Climbing to the Roof of Africa - Day 1

There are so many stories to tell and the road less travelled is a story unto itself. Who knew one of the scariest parts of our climb would be the bumpy 3 hour bus ride on the dirt road to the Rongai Route that very few climbers take. The beginning of the Rongai Route is located near the Kenyan/Tanzanian border. Penina was sitting in front of me on the bus ride. She is the Clinical Assistant at the Pamoja Tunaweza Center, training to be a doctor. She manages health problems of the women at the center and runs HIV tests and does HIV counselling. Penina leads classes for local school girls to educate them on what HIV is, how it is transmitted and how to prevent it. Penina was getting very nervous on the bus ride. We both had a window seat and it seemed at any moment we could get a flat tire or go off the road. We held hands for support during the most precarious parts of the ride.

After the wild bus ride we arrived safely at our destination: the trail head of the Rongai Route. Karen Yeates chose this route because we are a very large group and she knew we could have the trail almost completely to ourselves. From the trail head we can look out over Kenya to a mountain range and a crater in the distance - an incredible sight. Many porters were lined up hoping to be chosen to perform the arduous task of carrying our gear up the mountain.

According to www.roughguides.com Tanzania's best asset is its people: friendly, welcoming, unassumingly proud and yet reserved – you'll be treated with uncommon warmth and courtesy wherever you go, and genuine friendships are easily made. We experienced this throughout our trip, but particularly when we were so unbelievably well-cared for by the porters and guides on the mountain thanks to Bushmen Expeditions.

Working as a porter is a very tough job. They have little money for gear and often arrive inadequately outfitted for the climb. One of the porters was wearing flip flops and a T-shirt and sweatshirt for warmth. In order to get this low paying and challenging job they need money for transportation to the trail head and money to bribe the guides who will choose them. It seems almost comical now that we spent a lot of time this morning weighing our bags to keep them under 15 kilograms since the porters climb with our backpacks and an equal amount of weight on their heads and shoulders. They do not get much food to eat and they work so hard. We could not climb the mountain without their assistance. Some of the porters smell of alcohol (a preclimb celebratory drink perhaps?) and look poor and worn out, but very happy to have work.

With only our day packs on our backs, the porters pass us on the trail as we make our way through flowering fields of potatoes and banana trees. We hiked through some light afternoon showers which washed some of the dust off of us and we arrived at our first campsite just after dusk. We were not prepared to set up our tents in the dark, but set up quickly with the help of our porters, guides and a small group of Germans who had already set up camp and had flashlights to help us out. We had a cozy first night inside our tents at camp 1 where there was still plenty of oxygen to breathe which was apparent by the lush vegetation surrounding us. The background noise on this night was much the same as the others to come, once we were settled into our tents we could hear the melodious chatter in Swahili of the porters preparing for the next day, relaxing and socializing now that we were taken care of. It reminds me of motherhood - take care of the little ones and then take care of yourself - I felt like I was being mothered - it was a welcoming feeling.

One of our guides is Samson Lauwo. He climbs the mountain 3x/month and has been working as a guide for 9 years. He is the grandson of Yohani Kinyala Lauwo who was only eighteen years old when he became the first guide to lead a westerner up Mount Kilimanjaro in 1889. Samson's grandfather was chosen because he was a hunter who spent much of his time on the mountain and knew it well. The mountain was much harder to climb because there was not enough equipment and was lots of snow from 4000feet. People used to sleep in caves, but this is no longer allowed since some porters were killed when a cave collapsed and porters have died from hypothermia, so they must sleep in tents. In 2006 when two women from Colorado were climbing Kili, they saw the deaths of porters on the moutain first hand and decided to do something to help prevent future deaths and they formed The Porters Association in Moshi. Porters can now get assistance with equipment for the climb. Unfortunately a lot of porters don’t know about the association, but with time word will spread. If porters are able to move up to work as assistant guides, they learn about the ecosystems on the mountain, how to perform a rescue and how to summit. Most porters do not summit.

According to Samson, in the Chagga language, Kilimanjaro is known as Kilemakyaro pronounced chalem charo which translates as 'Impossible Safari' Much of what is known about the mountain has come from western writers, but Samson wants people to know the Chagga people know first hand all about the mountain.

