Most mornings i start out by taking a 40 minute dala dala ride to the neighboring village where we have our demo plot. it's a great ride through beutiful countryside packed into a mini bus- the conductors swinging half in and half out of the bus like cowboys, recruiting riders as we go, traditional or bongo flava (swahili rap out of Dar Es Salaam) in the backround- great microcosom of local life- i haven't tired of it yet. everyone here that can afford a cell phone communicates on it by text messages- so there is a nice absence of phone conversations. the two locals who work on the farm are great and don't speak too much english -they give me swahili instruction out there on the farm, calling it shamba ki-swahili darasani- farm-yard swahili class. one of them has begun teaching us karate after work! he has nothing but he's probably a blackbelt,though he's never tested, and he teaches several guys and boys in his two
small bare concrete rooms, and now me. it is very cool. others in our ag. program are studying it as well- we had several of us lined up near the compost heaps practicing one afternoon.
This weekend i went on another amazing
hike in neighboring town Moshi- the same guide that took us on a wild hike last time i was in africa. these guys traipse up and down the mountains like it's nothing.
we swam at the waterfall which was like swimming in the ocean in
maine- freezing! just as we were leaving the water a couple of other muzungu women and their guide cme to go in. i thought, they must be swedish- sure enough they were. the last part of the hike included winding steep
downhill trails, you sort of free fall, running down with gravity whipping around sharp turns - and then even when the trail started winding upwards we kept
running, so we probably ran the last 2, 3 miles- it was a lot of fun and
of course gloriously beautiful.
The bio Intensive Ag. program is based here, all our bio-ag experts live out here, and many teach at the agricultural institute which is hosting our demo plot- about 21 double dug beds demonstrating companion planting, crop rotation, and natural pestisides, and several compost heaps. I may even move out to this village and commute into arusha, rather than the reverse situation i'm in now- it's called Tangeru, is very beautiful, and a lot sleepier than arusha. My group sets up homestays here, as well. the idea of getting my own place is still a possibility but for now i like living with others and having more of a sense of community. Plus in my current homestay the food is excellent. they want me to cook them lasagnia. it's been interesting to get information from all these characters as to what is working and not working regarding the trainings with the farmers. one guy went out and interviewed about 300 of the farmers one on one, so i am going to help him sort through that info. since that month intensive training i haven't had such a direct aids focus- the farming techniques of course are to produce better nutrition and economy, so it is still about aids.

the other day while walking my great 40 minute walk home from the center of town a young woman befriended me- interested that i was teaching about hiv- which is how i explain my work because it would be hard to convince anyone i'm a farmer.. anyways she wants me to meet with her and her friends because she says they want to know more about how to prevent hiv- i thought that was great that they are so interested- in my homestay they have two young dogs yapping outside my window at night, so i am a bit sleep deprived-

debbie it's good to read your comment and think that things could have seemed so insurmountable initially in the u.s. too, and we've really come so far- so possibly also for africa- though i'm not sure the condom will ever catch on. as for me i spend a lot of my time now on the bio-intensive ag. demo plot which is great physical work and spectacularly beautiful- then i also am meeting one by one with the players of this agg. program to ilicit info. on how we are stuck and how to move forward- concensus is that we need partner w/ marketing experts- meeting on that next week

long pause, Vicky Rest in Peace

it was a shock to hear of vicky's 'passing' unreal - amazing-
yes she seemed at peace when i saw her july 4, and she and i had a
very good phone call before i left. she was so encouraging of my going
to africa- she thought it was absolutely the right thing for me to do. i
did want to return and be with everyone there for my own sake too- but
being here honors her too- i know she'd see it that way- it was a weird
sunday already for me, then i got the news on e-mail about vicky. 15 minutes
later as i was slowly sort of stunned walking home, i got a phone text that one of our tanzanian translaters, not yet
30 yrs old, got killed in a road accident- it's amazing, life- deaths
like this put the whole thing in a different perspective- nothing seems
as real or concrete= not the dusty road i was walking on, the trees, or
the sunlight- everything is in a haze of suspended belief or
awareness of other realities- i mean of where are they now? aware of
some other dimension where i think they are, that's also here i think, amidst
us. and amidst all of this that seems so real. like the lyrics of that song i
wrote first thing on my blog- 'that gravity, is not the only, force at
work, in this world...'

