DONATIONS!
To the incredible people who have donated to this project. Your donations, however big or small have made a HUGE impact!

Your kindness and love have touched these people and enhanced their lives.

These pictures cannot fully express the emotions and gratitude of the people but hopefully it will give you a little sparkle in your heart.

Murakoze Cane!
Thank You Thank You Thank You!

This page will be continually updated- check back frequently!
And FYI:
We receive donations sporadically so there is no way to determine when packages will arrive but they WILL come!

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Feeling Inspired?
click "April" then "Make a Difference!" to the right and learn how YOU can help

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Peace to the People
These flags hang at the residence. They blow with the wind and look over the food security program gardens and remind us that there really is hope for these people.

The Blanket & Beanie Brigade
Although it is warm most of the time, the night can be chilly and for those who are malnourished and have compromised immune systems the cold can push them over the edge. Keeping them warm is crucial to keeping them healthy and preventing worsening conditions

Hussein- Malnutrition


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Anicet- Severe Malnutrition

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Liesse- Severe Malnutrition/HIV+


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I Love (her real name)- Malnutrition


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Angeline- Unknown intestinal complication

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Irambona- Severe Malnutrition



Hygiene is Key
Intestinal parasites are rampant here! Hand washing is an extremely important tool to helping stop this and other diseases that are taking over the community.

Gerrard (a translator) LOVES the blackberry vanilla soap...

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Soap for hand washing (bottom right). Two containers like this have recently been placed by the hospital and malnutrition ward. These allow patients to get clean water for drinking and finally hand washing! Everyone is washing their hands...it's beautiful!


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Adda (malnutrition 'milk mother') is the 'soap guardian' because everyone wants to keep using it. Our kids are cleaner now- less risk for infection and faster healing.



Infection Control
Most of the problems we treat here are due to communicable illnesses. Infection control is the key to stopping the spread.

Constantine (AKA Barack)(one of the nurses) loves the antiseptic wipes and so does Anna (one of the janitors) this is a HUGE help for infection control in the hospital and malnutrition ward.

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Hillarie (one of the nurses) is modeling this lovely Germ X donation! Now we can sanitize our hands and equipment between patients and help stop infection...this is huge!


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Madeline drinking clean water from her own cup. This may sound normal but until these donations of cups arrived most of our patients were sharing one cup!
Two Words: Infection Control


Patient Care
The reason why we do what we do- the patients. These supplies help us take better care of our patients and HEAL them.

Hagabimana & Bacitracin for his foot wound.
Without it this, small wounds can turn into super infections...we see it regularly.
We at home take things like this for granted.


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Maombi- "I Spy" card game.
Many of our patients do not know that they will be admitted to the hospital. Games and activities help them pass the time, forget about being sick, and produce smiles & laughter!


Clothes
Nestor (Malnutrition) is rockin' his new yellow tank top, looks like he already dribbled but trust- he loves it!


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Methocel & Claude (Malnutrition) LOVE their new shorts.

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Emmanuel (severe malnutrition) desperately needs to stay warm. These red sweatpants are the answer, Thank You!

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Irambona & Hagabimana (Malnutrition) a great new dress & hat, and Hagabimana is our new GAP model

Health Promotion
Cycle Beads (new name coming soon) are a natural family planning method that I introduced. Most patient's religious beliefs forbid the use of contraception but this natural form is non gorane (no problem). The women will assemble the beads, educate others, and spread the word! The beads were bought with money donated by you wonderful people!
(this will be one of the images we use to promote the product, isn't Hilarie beautiful!)

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Natural Cures: The information provided will allow Will, our farmer, to work with the clinical staff to determine which herbs and plants can be grown and used to help treat patient's illnesses and symptoms. We can also teach families about this information!

The important things in life...

It's great to be back in Burundi!

It was a little shocking returning to the U.S. then returning to Burundi so quickly. I've realized throughout this experience that I am extremely fortunate to have such incredible people in my life. I felt happy in the U.S. and in Burundi basically no matter what I was doing and I have come to understand that it is because of the wonderful people! Thank you.

Not long after I got home a plan was made to visit Hillarie's (one of the nurses) family and do a home visit for Clovis (the 4y/o boy who got burned in February). We HIKED! Crossing streams, walking on mountain ridges, trekking up and down steep mountains to the point where I was having trouble breathing from the altitude and steepness. It was eye opening!

Our patients walk for hours in these conditions everyday and to the clinic when they are sick usually with a baby on their back and food, wood, or water on their head. It was a good opportunity to better understand their lives.