When Samson's grandfather turned 100 years old, Tanzania National Parks gave him a home and recognized his accomplishments over his lifetime with a plaque at the trail head. Samson's grandfather died at the age of 125 in 1996. He had several wives and one of them recently died and was honored with funeral service with 1000s in attendance.

Last week the second wife of his grandfather died. Now is a good time to tell you about funerals in Tanzania. The bodies are not preserved so when someone dies, the funeral and burial takes place the next day. Anyone who has had any contact with the individual attends the funeral to send the spirit off to a good place. The women stand on one side, the men on the other and they sing in a lovely call and response fashion to and with each other. It is a full day of sending off the spirit of the decesased. Tanzanians have a strong faith that the spirit is going to a a better place of love and they will all be together one day so this is not a sad day. Samson’s great great grandfathers wife’s funeral was attended by 1000's and everyone views the body. All things come to a complete stop for funeral attendance - meetings are cancelled, clinics are closed - you get the picture.

Samson is one of ten children, but now in his family people are becoming educated and family planning is taking place. Samson has one wife and 2 children. Samson said this makes it easier for women to inherit property when there are not so many wives and it improves the lives of women and children. This makes it easier for all the children to be cared for and loved as well.

Last day at the Pamoja Tunaweza Women's Center

There are physicians and nurses from varying specialties including nephrology, emergency medicine, pediatrics, anesthesia and more along with occupational therapists, medical students and residents, all of whom have seen 100's of patients this week, each patient worthy of a story. One doctor found it funny when a patient described burning upon urination as 'feeling like hot peppers when I pee'.

Another HIV+ woman came to the clinic today crying with a sick and fussy baby. She had been told by the hospital to stop breastfeeding and her baby was now on antibiotics and drinking watered down cow milk. There are dramatic differences here in Africa between babies who are breastfed and babies who are not. Not being breastfed is a death sentence for a baby here in Africa and the mothers know it.

In www.sunoverkili.blogspot.com there is a photo of a newborn baby wrapped in a red blanket. His mom came to the last caravan and gave birth. She was HIV positive. Her husband had been drinking and beating her and she was depressed. It took her four days of staying at the clinic to finally tell Agnes that she had a toddler she had left at home on his own. When Agnes went to the woman's home they found the toddler lying in a bed covered in his own feces and emaciated. He was brought back to the clinic, cleaned up, fed and loved and within a few days he was happy and healthy. The baby died at 3 weeks of age, but the mother and the toddler received assistance from the center and mom now has a job and they are doing well and living in peace.

A teenage orphan came to the shelter looking for residence. She was also working as a translator this week. She was HIV+, but chose not to take ARV (anti-retroviral) medications because she thought God was going to cure her of her illness. She requested to stay at the clinic for a year while she completed her studies and wrote her exams that would get her into a boarding school. This seemed like a good plan, except for the fact that without ARVs she would not survive long enough to carry it out.

We have all been moved to tears this week and at times overwhelmed by the suffering around us. The only way for the lives of the Tanzanians to improve is through education, followed by a decrease in the practice of polygamy, followed by a decrease in population that allows parents time and means to look after their children and a consistent breastfeeding policy that encourages all mothers to breastfeed their babies and put the theory to the test that babies of HIV+ mothers who are breastfed may develop a lifetime immunity to the disease.

Empowerment: During the caravan week, 20 women were identified as candidates for Ivan's business program to help them become financially independent so they can find their own shelter for their families, feed their children and send their children to school. In a culture where men value having multiples wives (i.e. 4) and many children by each wife (i.e. 4 again), resulting in 16 children per family, it is not surprising that women find themselves in a situation of primary provider for their families.

Dialo's story: Dialo is a reggae musician who has spent 3 years in prison in South Africa for a crime he did not commit. He is working as a translator for us on the caravan along with over 20 other Tanzanians. Dialo knows first hand the struggles of the young men of his generation. The young men are led to believe that if they do well in school and work hard they can lift themselves out of poverty, but the reality is that there are few opportunities available for work and leaving the country is almost impossible. Dialo feels men are unfairly blamed for the violence and oppression of women because the men know no other way, they are raised to be violent and oppress women. There is a 'jail' here in Moshi for young children. If parents are having difficulty controlling their child they have the option of sending them to 'jail' where they are beaten and lo and behold they come home and don't give their parents any more trouble, but it perpetuates the cycle of violence. Dialo is interested in working with young boys to help break the cycle of violence by educating them on alternative ways of behavior. Kashini and I were both familiar with the 'Challenge Program' from North America and suggested he may want to begin a 'Challenge Program' in Moshi.

