Eye opener

Karibu sana,

I think it's about time I write again don't you? Over the past few weeks there were lots of things happening here in Arusha.

For starters I'm thrilled to tell you guys that I started up a micro-buisiness project at pippi's house. Two weeks ago we officially baptised our very own brand, pippi's house handmade bags and jewellery. We helped the girls out with making their own fancy,handy,easy holding, handbags, backpacks, wallets, clutches, necklaces, bracelets,... pictures will follow up soon! Offcourse it was a little bit challenging for me cause after all I am used to work with people not numbers... starting up a business was not something I knew how to do. Then again everything is possible if you are willing so here we are. Next step is going to the local markets to sell the products. Long term goal? Grow big enough to create job opportunities for young woman, sell the products to bigger corporations and once and for all, being able to keep pippi's house foundation alive without having to depend on the donations from others. Learn the girls how it feels to earn money out of something they've worked For!

Offcourse my main goal here in Africa is my volunteering job, which I have been working really hard for. But how goes the phrase again? Work hard, play hard? So when having free time, I'm trying to get the most out of it.

For example, I went on a horse safari 1,5 week ago. Great experience followed by massive Buttpains! Cause we were on a horse, we were able to get real close to the animals, such as zebras, impala's, gnoes,...

Offcourse comparing to the 4 day safari I did this weekend, it was hardly something.

We left on Friday morning and went to Taranguire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. For the first time in a long time I had the feeling I felt complete. The things you get to see are indescribably. You see the animals from so close by, the nature, the wildlife... there really are no words for describing to you how beautiful those 4 days have been. Also we are a few of the lucky ones who got to see the big 5! Also something that not happens on a regular basis occurring the guide.

Another thing that happened is that I decided to change my flight and leave for Zanzibar a little bit sooner so that I can go backpacking a little longer on that wonderful island.

About a week ago, I had a few days where I wasn't feeling that good, the start up with the business wasn't going the way I wanted, and some other things happening made me feel a bit down. Luckily I can call myself a very rich person. Rich as in having so many people back home worth missing. Friends and family who pulled me through, and made me laugh even when we are 10.000 km apart. THAT to me is what keeps me going and motivated to give the girls here at my project in Arusha the help they need, so that one day they will also feel rich. Maybe not rich with family since most of them don't have one anymore, but rich with friends, with being independent grown woman. Rich enough to believe that whatever happens, there is always something good comming for them. At least this is what I will be fighting for, for them. Starting tonight, as I will be going out on the streets with the founder of pippi's house, looking for girls who live on the street and need our help. It's gonna be rough I can imagine, but I wouldn't want to do anything else. I'll let you know how it went!

Xoxo,

Lottie

Pole Pole

Hello again!

I would really like to start by saying a big fat THANK YOU to some of the people who read my previous blog and contacted me to help the girls out! Also I'm happy to announce that with help from my beautiful mother and helping stepfather back in Belgium, i was able to open a bank account in Pippi's House Foundation's name! At the end of this blog you can find all the contacts in case some of you still decide to help me and the girls out a little bit. Big thanks will come your way!

Also I'm so happy to tell you guys that there are some exciting things about to happen here at Pippi's House! Last week i had a great meeting with my coordinator and director and we came up with a few very challenging things. Offcourse I can't tell you anything yet, because for now we're still in the starting blocks, but i promise i'll keep you all updated! And for those of you who can't wait and like to be teased ? Just look out for a little sneekpeak on my facebook account over the next couple of days!

So you saw the tittle of my blog and probably are wondering what '' Pole Pole '' means right? Let me explain. If there is one slogan that would discribe Africa best, it's pole pole. Why, you may ask? Pole pole means '' take it easy' in swahili. Trust me, that's an understatement here. Everyone is moving so incredibly slow that it frustrates me sometimes. We even asked what the swahili word is for -as we say 'chopchop'- and their response was gold : ' We don't have a word for it cause we never do it'. You feel me right? :D You know back at home when i'm walking around with my friends, they all say that i always walk so fast :D as if i'm in some kind of hurry or something. Offcourse that's not the case but it's just the way i like my days you know? Make pace and do something meaningfull with your day. Then i arrived here and really sometimes i have the feeling that when i leave somewhere at the same time as the locals i can easily first take a 10minute powernap and still be first at the destination ;D. It's the same if you want to get things done here you know? I'm so full of ideas because this place is so inspiring but the elaboration takes soooo long here...