this evening i move -i'll be sort of renting a room in the house of an older couple off a bit east of town which is more of a village feel= enthused about the move-

Spotlight: African grandmothers bring stigma to TorontoHDN Key Correspondent Team**************************They came from far and wide. They came by foot, by train and finally by plane.Over 300 grandmothers from 10 African countries, came to meet their Canadiancounterparts to share their stories of grief and pain over the loss of theirchildren to the HIV epidemic.In a unique meeting organised by the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) in Toronto,a few days prior to the opening of the 16th International AIDS Conference,African grandmothers broke their silence over how stigma and discriminationundermines their efforts to hold families together and care for orphanedchildren."To be honest, I don't know whether my children have the HIV infection or not.There is so much stigma attached to ‘the condition’, as it is called in mycountry, that my children are afraid to know their status," says Joyce KajechiGichuana from Nairobi, Kenya.The soft-spoken, petite 63-year-old mother of three has six grandchildren of herown and has adopted six other children orphaned by the HIV epidemic in Kasaranidistrict, in Nairobi, Kenya. Three of these children are HIV positive. “Thesechildren are doubly burdened. Not only are they orphans, but they also facestigma and discrimination [associated with HIV]. If they get love and compassionI know they will be able to overcome it."Joyce is not the only one. Whether it is Martha Nduhi of Kenya, Leah Motlalepulcof South Africa, or Antonia Igres from Tanzania, their stories are strikinglysimilar.While statistics on the pandemic's effect on grandmothers are scarce,approximately 13 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have been orphaned byAIDS – a higher number than the total of every child under-18 in Canada, Norway,Sweden, Denmark and Ireland combined. 40 to 60 per cent of these orphans live ingrandmother-headed households.But how many people are aware of these statistics? More importantly, how manyreally care? Stephen Lewis, the United Nations Secretary-General's special envoyfor HIV and AIDS in Africa, realised that unless people living outside Africaexperienced the emotional battering that he felt when he saw the bodies ofpeople who had died of AIDS related illnesses, being abandoned in the morgue bytheir families would they be unable to understand the trauma of HIV-relatedstigma.The meeting between the African and Canadian grandmothers was a step towardsbridging this gap. "Grandmothers have stepped forward to care for millions ofchildren orphaned by AIDS. They have displayed the courage to overcome their ownfeelings of helplessness and emotional stress compounded by the stigmasurrounding HIV. As caregivers, many of them face discrimination, which makesfinding support that much harder. We wanted this meeting to help build a bond ofsolidarity between the grandmothers and let the African grandmothers know thatthey were not alone in their grief," says Stephan Lewis.But even Lewis did not anticipate the overwhelming support the Africangrandmothers received from their Canadian counterparts during their two-daymeeting. The age-old African ways of speaking without words broke down allcommunications barriers. They sang and danced, laughed and wept together. “Wewere afraid that language barriers would separate us, and our capacity to helpmight be reduced to fundraising alone. This meeting has broken all barriers.Although I was aware of their problems, I had never got involved in doingsomething about it. This meeting has given me an opportunity to act as theirvoice so that I can share their stories and raise awareness about HIV within mycommunity. I believe that awareness can reduce the stigma surrounding theepidemic,” contends Jo-Anna Page, a 63 year-old Canadian grandmother.While exchanges like this help in understanding HIV stigma and discrimination,it will need more than just one meeting to challenge the myths andmisconceptions that continue to perpetuate discrimination against people livingwith HIV (PLHIV). There has to be a sustained multi-pronged effort bynon-government organisations like the SLF. But more importantly, there has to begreater political will. Unless national governments demonstrate that they carefor every person infected by HIV by implementing laws that reduce stigma anddiscrimination against PLHIV, it is unlikely that the children of JoyceGichuana, will ever want to know their status.

i'm on my days off now- after the month long training, and prior to beginnning my work here- start that tomorrow- i also moved out of the catholic run place to a place downtown- the catholic place was nice with its sort of pastoral grounds, gardens, banana trees and avocado trees all around, massai warrior guards lounging around with their blankets tossed around their heads, viscious dogs patrolling at night- it all made for a certain exotic environment. my new place though includes fried potatos and beans up on a roof-top deck for breakfast along with passion juice and coffee/tea- and my little tiny room is right overlooking the main drag. theres a guy just accross the street selling cassettes so i get to hear the traditional pop blaring much of the time- i really like it! especially since my fancy mp3 player broke after a week when i tried out a battery that i bought at a street stand... no more handsome family.