This was a sad day for some of us. This was the day that Milley's father picked her up to take her home. Ritika, a family practice resident from Toronto and Damon, a medical student from Vancouver, said a tearful goodbye to Milley as she said "I love you all and I want to stay". Milley's family brought gifts for Amy who had been looking after Milley during the caravan week.

On the last day of clinic as we were cleaning up and packing medical supplies, a duffel bag full of toys and trinkets from Canada was found. Sandy brought it out and she was immediately swarmed by children and some adults.

This was a sad day for some of us. This was the day that Milley's father picked her up to take her home. Ritika, a family practice resident from Toronto and Damon, a medical student from Vancouver, said a tearful goodbye to Milley as she said "I love you all and I want to stay". Milley's family brought gifts for Amy who had been looking after Milley during the caravan week. It made us feel grateful for the opportunity to climb the mountain together and grateful for the freedom that we have to come and go from any country in the world at anytime and know that we can go back home to our western lives and our families.

Although some people don't have enough food to eat, a roof over their heads or access to clean water, cell phones are plentiful and most of the advertising one sees on the streets are from a few cell phone companies. People may not have access to medical care, but it seems almost everyone has a cell phone.

There are so many contrasts. There are unbelievably beautiful fabrics, works of art and colorful and delicious tasting fresh fruits and vegetables. There is awe inspiring landscape and wildlife and yet so much tragedy, illness, loss and poverty. There is also joyous music and grateful happy people who seem to be strongly connected to one another, and yet there are also outcasts, some with HIV, but we are here to show that people with HIV can live normal lives, in fact, they can climb Kilimanjaro. We can eat with them and we will not get HIV, we can provide health care for them and we will not get HIV, we can climb the mountain and camp with them and we will not get HIV. We can live and work with them and we will not get HIV.

This evening we are packing our bags for the climb. We have been anticipating this moment for many weeks . . . the time to depart is finally here!

The T.V. is on in the background while we are getting ready to go. It's surreal watching 'Usher' speak at Obama's inauguration commenting on Michele Obama's gown . . . the dichotomies continue. Each of us are creating our own personal history by climbing to the roof of Africa while watching history in the making on T.V. Happiness and hope abounds in Africa as a result of Obama's inauguration.

Packing light for the climb is a challenge for some of us. Given our current situation the sayings "Less is more" and "Live simply so that others may simply live" seems particularly appropriate.

The mountain we have faced over the past week has been offering knowledge, empowerment, healing and hope at the women's center through the medical caravan. Now it's time for the real mountain which will also offer hope and healing to the women with HIV, strengthening them from within. I found this quote on an Internet blog: "The mountain will try to kill you." This seems a little over dramatized, but nearly 35 people die on the mountain each year (around 15 tourists and 20 porters). It is something to be taken seriously and knowledge of symptoms of High Altitude Mountain Sickness is crucial.

If you are reading this blog and planning to go to Africa, bring a bank card with you! I was told not to bring one because it's difficult to access money and if you do you can be robbed outside the ATM. Robbery outside ATMs happens at home and I still use them, so I don't know what I was thinking when I didn't bring one. It turns out we need another $100.00 to tip the porters since we need more porters than we originally planned for. The porters make $6.00/day on the mountain plus tips so I have no problem tipping extra, but I don't have any more cash - the porters and I thank you for the loan Rachel!

Pamoja Tunaweza Women's Center - Clinic Day 5

It is now January 20th, 2009, our last clinic day in Moshi and the Obama's inauguration day. We watched a bit of the swearing in ceremony on the television at the B & B in the evening. It felt like a celebration that the whole world could enjoy. I don't think any of us will forget watching this from a country where the majority of people are poor, lack access to education, clean water and enough food to eat. Here in Africa it is a common sight to see women with their heads wrapped in scarves and it was a beautiful sight to see these woman represented by an African American woman front and center at the inauguration.

