Special Anniversary Edition

  

Editor's Column

  

It’s not just about a cow,
by Valerie Lunden, MA

  

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.

  

  

PERFORMANCE GIVING

Loti’s Brick House, by Valerie Lunden, MA Why give a cow?
Accumulated donations of five hundred dollars purchase a cow within the Heifer projects. The first “cow” project our group visited was outside of the main city of Arusha. A trip by jeep, accessible only by taking several bumpy roads that are more uphill than down ending at a small brick house.

Loti, the project farmer, greets our group. His hand extends to each of us in welcome, his mouth radiates a pulsing smile. He has dressed in his Sunday best, a brightly colored cotton shirt, which is no doubt the only extra shirt he owns.

The genuineness of Loti’s welcome cannot to be ignored. He is happy to see us and soon we learn why. This particular project is one of the first started by Heifer in Tanzania. It has been in operation for more than 10 years and it is considered a huge success.

When the tour continues, the group is escorted into the brick house and introduced to Loti’s wife. It is a modest abode, far from squeaky clean. There are several small tables and an assortment of mismatched chairs. Most of the eating, sleeping and socializing happens in this one room. The house tour ends in the kitchen, room number two, which has one item of furniture, a gas stove. We learn that the mismatched chairs have all been borrowed from Loti’s neighbors in the village so the Heifer guests (all 19 of us) will have some place to sit.

Simon, our Heifer tour guide (like Loti), is of the Massai, the largest cultural tribe in Tanzania. They are distinguishable by their height and sharp features. Simon has both of these attributes.

Because Loti speaks limited English, Simon translates from Swahili. He smiles as he explains to us the advancements that have happened in this project. The original “first” cow (provided by Heifer) has produced enough milk and calves to change the economic dynamics of Loti’s entire village. In combination with the Heifer giving back system, a single cow has allowed almost everyone to receive some sort of indirect financial support or training in agriculture.

Cows are valued because they provide several useful bi-products. The milk is considered a source of food as well as a substantial economic asset, producing income when the milk is sold. For Loti’s family this financial boon has resulted in the following: All of his five children have attended school, which is expensive and rare in Tanzania. Another benefit of the milk sales has been the ability to build their brick house, which is symbolic of progress in a country where most of the rural population lives in crudely made huts. Loti’s brick house of two rooms was built over several years of buying and accumulating bricks, a few at a time.

Heifer International has done more. The organization has provided Loti’s village with valuable agricultural education. The benefits have resulted in improved crop yields, which in turn has provided more food and more income. The advanced programs have offered education about income-generating cottage industries and the manufacture of a type of high-grade, non-chemical manure, which is made from cow dung. A few years ago, a large donation to this project resulted in Loti being able to purchase equipment to build a gas conversion device. Now cow dung is also converted into methane gas. His family uses this gas for cooking (on the indoor gas stove). The introduction of methane cooking has eliminated the need for a wood burning stove and reduced tree cutting. Over time more methane production could reduce deforestation, which is a chronic problem in Tanzania.

As a reminder, five hundred dollars worked a small miracle for Loti and his family. The miracle extended to a village of 50-60 people, and this success will have a lasting impact for generations to come. For this community, Loti’s progress can only be considered a positive step forward. There are many people in Tanzania who could also benefit from having access to a cow and let's not forget a lifetime of good fortune.

Visit Heifer on the web	MORE PICTURES of Loti and the Giving Back Trip to Tanzania, Africa

  

PERFORMANCE GIVING

The Thirsty Donkey, by Valerie Lunden, MA
This Massai project is more than two hours drive outside of Arusha and offers one example of how severe water shortage and desperate living conditions effect many Tanzanians.
More then one hundred men, women and children live in the village we visited. It is located at the end of a dusty trail that passes field upon field of maize (the staple food for most Africans). To the naked eye the land appears dry and thirsty, a condition that isn’t improving.

Here free-flowing drinking water is non-existent. There are no water pipes, no wells, no rivers or streams. The Massai don’t own cars, (they are not affordable) and carrying water to the village is a monumental problem. In fact, these Massai must travel three hours in one direction to access the public waterhole. The trip must happen everyday, (sometimes twice a day) and on foot. The only help the Massai receive is from the donkeys provided by Heifer International.

To purchase a single donkey in Tanzania, Heifer must spend two hundred and fifty dollars. This amount represents a lifetime of savings for the Massai. Please understand, one donkey would not be able to carry the amounts of water that are needed for drinking, watering the crops and sustaining the livestock.

The Massai themselves consume very little water. Common rituals like bathing and hand washing, (or washing anything) are luxuries. Even reusing washing water is not unheard of. Because the Massai don’t hunt and they eat very little meat, their traditional diet consists of cow’s blood mixed with milk and assorted grains. Planting and harvesting of crops represents a vital source of steady food and income. For this tribe, water is essential to making all this happen.

During our visit, the Massai invited us to enjoy tea and buttered bread. We were seated in the ceremonial center of the village surrounded by their mud huts. We were told that the offering of food and drink is customary, and since both of these items are precious to the Massai, the honor did not go unnoticed. For entertainment the men and women danced for us, another traditional message of thank you.

The better option for this village might be to move closer to the waterhole. But here the Massai own the land and can roam freely, maintaining their age-old cultures and traditions.

Without a doubt, more donkeys are needed. In fact, more of everything is needed. Each day the conditions worsen. The land will continue to look dryer, the fields of maize will look dehydrated and inedible, and in the distance the donkeys chew on their withered grass, preparing for yet another life-saving journey, three miles to the nearest waterhole.