a ghastly disease feeds off a ghastier oppression ips news

A Ghastly Disease Feeds Off a Ghastlier OppressionIPS News Agency25/08/2006Stephen LeahyTORONTO, Canada, Aug 25 (IPS) - Gender inequality has become the main driverof the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially in Africa, where 70 percent of thoseinfected are women.A new powerful international agency for women is needed to turn thissituation around and address the growing problem of violence against girlsand women, experts and advocates say."Rape is extremely common, especially by older men who are infected with HIVwho believe that having sex with a virgin will cure them," said BettyMakoni, executive director of the Girl Child Network, a Zimbabweannon-governmental organisation.In rural Zimbabwe, a teacher rapes 30 or 40 of his girl students and nothingis done about it, said Makoni at the International AIDS Conference inToronto, which ended last week. "Where is the world outrage?" she asked.The Girl Child Network has helped 30,000 girls in 500 centres acrossZimbabwe, where an estimated 25 percent of the population aged 15 to 49 isbelieved to be HIV-positive. At the conference, Makoni was awarded theinaugural Red Ribbon Award by the United Nations Development Programme andUNAIDS."There is no right to life here for women and girls. They are treated assemi-slaves," she said.Stephen Lewis, the U.N. special envoy for AIDS in Africa, agreed. "We willnever subdue the gruesome force of AIDS until the rights of women becomeparamount in the struggle," he said at the conference. "It's a ghastly,deadly business, this oppression of women in so many countries on theplanet."The United Nations estimates that up to three million women lose their livesto gender-based violence and four million are sold into prostitution eachyear, while two million suffer genital mutilation. One woman in five is avictim of rape or attempted rape.Women also make up the vast majority of illiterates in the world due to lackof educational opportunities.To aggressively tackle these issues, Lewis has appealed to the UnitedNations to create an international agency to advocate for the rights ofwomen, similar to UNICEF. The proposed agency would have a billion-dollarbudget, employ thousands of staff and have widespread operational capacityon the ground where it is needed.Lewis and his supporters say a U.N. agency for women would be able tosupport and fund these programmes, extract donations and make sure women areinvolved in development, trade, culture, peace and security.Women in poverty face different problems than men, but development policiesand programmes are not designed to meet the needs of girls and women, saysJoanna Kerr, executive director of the Association for Women's Rights inDevelopment, a Toronto-based international organisation of women's groupsinvolved in gender equality and human rights.Women do not earn cash salaries and are not permitted to own land or openbank accounts in many parts of the world, leaving them powerless and poor,Kerr told IPS."In many parts of the world, women can't even negotiate the use of a condom.HIV/AIDS cannot be effectively addressed without getting at the root causesof poverty and inequality," she said.HIV/AIDS prevention programmes will be ineffective without programmes toreduce violence against women, especially young women. These issues are notjust African but apply to Southeast Asia and Latin America, she says."There is no powerful voice for women at the U.N.," Kerr stated.For example, young girls are raped every day in refugee camps, and a newU.N. agency for women with strong operational capacity could take action onthe ground and ensure their safety, she said. An agency with enough staffcould also make sure the needs of girls and women are addressed, such asproviding sanitary napkins and ensuring proper toilet facilities are built."Such obvious things are often not provided," the activist noted.The U.N. currently has a small agency for women called UNIFEM -- the UnitedNations Fund for Women -- but with a relatively scant 40-million-dollarbudget, limited mandate and few in-country staff, it is far from what isneeded.So where is the money going to come from for a U.N. women's agency? Globalforeign aid is more than 100 billion dollars and is expected to reach anestimated 130 billion by 2010, Lewis told the High-Level Panel on U.N.Reform this summer."Is more than half the world's population not entitled to one percent of thetotal?" he asked.The panel is charged with making recommendations regarding the reform of theU.N. and could recommend that the U.N. General Assembly create this newagency.The need for such an agency is "obvious" and there is a mounting clamour foraction, says Kerr."I see big, empty buses on the streets of Toronto and I wonder about theequitable distribution of resources," said Makoni last week. "In Zimbabwe,girls who used to walk 20 kilometres to school don't attend because theydon't have sanitary napkins. They try to use sticks instead."But it is far from certain the U.N. will create a strong and effectiveagency for women, Lewis readily admits. He urged those attending the Torontoconference in his final speech as U.N. envoy to "enter the fray againstgender inequality.""There is no more honourable and productive calling. There is nothing ofgreater import in this world. All roads lead from women to social change,and that includes subduing the pandemic," he concluded.