As frustrated as it was at first, i decided to just go with the flow a little bit. I adjusted not only my pace but my attitude as well. Not an easy thing for me to do AT ALL, which i think some of you who really know me, can confirm :D but hey, i'm in Africa and at least i'm trying right? :D Now just let's see what it will get me!

Over the weekend we went with 15 people to visit lake Chala. There was a camping place where we could stay overnight. Lake Chala lays really close to the border with Kenia. Some of us even tried to swim from one side of the lake to the other to cross that border. Mission failed. So the lake used to be a crater which made that is was now surrounded by highlands. It really felt so unreal when we were there. Besides our group there was no one else which made it even more magical. The water was so clear blue, not cold at all. We rented some canoes, in the evening we arranged ourselfs a barbecue and a pretty awesome bonfire. At one point really it felt like everything i ever wanted. I was finally in Africa, meeting so many new en different people, exploring a whole other side of myself as well. Even though i'm only here for 3 weeks so far, i'm so looking forward to everything else yet to come.

And for all of you? Offcourse, I will keep u posted.

Hakuna Matata

Lottie

Banc Account for donating to Pippi's House Foundation: BE95 9731 7222 5958

Reference: NAME-SURNAME + EMAILADRESS+ DONATION PIPPI'S HOUSE FOUNDATION

=> This way i will be able to send you a receipt of your donation, as will i be able to send you an e-mail to update you on how we used your donation to help the girls and to help Pippi's House Foundation to live, grow and change lives.

PS: If you click on 'Photo's' you can see some pictures of the old masaii market i went to 2 weeks ago, and soon i will also update some pictures of lake Chala as well!

Pippi’s House Foundation

Hi everybody!

So it took me some time to write another blog because honestly? I’m kinda overwhelmed with work. As I all ready told you in my previous blog, I’m currently working at pippi’s house foundation as a volunteer. Let me give you some more information about the project.

Pippi’s house foundation is a shelter house for teenage girls and children who were found living on the street. Most of them had a really bad background in which they were assaulted,abused, went through human trafficking,… Drugs became a very common coping methode and prostitution became a way of surviving. This is why most of the girls are suffering from HIV.

Here at pippi’s house we try to pick them from the streets and try to get them in school. Afterwards we help them to find a job so that they can live independently.

Arristides is the founder of pippi’s house. He is a social worker who created this wonderful place for the girls to have a home again. One that’s safe. Every day we try to create a future for them. Arristides is also voluntarily working here,which means we can’t get money. Offcourse the girls who live here have no money so they can’t pay for living here. Which brings me to the point where I step in.

Mainly pippi’s house can exist only from sponsoring and donations. We all ready set up a hairsaloon, a little shop where you can buy handmade bags,wallets etc, and we even founded our own music production studio! This way we’re trying to get some money as well but so far it’s not really working out quiet the way we hoped. (I promise I won’t be the one singing????)

We are being helped by the Swiss organisation “Nokhelps”, who collected a nice budget throughout donations. With the money we got from them we were able to arrange the school fees for all the girls (55) at the project. That was a huge help all ready, and with the money that was left they came up with a foodtable which made sure the girls have money left to buy food until at least the end of March.

Although that all sounds really nice, for this moment it means that there is no money left. Arristides is all ready 5 months late with paying rent. And yesterday I learned that he’s also late with paying for water and electricity and that this week we are gonna be cut of.

Also none of the girls have health insurance, which for me is the main reason to collect money. As I said before a lot of the girls are infected with HIV so they need medication, which at this point we can’t afford.

I’m looking for sponsors or donations 24/7 now and I’m happy to say that tomorrow I have a meeting with the people of rotary club in Arusha, as well I’m talking to the rotary club in Belgium. So fingers Crossed!

So if you, the one reading this, want to help me and the girls out, please let me know. Really ANY help is welcome! Even if it’s 1euro, it will be one more euro closer to helping these girls.