Burundi is breathtaking! Filled with lush green mountains, quaint houses, and diverse plant life. We first visited Clovis' house. I love that we are able to provide continuity of care. We met him when we came to the clinic in crisis mode after a traumatic burn, progressed with him through wound care, pain, and healing, and now follow up at his home with vitamin E oil, hugs, and a book to share. There's something truly unique and gratifying about visiting people at their homes. I did home visits back in Baltimore but this is different...in many ways!

We met Clovis' cousins Fabrice & Frederique, his Aunt, and were reunited with his feisty grandmother Liberate. We bought some Ubuswage (the staple food of Burundi, a doughy ball of boiled cassava root). The generosity of this family filled me with warm tingles as they gave us extra ubuswage for free and then chased up the mountain with a ton of small cucumber-like vegetables to show their gratitude. People who have so little giving so much, an experience we can all learn from.



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We left Clovis' and took a pit stop at Hillarie's Aunt's house. We were greeted by about 10 friends who were relaxing and drinking Urwarwa ( a homemade beer made from bananas). The culture of sharing continued as we all shared one bowl of this fermented-white wine tasting drink.

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Hillarie's Aunt has a smile that emits positive energy to everyone around. It was a good reminder to slow down and spend quality time with family & friends. It is easy for us to always be busy doing things, running from task to task instead of just being together.

We arrived at Hillarie's house and met her family. They prepared a delicious lunch for us of beans, corn, and bananas. As we shared the meal from the communal plate Peter reminded us that "the dish joins us."
Sharing, laughing, and being together are among the most fulfilling activities.

The descent down the mountain was steep so as we hiked buke buke (little by little) we were able to relax, take in the fresh air, and get to know each other better. Hillarie and I spent most of the walk together which was nice. We talked about children, family, our futures and after explaining that I want to adopt children she exclaimed, "What you mean you don't want make babies?!?" The joke still lives on...
As you walk through Burundi everyone you meet stops for a greeting. Not just a "hi" but actually stops, shakes everyone else's hand and gives an Amahoro (peace) or a Mwiriwe (good afternoon). Most of the time the Burundians know each other so the conversation takes off. I explained to Hillarie that in the U.S. most people think they are so busy that they just walk past each other and rarely say hello. She was appalled, "No Hello! Oh My Jesus!"

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Later that week Helen, Will, Peter, & I did some home visits in the town of Kirungu about a 1hour walk each way through the mountains and across the rivers. This was an incredibly fulfilling experience as we were able to talk with families (specifically women) about many issues. Will spoke of farming and growing new foods, Helen spoke of parasites, malaria, and her sewing ideas, I tackled family planning. We brought a unique blend of public health knowledge to these people while doing some PR for the clinic. I take for granted that at home I come from a matriarchal family (sorry but it's true boys) and all of my female friends are strong women. Here in Burundi strong, confident women are a rarity and stand out.

When you find one it's important to empower her to be a leader!

This women Sherine is one such woman. If she accepts the challenge I would love her to become one of the main instructors for a family planning project which I am working on here...more on that later.

We met another great family with these adorable kids and very attentive father, Kramer. I love Home Visits!

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These are 2 of the most adorable children I've met (i know I keep saying that).

Marie & Danny with their mom Daphrose. Marie was admitted with a strange condition in which her abdomen is filled with air. No pain and she's pooping so it's quite the mystery, another challenge of working in rural settings...

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This weekend brought a trip to Bujumbura where many exciting adventures happened!

One of the main highlights was this picture. What do you see that is out of the ordinary? If you can't tell, that's ice cream- yes we found some! BUT the best part is not the ice cream but the fact that Elvis told us that if you eat ice cream in public in Burundi it means you're gay! So of course...we had to do it and embarrass the shit out of him!

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This is a snapshot, a small section of Rumonge- the city between Kigutu (where I live) and Bujumbura (the capital city). This is a bustling market with food, clothing, and other odds and ends. Most of the market is open air with a few shops along the side of the road.

Ok Now. For any of you who doubted my manliness take a look at this:


Ya, that's goat that I'm skinning. We have too many goats on our farm because of Asmann (our resident Billygoat and female fertilizer extraordinaire) and Will the farmer decided it was good idea to eat one. I was supposed to do the killing but as soon as I had the knife in my hand and touched it to her throat I just couldn't do it. Maybe next time...

This is a picture of "the boys" deciding which goat is best...we chose Sweetie. It was good experience and reminder that meat is life. We need to respect, treasure, and be grateful for what we have. Here, meat is a HUGE deal, eaten only on very rare, special occasions. It was eye opening explaining drive-thrus, TV dinners, and microwaves to Hillarie...try it. Explain these things to someone who has no idea what they are. It makes us sound ridiculous.

