And the Winner is...

Mr. Milimo, the head master at the Young Peace Makers Community School in Chipulukusu just reported an exciting first for the school.   He said, "There was a magnificent Annual Community School Sports Festival on the 22nd March 2013...where 12 community schools were invited to participate, and our school was among those invited.  Young Peace Maker School came in 3rd and was awarded a certificate not only for participation but for proficiency as well."  How cool is that! The events  included:

1. Suck race (could that be a Sack race????
2. Needle Race
3. Egg and Spoon
4. Bottle Race
5. Long Jump
6. High Jump
7. 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m Sprinting

HealthEd Connect in Action

SLO Event  (Click on SLO Event) 

If you have 3 minutes, watch this little video!  It will make your day!!

 If you have a few $$$ to spare, go online www.healthedconnect.org and help keep these projects going.

We so appreciate our supporters!!  You are helping make incredible changes.

Events NOT meetings!

Gershom Chifumbe, HEC Zambian representative,
sharing heart-warming stories of program progress.
 

Michell sharing the sights and stories of the
Nepalese training.

Who wants to attend yet another meeting??  Not the HealthEd Connect Board of Directors that's for sure!  We decided last year that board meetings sounded way too boring since we have so much to celebrate so we decided to substitute 'events' instead (we do somehow manage to squeeze in a few hours for business as well but we never lack for inspiring, fun-filled gatherings.)  The April board 'event' was no exception.  Several loyal donors joined us at the Graceland Independence Campus for an evening of East Meets West.   We probably should have called it East meets West and North and South since we featured our projects in Africa and Nepal as well as our faithful donors in the U.S.

A highlight for the board members was meeting our HealthEd Connect Zambian Representative, Gershom Chifumbe,  who shared first-hand inspiring updates of the programs in Zambia.  Gershom is in the U.S. for a few weeks attending meetings and visiting HealthEd Connect donors.  Michelle Mahlik who participated in the March training trip to Nepal, brought Kathmandu and our Nepalese program alive with her pictures and stories.  Many thanks to YOU, our loyal donors who make all of this possible!

One Bead at a Time

One bead at a time....
 

A bead maker artisan (and her bright-eyed assistant!) cutting strips of paper to form the beads.

It is amazing what can be done with little scraps of paper!  Three years ago, Cherry Newcom introduced the art of paper bead making to the health workers in Zambia.  The first efforts were not too impressive with glue everywhere, crooked beads and ho-hum designs.  What a difference 3 years has made!  Those first efforts have developed into a thriving business.  This week at the Peace Pathways booth, $2,494 worth of paper bead jewelry was sold! That required about as much paper as you would have from one recycled Good Housekeeping magazine.  How proud they will be when they find out so many people appreciated their artistic endeavors and purchased their necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.  You go girls!!

Hands across the Ocean

Aaron and Carmina's 'hand' crafted gift

The Kafwa were delighted to receive this very special gift for the new Kafwa Center. It's a tea towel but not just any tea towel. What makes it special are the little handprints...a medium-sized green hand print and a small-sized red hand print in the corner of the towel. This 'hand' decorated gift was especially made by Aaron and Carmina with the help of their Mom and Dad, Jodi and Jon. Literally hands around the world carrying love from the US all the way to Zambia.

The Gauntlet is thrown!

Chipulukusu Kafwa to the rescue!

The saga of the bicycle income generating project goes on. The Zamtan group has brought in more than 446,500 KR this past year. It takes a long time for the money to add up when the bikes are usually rented for 2500 per hour. Good job!

Different story in Chipulukusu for a very good reason. The chairman of the project is also the contractor that worked night and day to finish the Kafwa Center on time. When we had a meeting with the Kafwa about the bicycles (which will be stored in the new Kafwa Center) they felt, however, there should be no excuses. One said "men and projects!" Another said "the project should go to the Kafwa to run -- it failed because it was run by men." It was finally decided to turn it over to the Kafwa to see what they could do to which Joyce Ngosa said, "No more guys, just we women." The jury is out on the results but the Kafwa have a stellar reputation for getting things done so I'm putting my money on them!

Both Helpers and Helped

Maurine with doggie gift from Kali

The stories from the CSS, orphan support groups are heartwarming. The Kafwa say many of the children do not have food, clothes, shoes, or soap and that "you can see in their eyes they have not eaten." So many children are being helped by the Kafwa and modest HealthEd Connect budget. A new insight was shared by Maurine, however, the leader of the CSS in Chipulukusu when she said, "It is not just the children you are helping---it is us too." The information shared in the training opened up new avenues of healing for the Kafwa themselves who had unresolved grief from their own childhoods.

Nepalese Leadership Team

Left to right, Pinkey, Michelle, Binod, Martha, and Sherri
planning the next day's lessons

We are extremely fortunate to have a totally committed, skilled, and savvy leadership team in Nepal.  In addition, they are just plain fun, warm, and likeable people!! We have known Pinkey for many years.  She studied accounting and business in college and is especially eager to initiate Income Generating Projects for those less fortunate.

Pinkey is married to Binod, a compassionate and capable man who served as our translator during the training.  Binod said this was this first time he had translated for someone with "American English" [he did an excellent job!!] which is more difficult since he learned "British English."  Binod spent several years in Saudi Arabia as well as sometime in Iran but is now back in Nepal ready to work for his people.

Martha is the supervisor of Hope for Himalaya.  Martha completed a three-year-basic nursing course, worked for two years, and then began a post-basic nursing program with the assistance of a HealthEd Connect scholarship.  Along the way she got married and managed to finish her year of schooling the day before she went into labor.  She now has an adorable little 10-month-old son named Marcus.  Next month she plans to go back to school for her final year.
 

Colorful Nepal

And more memories of Kathmandu....

 

Kathmandu magic

There's no place in the world like Kathmandu!  Here are a few of the sites and sights that capture you....