we spent the last week conducting our trainings- i wound up doing a bit of a cooking class- sauteeing broccoli, oregano, dill, thyme, etc- because they had all these things to sell and don't really know how to eat them- i'd never cooked it that way but i have to say- broccoli sauteed with chives, garlic and dill- i've never tasted it so good! the cooking was the most enjoyable part of training for me. this was a group of farmers, mostly women- our organization has already sent volunteers to train them on these topics so most was review- except the cooking - we had further challenges when discussing aids because the group had a mix of ages, and male and female together- the set up therefore was perhaps not ideal- but the idea to throw us out to teach while a little painful was a good one, as you get a sense of what you know enough to teach and what you don't, and what works and what doesn't. the agriculture they have taken on with great enthusiasm- they have beautiful organic beds of a variety of vegetables and herbs- the group's leader has a business supplying safari companies with brocolli and all those italian spices, but they have plenty left over to eat, and i am confident that now they will eat them (they haven't been). after i sauteed/steemed some up the second morning before nutrition class, they cooked it themselves that night for dinner. we arrived the next day ready for a full day of aids training, but they immediately set up the propane stove and my frying pan, brought me all sorts of produce, and we had another cooking session. they were impressed with my style of taking handfuls of things and slicing it straight into the frying pan, forgoing the cutting board- i've always been proud of that technique and was glad at last to get some recognition. then the aids training. on nutrition day i also made a huge salad from their lettuce, broccoli, arugula, basil, thyme, oregano, dill, fennel, and some tomatoes we'd brought. there's not a tradition of salad here. i added olive oil we'd brought, salt and lemon from their trees. we just missed avocado season sadly. the salad was also a hit except some didn't like the basil, and some didn't dare eat uncooked oil- they usually use animal fat, so that may have required more of an explanation. after all that broccoli and salad, i didn't mind the peanut butter sandwiches and soda- for people getting very little sugar products the few sodas they drink a year maybe are just providing a bit of carbohydrates, so i'm not so sure they're even bad- though i was outraged when i first heard that was our plan. these guys are all so healthy and robust looking i feel a bit funny lecturing them on health- but aids is of course a sneaky killer, and for people with aids nutrition and hygeine become essential, and food security/economic stability- so the classes do all make sense. on the way to our aids classes (we all got dropped off in different villages)- the women of my group all got on the case of our two men, because we were supposed to do condom demonstrations. our two men, one from tanzania and one from ethiopia were saying it wasn't appropriate for them to do the demonstration, that the women should do it. (the demo consist of unrolling a condom onto a dildo) we got very outraged that two men who were supposed to be leaders in this field were setting an example that they wanted nothing to do with condoms, and told them they should in that case stay home rather then set the project back- my partner, the tanzanian came through and i have to say it was a rough task to talk about condoms with the group. they all hated the idea of condoms. the women we trained wanted nothing to do with them and would barely touch the ones we handed out. the young men we trained though, seemed very interested, which is good. the women were older, and surely married, so to them what's the use after all, i guess. our feedback to our director was to seperate the groups by sex and age, and also that we need somehow to target men more. it feels so hopeless talking to married women about aids here. what are they going to do? i think one thing useful we do is just facilitating conversation, because no one really talks about sex here. also dispelling myths about condoms and aids, and myths about how you can catch it (ie. it's ok to eat together with someone who has aids) friday marked the end of our training. this morning the others from my group dispersed. two went off to mozambique, two to lesotho, one to dar es salam, and one more returning tomorrow to ethiopia- so i'm without all my buddies all of the sudden- but it 's a relief too as the training has been very busy.