were apples, cookies, hulo hoop, skipping ropes, sugar, salt, cooking oil, sanitary pads, and soap. Then we went straight to the Rehoboth Learning Centre for Kings & Queens in Noonkopir, one of the slums of Kitengela. This is a private school but contrary to as is the case in Europe, Kenyan private schools are meant for the poorest kids whose parents cannot afford to send them to a public school. There we received a warm welcome with a variety of performances by all grades.
The Rehoboth Learning Centre is a particularly good example of how effective outside help can be. The “teachers’ room» features a board with a set of rules and regulations which are internalized by the students. Teachers refrain from beating the students which is still very widespread and common in these schools.
Four generation of power women
The school for currently 160 students has extremely limited space and resources available but boasts an overall positive and amical atmosphere. As the Kenyan government has changed its curriculum in the meantime, we have donated once again schoolbooks for the school.
Mpirrishi Primary School
On the next morning we left Kitengela to visit Mpirrishi Primary School in Oltepesi. The “mere” 104 km required a travelling time of three hours as in particular the last 30 km do not necessarily qualify to our definition of a road and at some point, we even asked ourselves whether we would manage to arrive there at all. And it was not even rainy season! The only means of transport available for people in this area is a so called Picky Picky Boy, a motorbike taxi, which could take them to the next dispensary. The price for a round trip is about 12.000 KES (about 120$). To put this price into perspective: a cook at the school earns around 60 $ a month. What this really means in an emergency we should learn later in the day. Agnes and her daughter Karen have been to Mpirrishi a couple of times before our visit to fight against the illegal but still practiced female genital mutilation (FGM). Their work was only possible thanks to the support and openness of the local principal, Manuel. The aim of our visit was to get an idea of the parents’ attitude towards this delicate topic and to meet the girls who had undergone FGM at the end of 2020 and who we are supporting. Little did we know as we witnessed an incredible performance. In front of the parents, the village elders, the teachers and the students, this group of girls prepared for their performance. One of the girls started to put on a pair of plastic gloves which took my breath away. I moved closer and started filming and yes: These incredibly brave girls performed the act which had traumatized them only a couple of months ago, their mutilation. This is one of the most intense experiences I have lived, ever, and not just I, but Marcia, Agnes, and her daughter as well. We all had tears in our eyes.
We had planned a private meeting with those girls following the end of the “official” part of our visit. On the way there, Agnes pointed out the “circumciser», an elder woman who makes her living buy performing FGM. Even this woman was obviously touched by the girls’ performance, and she promised to put down her razor. To make her promise become true, we will have to provide her with another source of income. Suddenly, an excited Marcia pointed out a little girl who had hurt her wrist about two weeks ago whilst playing. The girl’s arm was tightly bandaged with a cloth and her hand was extremely swollen. After a lengthy discussion with the mother, we managed to convince her to take off the bandage and to accept our offer to have her taken to the next dispensary with our driver. This was the moment I realized how far reaching the consequences of FGM really are: It is the reason for illiteracy. If the little girl had not been taken to the dispensary, she would have likely lost her hand which, consequently, would have been interpreted as her being possessed by evil spirits.
Girl with hand injury
Picky Picky Boy takes the entire family to the dispensary
Much better after a couple of days
On the way to our meeting with the girls, we bumped into two 23years old women, each of them mother of four children, whom Agnes had identified as potential FGM victims. Spontaneously, we invited them to our meeting. The message of the girls was unanimous: Had they known what happened to them they would have never agreed, and they were all willing to do anything in their power to save their sisters and other girls and young women from this horrible procedure. Some of the girls are extremely traumatized and could not even talk about what had happened to them.
