I
am pleased to report there are happy cows, and they
live not only in the United States, but also in
Tanzania, Africa.
During my visit to this continent in August, I experienced
firsthand how poverty can be impacted by a combination
of positive western influences and happy cows. How
owning a single cow can mean all the difference
between life and death for large groups of African
people.
I have dedicated this special issue of Performance
News to global hunger and the plight of those few
people I met who are receiving help. Sometimes pictures
tell a better story about difficult conditions,
so please feel free to clink any of the photo links
below, which will take you to the Africa Album located
on the Bright Performance website.
The needs in Tanzania vary from place to place.
Whether the problem is having enough food, basic
essentials or water, the idea that people are poor,
sick and hungry should not be happening in our world.
Even in our country people suffer, but I have never
seen anything like this. These people are many and
they occupy large areas. They also have limited
choices and no government assistance.
As astounding as it may sound, the majority of the
people living in the rural parts, (which is most
of the country) still reside in huts made of sticks,
mud and dung. As mentioned, the population is far
from well off. The very concept of three full meals
a day is not a practice but a dream come true.
I have tried but alas, drawing comparisons between
Tanzania and, say, California or New York will not
happen in my lifetime. Tanzania is not smart in
appearance. There are no highways or tall skyscrapers.
The country is not technology-savvy, although almost
everyone you meet owns a pay-as-you-go cell phone,
and as diabolical as this may sound, there exists
wireless access in the heart of the Serengeti savanna,
where on any given day one is considered lucky to
spot even one wild animal roaming the grasslands.
Another of my observations is that the African people
appear wealthy with happiness, something I rarely
see in abundance at home. In fact, most of them
smile with ease, even when their lives are so very
difficult. As you read the following articles please
keep in mind that I cannot adequately describe just
how difficult conditions are in Tanzania, I will
leave this to your imagination. In a country the
size of Texas, there exist areas with no running
water, no electricity and very little in the way
of shop-bought food. Much worse, the children here
are not only poor, but many are extremely sick,
dying of horrible diseases like HIV and AIDS. Large
communities just manage, vital needs are scarce,
and this is where humble donations make a difference
against fighting this insanity.
It was my great good fortune to travel about Tanzania
with an organization that I have come to admire
called Heifer International. Heifer is an American-based,
nonprofit organization that is making great strides
to eradicate hunger in a sensible and productive
manner.
My introduction to Heifer came in the form of a
cow, which was donated in my name last Christmas
by two good friends. After visiting the website,
I was motivated to enroll in the study tour visiting
Tanzania, one of the many world-wide study tours
Heifer International offers. During my tour I received
a greater understanding about the consequences of
hunger.
As you might imagine, I am very glad I took this
trip. I met wonderful people, including 18 other
Americans visiting Africa with Heifer. I also met
all the Heifer project leaders, all local Tanzanians.
I believe my visit could not be compared with that
of an average tourist, and now I understand how
this has become a unique, fascinating and yet pivotal
chronicle in my life.
It is important to point out that not everyone can
be helped at once, there are just too many people
living in these conditions. Regardless, the message
remains the same: To help as many people as possible
and to move them away from poverty and toward an
improved level of economic stability.
This issue will describe two of the several projects
I visited with Heifer in northern Tanzania. I also
received a rare glimpse of how American dollars
do great things and how every donation given to
Heifer is spent with wisdom and responsibility.
As we head toward the end of 2006 and the beginning
of another holiday season that is all about giving,
I will offer one small idea that focuses on the
theme of giving back. If there is anyone in your
family or circle of friends who receives more then
one present during the holidays, please consider
giving one of those gifts in the form of a donation
to a cause that matters to you.
Finally, a big thank you for supporting this work.
One year later here we all are celebrating the first
anniversary of Performance News. This special issue
embodies the idea of what can happen when people
inspire together.
Wish you all a lifetime of peace, prosperity and
productive giving.
Until the next time,
Valerie
Combining hope with
good intentions, perhaps in our lifetime the
term hunger will be remembered as a spoken word
that we once used to describe one tragic and
isolated period in our global history.
The
amazing photo in this section was provided courtesy
of Heifer International.
The human initiative remains the same: To
eradicate global hunger, offer hope and ensure
that good deeds introduced to improve the
circumstances and life conditions of suffering
people continue to have a lasting and positive
impact.
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