Letter of Thanks from Rwandan Municipal Gov't

Now that we're back in Canada, we can take care of some of the housekeeping details. Here's a scan of a document that was given to our at our last goat distribution session in Rwanda. A huge thanks to all of you who contributed to our goat project ! This is something we're going to frame and keep on the wall.

Letter from Jean-Marie who handled the administration for each of our goat distribution session.




I've also attached a scan of a list that Jean-Marie would bring to each goat distribution session. The headings on the list indicate name, district, # of children, financial status. The list would typically comprise of 20 names. He would inform each of the 20 ahead of time to be at the school at 2:30pm to collect their goat. At the school, he would then call them up one by one, we would give them their goat, take a photo and then they waited for the group photo. If someone showed up who wasn't on the list, he would take down their information and go back to the office to see if their financial status qualifed them for the program.

In this particular list, each of these people had a financial status of umukene which means these households typically have some land and shelter, but no means to save. They are self-sufficient in the sense that they live from their own labor and produce enough to survive from day to day. Their children do not always attend school, and they usually do not have access to health care.

This is an example of a list he's bring. It's organized by name, district, # of kids, financial Status

And here's a few more photos to remind you, and us, of the goat distribution experience.


Giving a goat to a very happy lady and a very happy baby.



Group picture for the 20 recipients

Unfortunately this is the only photo I could find with Jean-Marie. Very nice and honest man who managed the program really well.

Driver Ghasana and his family

** We realized we still had a few Africa stories to share with you such as this one and the safari we did in Tanzania. So we apologize for backtracking from Bangkok **

‘Ghasana’ was our driver for quite a few of our roadtrips while in Ruhengeri. We got to know him as the driver that Cathy would have to threaten to drive slower, by offering to lower his tip everytime she had to tell him to slow down.

He’s the guy who ran out of gas while on the way to Nyarama. We only know this because the car stopped and he had to walk to the nearest gas station to get gas, while the rest of us sat with the car on the edge of a busy roadway . Which finally explained why there were empty gas canisters sitting in the car.

He's the guy who's the father of Toufiq, the smiling, suave, stylish boy we hung out with at Lake Kivu (we have a post about that trip).

Net net – Ghasana built a reputation for himself as a sweet, if slightly scatterbrained, fellow. So of course, when he invited the group to his house the night after ‘boy’s night’ at the Soldier Bar, the boys happily accepted and I happily tagged along.

I was already looking forward to meeting Mrs Ghasana – the woman’s reputation preceded her, as apparently she held court at the soldier bar the night the boys went out. As well, she was the only woman there that night, and managed to make herself at home, in spite of being a somewhat conservative muslim lady. There are reports of dancing as well, but we’ll pretend those reports are unsubstantiated…

At 5pm on the Saturday Ghasana came by to pick us up and we dutifully went over with gifts of food for the home. As soon as we arrived the respect-o-meter for Ghasana skyrocketed. His kids were beautifully dressed, his wife and family seemed really happy and healthy and he kept his family in a really nice house. We were taken out back where Ron explained we were going to see ‘domestic lifestock’ but when we rounded the corner we were greeted by large, potted mushrooms. Not sure how mushrooms got translated to domestic lifestock, but that is a minor detail.

After the tour, we were seated in the living room where two of Mrs. Ghasana’s friends had come to visit. They wanted to get a closer look at the muzungus who came to dinner, no doubt. Suddenly one of the women looked at me and said ‘I know you. You gave me a goat! Julie!’ Sure enough, we fished out the laptop to take a look at all our goat pictures, and there was Mrs. Ghasana’s friend, pictured with Julie, her goat. I looked with some concern at the plate of meat curry before me, pointed at it and enquired ‘Julie?’. Thankfully, I was wrong, and little Julie was alive and well loved by the lady’s two daughters, who apparently make up songs about Julie and sing them to her. It made us feel good to know that the goat, and her owners were still keeping quite happy.