The two potential victims were listening carefully and incredulously. When asked about their motif to undergo FGM they both answered that they wanted to be “real” women. They were put under pressure by the husband and mother-in-law as well as by the midwife, who very often happens to be the circumciser, who threatened not to help her with future births. They did not show any comprehension for us reasoning that by bearing four children they already had proven their “being a real woman.” We do hope that these two young women will not succumb to the pressure of people around them. We left Mpirrishi with mixed feelings. The positive attitude of the teachers and the village chairmen make us hope that this community will refrain from FGM in the future. But this will be an exceptionally long and winding road as there is a total lack of local infrastructure.
After four hours’ drive it was already night when we arrived back in Kitengela.
Nasaru Masai Girls Learning Center
Next on our list was the visit of our project “Nasaru Learning Centre for Masai Girls” in Iloshon for the next day. Before Kitengela, we made another visit to the Kitengela Mall where we shopped – once again – for basics such as soap, detergent, sugar, salt, oil, sanitary pads, and toilet paper. As we planned to spend the night there, we also bought mattresses, which were safely stored on the roof of the car. Packed to capacity we started our way to Iloshon and noticed that the quality of the dust road – at least to Kudu Hills Project – hat improved significantly – or was it our lowered expectations?
Anyhow, shortly before arrival at destination our car broke down and we were lucky enough that the head teacher Paul and Geoffrey, the constructor who is building the fence around Nasaru, came to our rescue.
Paul, the headteacher and Paul, the builder (whose name actually is not Paul)
Unfortunately, the ongoing drought has taken its toll and many parents cannot or do not want to pay for the boarding of their girls. The price for cattle has dropped and the parents are lacking money for food and water. This was also one of the reasons why we had asked Geoffrey, who as constructor gets to different villages, already one year ago to identify twenty-five girls who are even worse off than others, to be sponsored by WeCare to board and thus to finish their education. We have discussed the reason for the parents’ reluctance with all people involved, the teachers, the cook, the matron, and the watchman. The fee structure has been named as the main reason and we discussed this with the head teacher. Eventually, we reached a compromise to lower the fee for the parents. We also pointed out that it is also the teachers’ responsibility to promote the boarding among the parents and thus convincing them about the importance of school education. Finally, we had some time with the girls, and we checked the presence of all the girls supported by us. Except for one sick student, all the students were present. We were surprised to discover that – except for few students – most of the girls did not know their birthday or at least their birth year. The following rope skipping competition was an enjoyable break for all.
After having had a meeting with the personal in our “bedroom” far beyond 10:00 pm, we were incredibly surprised and above all tired when were awoken at 04:30 am as the girls got up with a lot of noise. The following day we toured all grades and distributed pencils, pens, and exercise books to all 450 students.
Unfortunately, our too short stay has ended and it would have been nice to have more time to spend with the girls and to interact with them directly. Agnes had only identified potential victims of FGM as «designated girls” have filed down lower incisors. On our way back we made a little detour and Agnes pointed out a piece of land which she had rented thanks to WeCare-Association’s last year’s feeding program and which now provides the students of the Rehoboth Learning Centre with vegetables.
A small water reservoir next to tthe field
The bottom line of our visit to Kenya: Corona has worsened the situation for the poorest people and there is so much to do. So, let us do this: We are looking for godparents for our girls to make sure that these girls will be able to finish school and will be offered the opportunity for further education beyond primary school. As godfather/godmother of a girl, you will have the chance to establish a relationship with the girl and to follow up on her development. There will be progress reports three times a year, a Christmas letter written by the girl, the annual activity report of WeCare-Association as well as a small gift handmade with love in our workshop in Cambodia. More information will follow soon on our website: www.wecare-association.ch as well as on social media Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wecareassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WeCareAssociation). We are grateful for very tiring and intensive day which touched and motivated us. We have met wonderful people who deserve a better future. “Education is life.” Only now do I understand the real meaning of this catch phrase.
As gynecologist with own office I am regularly if not very often confronted with this practice. Due to immigration from countries practicing FGM we see this phenomenon increasingly also in European countries.
It is important to be sensitized to this topic and to know more about it to treat affected women adequately and to prevent further damage caused by lack of experience, repudiation and judgment of FGM.