In a few days you’ll hear from me again, cause I’ve also got some really exiting things planned to do as well! What they are is for me to know and for all of you to find out at my next blog!

Talk to you guys soon!

Kwaheri!

Lottie

Karibu!

Karibu! Hello everybody!

It took me quiet some time to upload my blog because the first few days my internet was really bad and sometimes it didn’t even worked at all.

So wednesday I arrived in Tanzania, Arusha. Quiet the experience you might say. I went on the city tour, all though I think you can also call it ‘city run’ because my coordinator does this so many times a week he kinda rushes through it. He is also a local here wich means for him this is all so natural. While walking (speedwalking) through the city I tried to look around but I was a little bit busy trying not to get run over by the dala dala (local busses) or piki piki (motorcycles). The culture shock is huge and is something I need to get used to. The other volunteers tell me it will take like 2 weeks before I feel like ‘home’. In the city I saw woman walking around with baskets filled with bananas on their head, something like you only see in movies. Baby’s who are crawling on the dirty floor, young children, not even teenagers, begging for something to eat. It’s been really hard and confronting for me to see things like this even at my first day. Also everybody stares at me like I have some kind of nasty disease or something. Although I may think it can also have to do with the fact that I’m like, white ????.

When I got back at the lodge I met the other volunteers, all of them are so friendly. I also have a German roommate who is the best. She helped me out with everything.

On my second day I was still free from work, so was my roommate due to a condition to her knee, so we decided to go for a swim. And before I knew it i was sitting on the back of a motorcycle, trying not to fall of, holding on to a person I’ve never met before smelling like sweaty bananas. Could’ve been worse right? So my first experience with the piki was over and I already felt a little more relaxed.

On friday i started at my project, where I’ll be working in a shelter house with teenage girls with a troubled background. Some of them all ready had a baby who also lives there. You can say I kinda had a really tough day. Not only is it like more than an hour traveling to get there, using 2 different dala’s and walking a lot, also there was a really bad situation happening after I was there for less then an hour. Let me start by saying that people here believe really badly. Most of the people are Christian.

So when I was at my project I noticed there was 1 girl, only 13 years old who hadn’t been to school today. I was wondering why so I decided to take a look. When I came in her room there was another volunteer who said she found the girl on the floor beneath her bed. When she tried to woke her up there was no response. We put her in the bed but still she wasn’t waking up. I tried everything but she was unconscious. When I asked my boss what we should do, his response was quite clear: the 13 year old girl was possessed with the devil, something that happens frequently here. The only thing we could do was pray for her and hope that she will wake up in some hours or even days. I think you can imagine my struggle there right? I sat with her for some time when my Dutch coordinator Leonie showed up. I told her what happened and that if it were up to me I would like to take her to the hospital. At this point the girl had been down and unresponsive for hours all ready and I was really worried. When we got at the hospital they woke her up with pressing real hard with their knuckles on her chest. Something I should keep in mind. After the examination it turned out she was all right but was “faking”the whole time. Hard for me to believe though because she pied on herself and when I tried to open her eyes and shine with the lighter her eyes just rolled over to the back of her head. I don’t think something like that can be played.

Of course most girls at my project have such a balanced and troubled background that it can be she really was playing, but until I do like a little bit more investigation I can’t really say.

So yeah you can say my first day at work was one to remember.

Yesterday I went to see an old Masaï market. The masaï is one of the oldest tribes in Tanzania. They even have their own language and don’t speak swahili. They are known for selling cattle, mostly goats and cows. As we arrived we could see them slaughtering the goats. There were even dead goats laying on the floor with their heads chopped off , blood streaming down the road. It was horrible to look at. Besides cattle they also sell fruits and veggies, typical masaï blankets, spices that they use as medicine,...

So my first 4 days have been interesting, heavy and emotional. Yet I do have a good feeling about this place. I think I can really make a difference in a long time term at my project.

For now I think you all know the big stuff but I’ll keep u all posted on how my days have been!

Kwaheri!

Lottie

Welkom op mijn Reislog!

Hallo en welkom op mijn reislog!

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Groetjes,

Lotte