Once dinner was over we dutifully went outside the house to take some pictures where it seems like the whole part of town stopped to stare at the foreigners, after which we all walked home with our swollen bellies, and a warm place in our hearts for Ghasana. It was also pretty darn cool to share a meal with one of our goat recipients. All in all, an excellent evening.  

- Dal

Night before Ghasana's house..hanging at the solider bar. Max (German who was volunteering for a year), Ronnie's brother Collins (who reminded us of Bowfinger), me, Ronnie, Ghasana and Mrs Ghasana

Ghasana and his wonderful family

The woman on the far right, a family friend, was a goat recipient !

Big group photo

Julie, the goat

Bonus photo ! As we walked home from Ghasana's house, Steve and I came across this kid with a Winnipeg Jets jersey ! Gotta love retro NHL jerseys in Rwanda.

Touched by a Gorilla

Oct 3 2010 was a special day for a couple of reasons. First – it heralded our first wedding anniversary. We made it a year without killing each other – a promising sign. Second – it was the day we chose to go Gorilla trekking in the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda. We figured what better way to spend our anniversary than with a bunch of hairy apes. However, since friends and family weren’t able to make it to Rwanda, we decided we’d go see the Gorillas instead.

Our pick-up arrived at 5:45am and at 6am we were off to the main office to get registered and meet our guides. Our trek would be in the Virunga mountain range, where Dian Fossey conducted her research. (Her original study group – the Susa group – still resides in these mountains, but the trek to see them is the most gruelling, and we opted for a slightly easier trek). After about an hour of standing around watching the guides and other staff do the customary chatting/negotiating, we were separated into our different groups. The groups consist of a guide, a trekking ‘scout’ who goes ahead to see where the Gorillas are and report back, and about 8-9 trekkers per group.  I elected to get a porter for the princely sum of $10 USD – a nice 18 year old boy called Emmanuel who cheerfully accompanied us and insisted on even carrying the rain jacket I had, rather than let me wrap it around my waist. (The kid was later worth his weight in gold when he helped me negotiate a VERY challenging climb by literally airlifting me with his right hand as he cheerfully swung his machete with his left).

Our hike took us through some flat farmland and then on through some bamboo forest area. Our guide explained that the ‘man with the gun’ who accompanied us was not there to shoot the slowest trekker, rather as a security measure as the forest is also home to buffalo who can be aggressive buggers when the mood strikes them. The gun is to scare them off, as in these here parts, animal life is more sacred than human, and rightfully so.

We trekked along with me thinking what a lovely cake-walk this all was when we arrived at the stinging nettles. Then, we received word the gorillas were nearby and the path became extremely steep, and we all grabbed bushes and roots for leverage as we hauled ourselves up the slippery leaves underfoot, hoping we wouldn’t land face-first in a nettle bush. Gorilla watching is not effective when one’s eyes are swollen shut.

Then it happened. We heard a rustling in bushes about 10 feet away and saw a black mass in the trees. Just a few feet more to go when my feet started to slip and I did what I typically do when on a steep incline with no traction – I froze solid. This effective manoeuvre has also been tried with great success at Blue Mountain in Ontario. Someone handy notices you’re frozen and they come get you unstuck – in this case it was my friendly neighbourhood porter – Emmanuel. GOLD I tell ya.

Once at the site where the gorillas were, we saw 2 babies come tumbling down the hill just 4 feet away from us – absolutely unperturbed by their human visitors. In a tree beside me I saw yet another baby staring us squarely in the eye – trying to suss out the strangers. Then a sibling came along and smacked him on the head.

At this point, a smaller gorilla who was hiding in a bush by David’s leg, decided to cross the path we were standing on, and grabbed on to his leg for leverage as she passed by. We heard her coming and he stayed absolutely still as we weren’t sure what she would do. Seeing the little one grab on to his leg (gently and firmly, he said) and walk to the other side was absolutely magical.

