Water Tank Mar 14, 2013

Oh Friends, Friends, Friends,

What amazing and supportive people you all are. Your response to the last e.mail has overwhelmed and humbled me.
I am so incredibly fortunate to have each of you in my life.
I truly feel that it's because of the life and the upbringing that I've had that I am able to share, travel and love the way I do.
You know the old saying..."it takes a village to raise a child"? I see everyday here, how true this is. The village I have been surrounded by is a village of unconditional love, support and faith. Not everyone is so fortunate. So...what "I'm" doing here, is actually much deeper than that. It's what "we" are doing here.

After the responses that came in from the photos and the story about the water shortage I realized, I need to get these children a water tank. I thought long and hard about it and when I told Immaculate this she starting shouting and hugging me. She said, "we'll butcher a chicken and have the director over for dinner to tell him!" This was VERY big news. The next evening when I came home, the chicken was cooking and all three fires were burning with Ava and Immaculate bent over them, preparing the feast. The director and his wife were wondering what this "feast" was all about. At the end of the meal we said a prayer and I told them how much I appreciate their hospitality, how incredibly welcoming they have been and how nice it is to feel at home in this foreign land. Then I said that in appreciation I would like to buy them a water tank for the school. Alex, the director, said "you'd like to buy a what?!" I repeated, "a water tank". Both he and Herbert jumped out of their chairs and started shouting, praising  God and dancing like the rains had finally come after a drought. I guess, in a way, they had! I could not believe their excitement. It was really amazing. After hugs and high fives and bursting into song, they said another prayer. This time praying for my family, my friends and the health of each one of you! It was really unbelievable.

For three hundred and fifty students to eat, bathe, and do their washing, we decided on the 10,000 liter tank, which costs about $1500. U.S. dollars. Then there are the gutters, the brackets, the clamps, the outlet, the pipes, the corners and the connectors. 10,000 liters of water is very heavy, so of course it has to sit on a cement platform. I'm hoping it won't be much over $2,000. U.S. dollars. When I planned for this trip I figured on donating about $100./week to the schools/orphanages that hosted me. This means two things. I will be staying in Kisoro for at least 20 weeks!! And the second thing it means is that your help would be GREATLY appreciated...by many! Many of you have asked how you can help, so if you can donate any amount it will improve many children's lives. If you cannot donate, no worries at all. Your continued love and support is all I ask!

As you can imagine, it's not easy asking for money, but I truly feel this is a good cause and you know EXACTLY where each penny of your donation is being spent.
You can send donations to my mother, she will deposit it into my account and I can withdraw it from an ATM machine here! 

Bzdok's
9161 Great River Rd
Little Falls MN 56345  USA

Now that I've realized I'll be staying here for some time we have also sent some pen pal letters to two different classes in the U.S. The students here were SO excited to write to their new friends. They insisted I go to the office and get the thirty-or-so colored pencils and crayons that the school owns so they could decorate and "shade" (color) their letters. Many students told them about what they grow in their gardens and asked if they also had gorillas in their country! It will be such an eye-opening and learning experience on both sides. I look forward to the questions from the kids at home, like what is "posho", what is G-nut sauce and why do you live at your school? I also imagine they will be surprised to hear that these kids like "helping their mother with domestic work"!  More than one student signed off with, "I hope you get to eat meat for Easter". Of course, meat is very expensive and many of these kids don't ever get meat. Easter and Christmas are the two times each year that they look forward to and hope to have meat at their table.

I hope you are well and happy...
Thank you to all of those that have already donated, your generosity is both humbling and incredibly appreciated.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers most especially!
I truly hope you get to eat meat for Easter and that you feel like you are one of the luckiest people in the world for it!

Love Love, Love, Bonnie