The clinic is primarily for women, but if men come they are not turned away. Today a man came who was HIV+ and his wife had died from HIV. He had three children with him for testing who were gratefully all negative. He was looking for assistance for himself and his children. Like all HIV+ patients he was referred to the government hospital (Mawenzi Hospital) for follow up. Charmaine, one of our doctors, wanted to do something for this family to make their lives easier and to give the children a chance at a better life, but Agnes was reluctant. Charmaine made the case that the cente is about gender equality and we should not discriminate. Agnes decided the center will help pay for school for his children and some food for the children. He will come back to the clinic in February for follow-up. All children have access to education in Moshi and they are required to go to school, however, $265.00/year is required to pay for books so many children are unable to attend.

There are many subtleties in the swahili language that are not present in the English language. It is a language of humility and politeness. For example there are different ways of greeting people depending on their age. When greeting an older person it is appropriate to say "Shikamo papa or Shikamo mama". The man in the photo is 97 years old and of course he was greeted with "Shikamo papa" as a sign of respect.

Milley is a 13 year old girl who is staying with us this week. Amy, our logistics coordinator) is taking good care of her. She is well educated and she has a bright spark in her eyes and she is always smiling. Her parents came to the clinic in the spring of 2008. They have 3 children, all well educated and well cared for. They asked Amy to adopt Milley and take her back to Canada to give her a better life. Her family lives ina poor community called Himo Town adn although they protect their daughtes, rape is common adn opportunites for the future are limited. However, the adoption process would take at least 2 years and cost >$20,000.00 and Amy hopes that by that time if Milley keeps up her studies she can go to Canada as an exchange student. Milley wants to work in a bank when she grows up.

Looking out the second floor window of the clinic I see many people walking and riding bikes. There is no such thing as obesity here. People gets lots of exercise just going about their day walking or riding a bike and eating fresh local foods. We also walked most places or took a taxi if it was too far to walk. If the locals go a far distance they take public transportation also know as the daladala which is a Japanese van that is always bulging with people (and some animals). Periodically throughout our work days, a large truck (about the size of a garbage truck in North America) drives by at high speed with the driver honking the horn as it drives by. Upon questioning, it turns out these trucks are filled with prisoners on the way to jail. The truck cannot stop because the prisoners may attempt escape and they will be shot if they do.

The Village of Shimbwe - Health Caravan Day 4

Set in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro the bus ride to Shimbwe offered stunning views of the mountain we would be climbing soon. 100's of people are already waiting to see a doctor when we arrive in the village. We have rented the facilities of the local church in Shimbwe to run the caravan. I was running HIV tests today and the second one I ran was positive which really caught me off guard and I was crying. The patient received counselling and follow-up, however, it was still a bit shocking. Steve, a medical student from Tanzania, was nearby and I asked him how he maintains his composure with so much sadness around him. He agreed "it is very sad" and he found himself crying over a sad situation yesterday. Steve and Karen became friends when he helped her with Malinga, her adopted son. When Karen first brought Malinga from his orphanage to Moshi (en route to Canada), Karen was struggling with helping Malinga deal with his new surroundings, a new mother etc. and Steve spent some time with Malinga and was a huge help. He is a kind-hearted man who will make a compassionate physician. He plans to climb Kilimanjaro with us as the assistant for our camera man, Gary Kibbins, who is helping to film the documentary of the journey of the Tanzanian women with HIV. The film will be called "The Women and the Mountain".

Today we met an impressive young woman from Norway. Evelyn is a social worker who has been living in Tanzania for a year helping build schools and works with a local NGO (non-governmental organization) called Mnjeni, that helps poor people from the area of Shimbwe to access transportation for health care. Evelyn has a good grasp of the local language and helped us organize the crowd of patients in Shimbwe today.

A man came to the clinic with vitilago feeling very self-conscious. The pigment he had left on his skin made him look like he had eyeliner on and a goatee pencilled on his fact . Unfortunately there is not much we can do for him and I can only begin to image the stigma he faces in his community.

One woman came today with four children looking to escape her violent home. Her husband beats her every time he drinks. Her home is peaceful until he consumes alcohol.

The pharmacy is busy every day of clinic and it was particularly busy in Shimbwe filling 1500 scripts that day.

Many people come to the clinic complaining of 'pain pain' - their whole body aches. They work hard digging in the earth to plant food for their family and carry goods on their heads so it is not surprising that their bodies are sore and tired. It seemed we could have used a massage therapist at the clinic. A chiropractor from Canada joined one of the past health caravans and he worked long days helping deal with all the aches and pains.