Then I experienced what I’ll remember as an epic moment in my life. The lone Silverback in the group, a great big male of about 400lbs, emerged from the foliage. We were instructed to move out of his wave, which we did to the best of our abilities, given we were all standing on a steep incline surrounded by stinging nettles, mud and uneven footing. When he finally did emerge, he stood in all his glory, the sun shining down on him and he truly was magnificent. I had the privilege of being the closest to him in the group – a mere 4 feet from where he stood. Having never been this close to a gorilla before, I freaked out a tad, and turned my back to him and held on to David for dear life. I figure, if King Kong was going to punch me, he may as well do it in the back of my head so I wouldn’t see it coming. ‘Don’t worry’ said the guide’ It’s ok’ and sure enough, the big guy simply walked down the path we had come down, all 24 of his tribe following his lead. These creatures, with whom we share 97% of our DNA, are absolutely gentle and non-aggressive.

The next hour was spent following this gorilla family (to our relief he moved DOWN the mountain instead of UP it) -  during which the silverback made 2 more walks past our group within a mere 4-5 feet. The rule for humans is to stay 7 metres away from the Gorillas. Cleary, no one has explained these rules to the gorillas as some seemed to have no problems walking past us as though we were just another primate in the jungles they inhabit. Albeit an INFERIOR primate, as when you’re in the presence of a Gorilla, there is no doubt who’s in charge. 

The Rwanda board that oversees the Gorilla Trekking program is doing an absolutely fantastic job. The ‘habituated’ gorilla families (these are the groups that are allowed limited human exposure, so they can be a part of the trekking program) are kept a close eye on, and every member is known by name. They are monitored for health and there is a strong anti-poaching force in effect. Unlike some other countries, Rwanda is not overly susceptible to corruption, and the anti-poaching task force is extremely effective. The guides are friendly and knowledgeable and do a great job at communicating with the gorillas in ‘gorilla speak’ to ascertain safety and approachability. While the price is somewhat steep ($500 USD per permit/per person) – chances are the prices are only going to go up in future, as they seem to have over the past few years.  But it makes for one cool story to tell the grandkids.

Photos to come soon..we're at the Kigali airport right now waiting for our flight to Tanzania and the connection is pretty dismal.

- Dal

The All-Goat post : Donation Update, Q&A, Goat Movie

Dal and I can’t wipe these stupid grins off our face, which is NOT a result of the mild hangover after Saturday night’s GOat AWAY party although I just found out today that Monica’s leftover rum cake that I’ve been nibbling on every couple of hours since Sat was doused, bathed and submerged in a vat of Captain Morgan. Anyway, the reason for our stupid grins is the overwhelming generosity of our friends and family as well as their friends and family !

Here’s what we’re taking to Africa for the orphanage and the village
1) Donations for 115 goats. Our goal was 25. The stretch goal was 50. Never did we consider an outpouring of support like this !
2) 4 suitcases of clothes/games/dolls/medical supplies/school supplies
3) Individualized cards/letter/pictures for each of the children at the orphange. A big thanks to Judene and the staff/kids at the East Scarborough Boys and Girls club for taking on this project.

On Sunday as Dal and I were updating the spreadsheet of donations, we looked at each other dumbfounded by the support of everyone as well as the opportunity to make a tangible difference in people’s lives ! If you’re questioning how much of an impact a goat could have, read to the bottom of this post.

Here's the updated spreadsheet of donors and goat names (click to enlarge). If there are any errors, please email Dal (dalreen79@hotmail.com) or David (djp55@hotmail.com) so we can correct them. For those that haven't paid yet, we'll be sending gentle email reminders over the next couple of days. The easiest way to get the money to us is by email transfer to either of our email addresses.

Time for a little Q&A on the goat project

Q . How does a family qualify for a goat ?
A. The local gov't decides which families receive a goat. They know their population the best and know who is trying and who is deserving.

Q. What is the lifespan of a goat ?
A. 10-12 years according to goatworld.com (I googled this on Saturday night when someone asked me). http://www.goatworld.com/articles/goatsaspets/petgoats.shtml

Q. What do you two know about handling goats ?
A. Dave: I saw a goat at the zoo about 10 years ago and after 30 minutes of visualization techniques, I gallantly mustered the courage to pet it.
Dal: I use a fork when I typically eat mutton curry. Does that count ?