Here is some important background information:
FGM (or female circumcision as described by some authors) comprises the partial or total removal or other injury to the external female genitalia executed for cultural or other, non-medical purposes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide at least 200 million women are affected by FGM. The annual number of new cases amounts to two million – most of them being infants, toddlers and young girls.
History
Even though often religious motifs are used to justify the practice, no religion explicitly demands FGM. The practice is older than Christianity and Islam. In the areas concerned Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, animists and atheists practice FGM.
Social and cultural reasons do have an important imfluence :
Tradition, rite of passage
Purity requirements
Aesthetic reasons
Preservation of virginity
Assure fidelity in married women
Increase in fertility
Group membership
These are just a few examples, the list could be extended indefinitely.
Geography
FGM is practiced predominantly in 28 African countries south of the Sahara and more rarely in some Asian regions. Egypt is the only north-African country where the practice is used.
Types of FGM
There are four types of FGM
Type 1 Sunna circumcision – removal of prepuce and partial or total removal of the clitoris.
Type 2 Removal of the clitoris plus part or all of the labia minora.
Type 3 Infibulation – removal of part or all of the labia minora, with the labia majora sewn together, covering the uretha and vagina and leaving a small hole for urine and menstrual fluid. The scar has to be opened for sexual intercourse and birth which provokes additional pain. This is the worst type of FGM.
Type 4 All other procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes including pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization.
The majority of all (80%) comprise types 1 and 2. Infibulation represents 15% of all cases.
Procedure of FGM
Generally the procedures are performed by traditional circumcisers. In most cases the intervention takes place without anaesthesia and non-sterile devices. Devices include knives, scissors, razors, glass and scalpels.
In 70% of the cases FMG is undertaken during childhood. In some regions it is done shortly after birth, in others prior to a wedding or during puberty .
Consequences of FGM
FGM harms women’s physical and emotional health dramatically. Immediately after the FGM the complications can be hemorrhages, inflammations, tetanus, bladder paralysis or septicemia, which frequently are fatal. The use of non-steril devices can also provoke an infection with the HIV virus.
In the long term victims often complain of pain while urinating or during period. Infections of the bladder and incontinence may occur as well as pain during sexual intercourse and infertility.
Interestingly, affected women very often do not realize that these complications are consequences of the FGM. Usually the FGM is an event far in the past and they share these problems with most of the women around them («The typical life of a woman»).
Women concerned who live in the West very often are struggling more with the psychological problems and FGM can provoke severe psychological trauma. Very often it is perceived as a breach of confidentiality of their parents and grandparents. Anxiety, depression, couple problems or psychosis may be the results.
Legal situation
FGM is considered an aggravated assault which represents a punishable act in Switzerland . This applies also when the procedure is executed according to the patient’s desire.
Finally, I would like to emphasize the necessity to also take into account the legal, cultural and ethical problems as well as the medical ones when dealing with women affected by FGM. When confronted with the consequences of a tradition which most of us condemn vehemently, we may show reactions that are humiliating the women even more. Consequently, the topic has to be addressed with the utmost sensibility – even though it has to be addressed – because we have to protect their daughters from having to go through the same ordeal.
Dr. med. Elisabeth Lebeda
FMH Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe
Dorfstrasse 5
8700 Küsnacht
Before January ends, we want to give you a quick review of 2017 which was a milestone in the development of our association. On this day a year ago, I departed to Cambodia together with my daughter in order to visit the Safe House in Battambang.
It was a very interesting, inspiring and intense stay with the lovely Theavy Bun and her dedicated and friendly husband Patrik Roux and of course the children. My daughter read the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry with the teenagers and took care of her greeting cards’ project.
Monkeys are observing us while we take pictures of the flowers in the temple.
Motifs for the greeting cards from Anna’s project wrapped with lucky bracelets made in the Safe House.
I worked on our Femmes des Rizières Project together with Theavy but unfortunately, the project has not been further developed so far. Volunteers for this project are more than welcome!