After a long day in Shimbwe, we went back to Moshi for dinner and experienced and there and the power was down in the town. We went out to an a Italian/Indian restaurant for dinner that was no affected by the power failure since they cook their food over fire.

When we first arrived in the town of Moshi we were told it is a wealthy town which was hard to believe, but after being in Shimbwe we now understand. It is wealthy by African standards because many Europeans, Canadians and Americans (aka Mzungus which is a term used in East Africa for a white person) have set up missions here and brought their mzungu dollars with them to share with the community. The tap water in Moshi is 'safe' to drink thanks to a combined effort between the Tanzanian government and several European countries, primarily Dutch. The Catholic church has a large presence in Moshi and there are many western style restaurants.

The contrast between those of use who have come to the clinic to work and those that come for help is stark. Today a woman came for HIV testing. She has 5 children, no husband and no family. When I attempted to give her an HIV test I was unable to get any blood. She was hungry and dehydrated and she had a baby attached to her, fortunately breastfeeding. We pulled her aside and gave her a meal and some water. I was unable to eat my own meal in front of her so I gave her my lunch which she prechewed and shared with her baby. Half of the day is gone and there are still >100 people lined up waiting in the hot sun to see a western doctor.
There is so much poverty and illness, at times it seems hopeless, but then we look at the smiles on the faces of the people around us and the hope in their eyes and we too feel hopeful. Even the HIV+ patients are happy when they realize there is hope for them.
On his 90th birthday Nelson Mandela said the only regret he had looking back on his life is that he did not see the HIV epidemic coming and was unable to prevent it. He wished he had done more. While we are here, counselling, educating, testing and treating for HIV and raising money for the center so the work continues, I feel we are working for Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest human beings to walk the earth.

Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara

After 3 days of work we headed out into some African wild spaces for the weekend. While driving from Moshi to Arusha and then onto our safari destination zebras crossed the road - a typical sight! We then came across bushes in the middle of the road laid out at evenly spaced intervals seemingly all about the same size. This is what they use to warn of an accident or obstruction in the road up ahead to warn drivers to slow down - very creative.

We were in a jeep for two solid days since one cannot get out of the jeep on safari because of the potential dangers that the wild animals pose (remember that before you schedule a 10 day safari!) Two days was just right. The crater (or caldera as it is accurately called) is impressive at 350,000 square kilometers. We saw zebra, gazelle, ostrich, birds galore, a rhino, a pride of lions, 2 lone male bull elephants, wildebeests, water buffalo, antelope, a cheetah, hippos, a mama warthog with her 4 babies happily twirling their tails and playing in the dust and what little mud they could find at the end of the dry season. The rainy season begins at the end of January and as a result it was very dry when we visited on January 16th. The acacia trees are quite a sight with weaver bird nests hanging from their branches.

Sheets of rain came in while we were in the crater and it was such a good feeling to see the dust go down, the air cool off and the caldera receive much needed water.

At the end of our safari in the Ngorongoro Crater, we visited a Masai Village at the cost of $150.00 for the group of us. It was a rather highly contrived visit. The Masai used to live in the crater, but they are no longer allowed to live there. They still graze their cattle in and around the crater, but elephant poachers (looking for tusks) were dressing up as Masai so as not to be caught. One of the most beautiful sights that I saw were the Masai children herding their goats and the adults herding their cattle. They walk tall and proud through the fields using their spears for walking sticks and protection from wild animals if necessary. They wear blue blankets to symbolize marriage and red if they are not married. The Masai live in keeping with nature. They seem to leave a very light footprint on the earth, with the exception of taking many wives and having many children, but this ensures survival of the tribe. The main source of Masai nutrition comes from the milk and blood of cows that they store in calabashes (gourds). They are used by the tourism industry to promote visits to Africa, but the government is trying to urbanize them so their lifestyle will be no more. Having learned through history about the native indians and the havoc wreaked on them by trying to turn them into Europeans, it is surprising to me the lessons learned from these past mistakes are not used here and that the Masai way of life is not being protected for as long as it is able to exist (with the exception of female genital mutilation). There are so many dichotomies in Tanzania and the way of life of the Masai being lost at the same time as it is being used to promote tourism is just one of them.

The feet photo are from the majestic looking Masai woman who came to the clinic one day. She is wearing the typical Masai sandal made of recycled rubber tire.