Visit Heifer On the Web:	MORE Pictures of the Massai Donkey Project and the Giving Back Trip to Tanzania, Africa

  

PERFORMANCE GIVING - A Story Part I

I'm so Starving, by Brittany Birnbaum Oh, my God, I am so starving. I swear, if I don't get something to eat in like two minutes, I am going to die.

I cannot believe how completely famished I am. Why do we have to wait for Tyler to get home from soccer practice? I want to eat now. It's almost 6:15.

I didn’t even get to eat lunch today. Erica and I had to sign-up for kickline tryouts at noon. We got to the cafeteria way late, and we weren't about to stand in line with the sophomores. All I had was a Twix and half a bag of Fritos. Plus, the stupid machine was out of Diet Coke.

No, I did not still have those carrot sticks left at lunch. I ate them all after second period. Duh!

Did you hear that? I can totally hear my stomach making these weird growling noises. I think I'm going to faint.

Please, please, please let me eat now so I can go up to my room. I have a ton of people to call tonight. It’s so lame how you make us all wait to eat dinner together. Erica always gets to eat by herself in the living room with the TV on.

If we're going to wait this long for Tyler, he has to load the dishwasher. I did it last night, and it was totally nasty because you made that lasagna, and I had to scrape all the gunky cheese off the pan.

I am so totally starving. You know, it's against the law to treat your kids like this. You could get thrown in jail by the social services people for this kind of abuse.

Oh, my God, what are you taking out of the oven? Is that, like, Salisbury Steak? I could seriously puke just looking at that. You actually expect me to eat that? Yeah, right. Like I'm really gonna put that in my mouth. I’ll be in my room if I get any phone calls.

Ugh. I swear, I could just die.

  

PERFORMANCE GIVING - A Story Part II

I Am So Starving, by Kitum Asosa My God, I am starving. If I do not find something to eat soon, I will surely die.

Hunger consumes my life. My young body is hunched and weak, as if I was an old man. Some days I pass the time by counting my bones. I would walk 100 miles through the desert to reach a handful of millet. The sight-of-a-sparrow carcass would make my mouth water; if only I was not too dehydrated to salivate. I have not eaten a full meal since the last rain, which caused a few precious patches of field grass to sprout. Soon, there will be none of us left.

I am so very, very hungry. I grow thinner and thinner, as my body starts to digest its very self. The last thing I ate was a small lizard. That was nine days ago. I gave half of it to my only remaining brother. I did this to return a favor. Last month he discovered a piece of tree bark and shared his bounty with me. Unfortunately, my body was so unaccustomed to food; I was soon doubled over in pain, as a flood of liquid shot from my bowels. Ever since then my rectum has protruded from my anus. My lower intestines have begun to push their way out, as well.

They say it is almost the new year, but I do not know if I will live to see it. My stomach is swollen as if I was pregnant. I joked with my brother about this yesterday, rubbing my bloated belly and calling it "my little one." My brother did not laugh. He lowered his head and cried.

My legs are like sticks and my eyes nearly sightless. I am careful not to allow myself to daydream about the harvest feasts of my youth, for my weak heart might race and burst in my chest. Those who are still alive have taken to swallowing dirt and rocks in an attempt to stop the hunger pains. Oh, God, why are we made to suffer so?

My only distraction from the constant, gnawing hunger is the chill that runs through my bones. Even in the sweltering heat, I am cold. Perhaps I will soon die of pneumonia. This would finally quell the pangs of hunger. I long to live, but even more, I long to die.

  

  

PERFORMANCE GIVING

Some More About Heifer International
The central focus of Heifer International is to end poverty and hunger in our world. The money donated to Heifer provides education, training and livestock to individuals, families and groups living in virtual poverty around the globe. The Heifer “projects” are designed to empower individuals and improve their economic circumstances. The donated animals are not intended for slaughter. In fact, the farmers sign contracts affirming that they will care for the animals and adhere to strict Heifer standards.

In addition to the animals donated, Heifer provides continuing training and education. Local farmers receive the opportunity to learn western farming practices so that they can properly manage their livestock, improve their farming skills, introduce new economic strategies and increase their income. Examples of these improvements include fish farms, honey farms, rice paddies and cottage industries, such as coffee and cheese making.

To support the environment, Heifer has introduced training on how to make high grade, non-chemical manure (composed of cow dung mixed with the local vegetation). Recently there has been a growing interest in advancing the production of methane gas, (also made from cow dung), which over time may reduce the need for wood burning stoves, the main cooking appliance used in most of Africa. Burning wood impacts tree cutting and this in turn effects the devastation caused by deforestation and global warming.

Heifer International advocates the concept of Cornerstones. The simplest way to describe a Cornerstone is to compare it to a company mission statement. But instead of having just one standard of outcome, Heifer has introduced 12 cornerstones. The first cornerstone advocates a “giving back” philosophy, similar to the American concept of “paying it forward.” An example of this cornerstone becoming activated is when a cow is given to a project. The first several offspring from that cow are given to people in the local community or returned to Heifer for distribution to other poverty-stricken regions. Whether the projects involve cows, pigs, chickens, camels or donkeys, passing along the gift may be considered the true genius behind the progress Heifer is making.

Recently Heifer has become more concerned with the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS. As a global epidemic two out every 10 people on the African continent have been diagnosed with this life-debilitating disease. Heifer has introduced efforts to join the fight by providing goats to families with HIV-diagnosed individuals. Studies have shown that goat’s milk can bolster the human immune system, allowing the HIV drugs to become more effective.

Africa is one example of the many continents being supported by the great work of Heifer International.

The purpose of this special edition of Performance News is to increase awareness of global hunger.

Visit Heifer on the web	MORE PICTURES From the Africa Album

  

BRIGHT PERFORMANCE MESSAGE

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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