At the clinic we have been seeing A LOT of malaria, several patients with severe neurological complications. It's scary and challenging. On top of this, overflowing wards, and growing numbers of outpatients we meet a woman with a problem which we can't really do anything about except keep it clean and try our best to eliminate infection.



The Americans here are elated after hearing about the Healthcare Bill! FINALLY! The Burundians are happy & shocked that America, the richest country in the world didn't provide it's citizens with healthcare. After much perseverance we can finally shout from the rooftops "Yes We Did!" (and if you fall off the roof while yelling don't worry, you'll be covered!)


Whew...that was a long one. I hope everyone reading this is happy and can take at least something away from the inspirational lives of these incredible people.

Try to slow down and remember that the most important thing in life is giving and receiving love.

breathe...
*Brad

Check out: http://onecupstories.blogspot.com/ and share your story with us!

Amsterdam: Liberated, Progressive, Beautiful

First things first: Aunt Karen- Your spirit has touched us all and we will always remember and feel you with us.

After a brief hiatus in the U.S. filled with the 3 Fs (family, friends, and food) I headed back to the mother-land. An 8 hour layover in Amsterdam brought a wonderful opportunity to take the train into the city and experience this progressive, old world, European town. Driving through the city was enlightening as I passed various neighborhoods including the “slums” as my new friend pointed out. These “slums” reminded me of middle-class America, their neighborhoods were litter-free, had colorful playgrounds, gardens, and fields for playing. Windmills surrounded large factories and green fields were interspersed throughout the city. I arrived in the city center and hit up some “cafes” and “coffee shops” and got a taste of local-legal life! The beer was fantastic and I met 4 great guys on their lunch break, we shared an experience together while talking about their innovative ideas for the future of T.V. (interactive TV from home).

A fancy, historical building?...naa just the train station.

The canal running through the city provides an opportunity for boat rides and reminds me that we really CAN have a Litter-Free Inner Harbor in Baltimore!

You walk through the narrow alleys and streets surrounded by beautiful Dutch architecture and an array of shops unfamiliar to America. Shops like the ones below were definitely not a rarity!

Erotic Supermarket...what more do you need? :)

Get your education here...

A little blurry but look closely at the signs...Steak House & Sex Shop

Think these two shops were placed here by happenstance? I think not.

Your Choice.

The city is filled with sexual liberation and freedom. Whether relaxing with friends, smoking a joint on the side of the road, having a delicious beer, or greeting the ladies of the Red Light District, you just feel like people are enjoying life! I wanted to take picture of the ladies of the district but I was hesitant because I didn’t want them to feel like I was using them just for a photo. For those unaware, prostitution is legal in Amsterdam (along with weed) and the Red Light District, in the center of the city, provides a centralized place for these ladies to work. They came in all shapes, sizes, ages, experiences, and techniques. Walking through the district is kind of like windowing shopping for clothes or accessories accept this is for the boom boom!

The ladies stand in window fronts some flirting, others relaxing, some in bikinis, others in dresses or jeans. Behind the window-front lies a small room with a bed and curtains- most looking very nice with dark wood furniture and room décor. My feelings walking through the district were mixed. I wanted so much to know these women’s stories! I felt empowered and glad that these women had the freedom to do their thing without legal barriers. At the same time I wanted to make sure that they wanted to be there doing this work and not there for some other reasons. It’s interesting to note that the HIV rate in Holland (The Netherlands) is about .2% and the rate in the U.S. is about .6%... They’re clearly doing something right which in my opinion is normalizing taboo topics such as drugs and prostitution.

After my quiche at an organic café (again not a rarity) I went to the SEXMUSEUM.

It included the history of sex from various cultures with photos, art, displays, models, interactive activities, and exhibits such as a ‘mock red light district.’ It wasn’t just a bunch of porn, it really was educational. It explained the history of sex and sexual liberation from various cultures and philosophies. It had photos from the 1800s, a room about fetishes, and a great exhibit about sex from various mythologies and religions. It was fun and it seemed like no visitors felt “dirty” for being there because it was just a museum, out in the open- nothing 'taboo' about it.

Chastity Belt

A Chinese Dynasty's History of Sex...on a dinner plate.

I guess smoking IS allowed...

Just 'cause
(the chair in the middle vibrates when you sit on it)

We can learn a lot from Amsterdam. Liberate people, give them freedoms in a safe environment and chances are they will make good choices. Put it out there- don’t hide ‘taboo topics.’
Talk about SEX. Talk about DRUGS. Talk about PROSTITUTION. Talk about GREEN ENERGY.
These things are woven throughout the culture and therefore very little is abused or mistreated.

THERE WAS NO LITTER! EVERYONE HAS HEALTHCARE! THEY FEEL LIBERATED! I even ate at the McDonalds there and didn’t want to puke afterward! It was a great experience…