My daughter Anna was very impressed with her experience in the Safe House and I would like to quote her from her project report: ” I am speechless. Poverty is relative. The children gave me something which I cannot put into words and I hope that I was able to give back. I miss them and would have loved to get to know them better. (…) Now, when I hear other people complain about material things, I realize what a privilege it is to be able to complain about it.”
In the following months we were working on the development of the WeCare-Website and preparations for the tenth edition of the Susi’s Bazaar commenced.
On July 7th we travelled to Kenya for the groundbreaking of the construction of the farm. You can find our travel report here. Together with Manuela I visited the Massai community of Olpirikata which had dedicated 18 hectares of land to the project. The community gave us a very warm welcome and we tried to point out the importance for the Masai men to assume responsibility for the running of the farm. So far, the project has been a huge success. The population is buying the milk and in November the first calf was born. The second calf is due in March 2018 – we are looking forward to it! There are still some parts of the farm missing, such as the construction of the water reservoir and a lot of planting. We do have very high expectations when it comes to substantially improving the nutritional situation of the local population by arable farming. The planted Aloe Vera should also be commercialized and thus present a future source of income.
The girls of Iloshion who will benefit from the construction of the Nasaru – Masai Girls’ Learning Center.
In Tanzania we met lovely Mokili, who was able to have these beautiful ponchos made especially for us. You can order the ponchos (in many different colors) at the price of Fr. 120,- from us. Please send a mail to hello@wecare-association.com.
Ponchos with Mokili
In November 2017 the 10th edition of Susi’s Bazaar took place and we were able to obtain a total of Fr. 80.000 for the Nasaru Project. A big thank you goes to all our donators and sponsors!
Thanks to Ines for this lovely cake!
Cool prizes 2017 for our raffle!
We have many ideas and projects for 2018: We want to launch a Scolarship Program for talented students whom we want to support and find sponsors for them. Furthermore, we would also like to launch an apprenticeship program for the restauration and hotel business – similar to the Swiss system. And, of course, Nasaru has to be built.
We are looking forward to a very exciting year! Stay tuned.
On July 7th, 2017 Manuela and myself started our trip to Africa. After having taken 5 Immodium already very early in the morning, I was prepared to export my abdominal flu virus and went to the airport feeling a little queasy. At the airport we realized that Manuela wanted to travel on a different name as written on her ticket as she had brought her Italian passport with her maiden name on it. Thanks to Swiss efficiency a Swiss emergency passport was issued within a few minutes at a counter at the airport. The counter apparently is there for a very good reason : At 08 :00 am she was already the 15th Swiss citizen in need of an emergency passport. After that we were ready to check in my four suitcases and Manuela’s small backbag.
Moni Hess and Peter Brock had provided us with a lot of dressing material…THANK YOU!
After a flight time of seven hours we arrived at Nairobi where we spent the first night. Early on the next morning we met Giorgio and Eleonora. Eleonora studies anthropology and writes a thesis on FGM (female genital mutilation). After a short visit to the local Masai market and a dentist wholesale operation (Angela the then doctor of Olpirikata has asked us to buy a couple of things) we went to an enormous supermarket where we bought mosquito nets, footballs and candies. Our trip to Kajiado went smoothly and we arrived there in the afternoon where we visited four hotels which might be potential locations and or employers for our next project « Nasaru : Masai Girls’ Learning Center ».
Inspiration for the Bazaar 2017
Dental wholesale operation
A lot of luggage
including Manuela’s backbag
After an almost abstinent evening (quote Manuela: «If there is no white wine, we will drink water.») – with gin tonic (and «just a little bit of gin») we slept more or less well in the best hotel of downtown Kajiado.
Early next day we left for Olpirikate where we received a warm welcome by the women of the cooperative. We had a long and intense motivational talk with doctor Angela before joining the other women who were preparing lunch under a tree. We did a briefing on the Bazaar products we wanted to order showing them the sample products we had bought at the Nairobi Masai market.