Our safari on Sunday, January 19th was in Lake Manyara. The water level of the lake is very low and the whole Savannah is hot and dry. When the rains come they will be very welcome here. Our guides tell us the best time to safari is in February when the wildebeests migrate and have their babies. It brings all wildlife out. Today we saw giraffes, impala, zebras and flamingos at a HOT spring, impala, gazelles and many beautiful birds.

Third Clinic Day

The clinic was busy today. Half of our group went to the village of Shimbwe and had a very busy day with no break. We saw > 100 people at Pamoja Tunaweza for eye exams, HIV test, tylenol and deworming meds.

People go from being helpless with an HIV+ test to empowered with knowledge of prevention and treatment. HIV does not have to be the death sentence that many people here think it is.

I saw a mom today who was tandem nursing her baby and toddler, a common practice in Africa and not unheard of in North America. She came to the clinic with grandma and two healthy children. She had been experiencing the pain of thrush on her nipples for 4 months! Nothing was going to stop her from breastfeeding her babies. We were able to give her some meds to help clear it up. It was so nice to see happy, healthy breastfed children in contrast to sickly fussy nonbreastfed babes. It was also great to see her have the much-needed support of her own mother with her.

Second Clinic Day

It was another quiet day at the clinic (by CACHA medical caravan standards). I had an opportunity to connect with Marissa who has lived and worked in an orphanage in Dar es Salaam. It is the same orphanage that Karen and Roman have adopted their son Malinga from. I heard there are over 300 orphanages in Moshi and since Dar is a bigger city I can only begin to imagine how many orphanages are there. I gave Marissa some artwork and photos from my daughter's 4th grade class, to give to the children at the orphanage in Dar. She plans to send me photos and artwork from the children at the orphanage who attend a Waldorf school, which typically has an art, music and language based curriculum with an emphasis on creativity. The school also has a firm policy of no physical punishment of it students. A philosophy that is rare in Tanzania where children are still brutally punished by teachers for discretions committed in the classroom.

Local optometrists are working at the clinic this week and word has gotten out. Many people are coming to the clinic requesting eye exams. One woman came requesting an eye exam who had an inconsolable baby with her. I watched her and wondered why she was not breastfeeding her little one which would have consoled him instantly. I asked her if she needed some assistance and she asked for water for her baby. She also asked for money for cows milk since she had been feeding water and cows milk. This is a sad situation that results when women do not breastfeed their babies in Africa. I brought her into the clinic and since her baby was 5 months old we began to feed him bananas which he was capable of chewing and swallowing and he ate them voraciously. She was set up with 3 cans of powdered artificial milk which ought to last her 3 months if her baby lives that long (where will she get clean water?) and she can come back to the clinic for more. She was happy and grateful. She too had a sad story to tell. Her lover gave her a baby and HIV. He also gave another woman HIV and a baby and the other woman is dying. The mom is on ARVs and so she has a chance at living. When she was diagnosed with HIV she was told to stop breastfeeding. Unfortunately the data from the International Lactation Consultants Association (ILCA) demonstrates (from well published studies in well respected medical journals i.e. The Lancet for one) that HIV transmission through breastmilk is extremely low and infant mortality is lower if babies are breastfed here in Africa. But, the WHO (World Health Organization) has recently changed its position on HIV positive moms and they are now told not to breastfeed. Over the course of the next week we saw two more HIV+ moms who were told not to breastfeed, with sick, malnourished babies . . . a sad controversial issue in Africa.

Three little girls visiting from Victoria, British Columbia are working at the clinic with their mothers. They have been happily helping count pills for the pharmacy, which fills upwards of 1500 prescriptions/day. Hannah had asked to come on this trip with me - next time! They and their travelling mothers have been thoroughly enjoying their experience in Moshi. I particularly enjoyed connecting with these laid back moms from the West Coast. Fiona is a family doctor, Rita is a writer and Stephanie previously ran the CACHA orphan program at the district hospital in Kilemma. Stephanie and her husband and three children have spent a year or more working and living in Tanzania. Stephanie has returned this January to arrange payment of school fees for many of the vulnerable children in the orphan program. She is here for a month. She brought along two of her good friends who we were lucky to acquire as volunteers while Steph was off visiting headmasters at the local school on the slopes of Kilimanjaro.