Q. Will the goat I donate be eaten for dinner ?
A. No. The program is really meant to provide a source of income to a needy family, so the goat must be sustained.

Q. How will you transport the goat back to the village ?
A. The Orphanage will rent a little pick-up truck and bring the goats to school. I'm riding in the back with the goats !

Q. You promised me a TELUS Goat critter for donating the goat at your party. Where’s my critter ?
A. Unfortunately the shipment of critters arrived at our place on Monday, however they are damn cute as you can see from the photo. We do feel terribly about the missing critters, so if you would like your critter, please drop by our place before we leave and we’ll be happy to give it you ! Any leftover critters (we have about 40 ..a big thanks to Michelle from TELUS) will be stuffed in suitcases for the kids. Note..we reserve the right to use them as a bribe to avoid a cavity search by Rwandan customs officials.

Where's My Goat ?

A colleague pointed me to http://www.wheresmygoat.ca/ . It’s a documentary created by Christopher Richardson. He’s donates goats on behalf of clients rather than giving traditional swag, but when some of his clients question the existence of their goat and whether ethical gifts have the impact Christopher hopes, he decides to travel to Zambia to track down a client's goat and discover for himself if he is being innovative or naïve. Are ethical gifts the positive developing world life-changers they are advertised to be?

I traded emails with Christopher and he let me know that the film has its world television premiere Tuesday, September 28, at 9pm EST on the documentary channel. It is a freeview broadcast - meaning that anyone with a digital Cable box or a satellite box will be able to see the show regardless of whether they have a subscription to the documentary channel.

cheers,
David

Want to help ?

Prior to leaving for our trip we’re doing a bit of fundraising for the Rwandan orphanage (http://www.prefer-rwanda.org/) , so if you’d like to contribute, there are a couple of ways that you can do so :

1) We will be packing 4 suitcases of items to be given to the orphanage. So anything the children can use would be appreciated (new/gently used clothes for kids aged 2-6, crayons, pencils, stickers, light colouring books, medical supplies etc..)

2) We have set a goal to purchase 25 goats for need Rwandan families. Yes that’s right..goats. A goat costs about $35 USD in a Rwandan market, so if you would like to donate $40 CDN, we would take the money to Rwanda and have the charity founder accompany us to purchase the goats (so that we don’t get charged foreigner prices) and then distribute them to needy families. If there’s any excess money, we would give it to the charity we’re volunteering with.

Why goats ? The Rwandan government has initiated a program where needy families can receive a goat upon the condition that the goat must be sustained (ie not served for dinner). Goats are useful because
• They supply a family with several quarts of milk each day -- important nutrition for undernourished children and extra milk can be made into cheese or yogurt and sold to make extra money
• Their manure can be used to fertilize gardens and fields
• They often have two or three kids a year, enabling families to start small dairies

Those who donate $40 for a goat will receive
• An email with a photo of the their goat, us and the family that received the goat (assuming the family allows it)
• Exclusive rights to name their goat (Billy, Justin Bieber and David are already taken)
• A TELUS Goat Critter

Here's a fantastic link and excerpt that shows the impact of a goat bestowed upon a family http://www.preferpreschool.org.uk/goats.html .  "It always amazes Cathy to watch the transformation in the receiving families. They arrive at the preschool quietly and seem to be trying to make themselves small. When the goats are presented the grins begin, and when all the goats have been distributed and each family is holding their very own goat, now, believing it is really true, they just seem to swell with pride. They stand taller; talk a little louder, cannot stop hugging me and saying thank you, and want to hurry home to show off their newest and best possession."

A big thank you to all those that have supported us and this project already ! We can't wait to witness and experience this joy and then share it with you !

If you’re not able to make attend our GOat AWAY party on Saturday August 21st but would like to contribute, email Dave at djp55@hotmail.com and we can work out logistics.