We had lunch together with the men in the refectory and then the usual «meeting» of the community took place outside. The community expressed their sincere gratitude for our help and we emphasized the need for their support of the upcoming farm project. At the end of the meeting we received gifts in a very touching ceremonial way. Here you find the video of the gift giving ceremony.
Children in Olpirikata are very happily playing with their new football.
The day ended with another dinner in downtown Kajiado and just a little bit of gin. Early next day we left for Iloshion which is another 30 km away from Olpirikata in the middle o the savannah. The dust road to Iloshion allows 30 km per hour – with the car! There was a lot of dust and the road was extremely bumpy.
Our visit to Iloshion was very emotional and touching. Since the opening of the school in 2011 not a single girl has finished school. They have to walk up to 10 km to school and are facing «challenges» on their way to school, meaning that they have a high risk of getting pregnant.
Principal Paul and the teachers gave us a warm welcome and they underlined the need for a solution to the «challenges» for the girls. Therefore, we decided to dedicate the proceeds of this year’s Bazaar to the construction of a learning center with dormitory for the Masai girls of Iloshion.
Girls from the Iloshion primary school
We were given Masai names: Manuela is called Nashipae and myself got the Masai name Nasaru. Then we left for our way back to Nairobi where we arrived after four hours of dust road and two hours on the tarmac. At the airport we said goodbye to Giorgio and Eleonora.
A short flight of an hour brought us to Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzanie where a driver of the «More-Than-A-Drop» Bed & Breakfast waited for us. We were very happy to re-unite with our friend Nicola who is the principal of the attached hospitality school. This interesting and sustainable project is financed by the Swiss MoreThanADrop-Foundation and has been set up almost two years ago.
Re-union with our friend and principal of the Hospitality school in Moshi – Nicola
During our stay there we also had a chance to visit Sam’s project Born To Learn which again was very inspirational. It is impressive how much good one can do with a lot of goodwill and of course donations.
A safari in the Arusha National Parc concluded our short trip to Africa. We met Mokili, a young and very ambitious Masai man who works there as a guide. His enormous knowledge about local flora and fauna impressed us. He told us that he was the youngest of 13 ( !) children and was offered the financing of his education by an American couple. Whilst his friends advised him to take the money and to buy a house or cows he decided to go to school arguing that a house can burn down and the cow can die but the acquired know-how will always stick with him. Now he is able to support his family and also help his community. Nashipae and Nasaru were so impressed that we decided spontanously to place an order for the development of a product which we will introduce and present at the Bazaar 2017.
Full of new impressions and very motivated we then returned to Zurich and we know for sure «We will be back!
Verb (used without object), smiled, smiling
« to assume a facial expression indicating pleasure, favor, or amusement, but sometimes derision or scorn, characterized by an upturning of the corners of the mouth. »
«form one’s features into a pleased, kind, or amused expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed.»
According to Mother Theresa, we shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do and for Charlie Chaplin a day without laughter was a day wasted.
Once the smiling muscles in our face contract, there is a positive feedback loop that now goes back to the brain and reinforces our feeling of joy.
10 more reasons for a smile
Smiling
reduces stress
is likeable
makes people more attractive
stimulates our brain’s reward mechanisms which have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties
boosts metabolism
reduces tension and inhibitions
relaxes and increases well being
helps to bond with others
reduces the risk of heart attack
increases oxygen exchange in the brain and consequently improves concentration.
World Farming Day is a day established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to recognise the importance of milk as a global food. It has been observed since 2000 when on the occasion of the world Expo in Hannover it was proposed for the first time. The day is intended to provide an opportunity to draw attention to activities that are connected with the farming sector.
Therefore, today we also think about the Masai population of Olpirikata who donated 18 hectares of land to the farm project which will be constructed in summer 2017. Members of the agricultural faculty of the University of Bologna have already established the ideal plants based on soil samples brought to them in December 2016. To learn more about the project…
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