African Adventure update 9/3
26 hours until departure. The suitcases are packed, and the countdown has begun. I leave Tuesday, Sept 4 from DFW and will arrive in Kigali, Rwanda on Wednesday, Sept 5 with stops in Atlanta and Amsterdam. I am eager to meet with the Village Health Team in Uganda and present workshops on Complex PTSD, Basic Counseling Skills, Living with HIV, and Resiliency and Coping Skills. There are 120 men and woman on this team and Rev. Emmanuel Ntaganda, my best friend, coordinates their efforts there. It is a huge undertaking as these individuals go into the Ugandan countryside to care for individuals living with HIV. In many cases there are no roads to get to these patients and the team travels on foot. In addition to the workshops, I am bringing “team t shirts” and flashlights for the team. I still need to get the t shirts imprinted with “”VHT” to help identify the workers when they are in the field. I plan to purchase soap and basic hygiene products for this work when I get to Kampala, Uganda. Rev. Emmanuel has asked for bicycles for the team –hopefully we can purchase at least 10 at $70 each.
I will also get to spend time with my good friend, Jeanne Uwimana and her family in Kigali, Rwanda. Jeanne is an educator who cares for the most marginalized in Rwanda through Good News International, a local ministry in Kigali. Jeanne educates clients in the Rwandan countryside on basic hygiene, offers jobs training and opportunities for individuals to become self-supporting. She also leads an amazing program called Life After Loss, for individuals who have lost loved ones from the genocide, HIV and cancer. Jeanne and her family have given their lives to make a difference in the lives of others. I hope to be able to share her story with you. Jeanne has asked me to help purchase goats for women in the Rwandan countryside. These ladies will use the goats for milk and then hopefully the goats will have baby goats and the ladies will give the baby goats to their neighbors. A goat in Kigali costs $35 and I’ve been asked to help purchase 20.
Finally, Amahoro Builders in Kigali led by Rev Appoline Kabera sponsors two projects to help struggling individuals to become self-supporting. The first project help survivors of domestic violence support themselves through animal husbandry. These women are given livestock to raise and when the animals reproduce, the women give the offspring to neighbors so that the work may grow and continue. The second project helps older teenagers and young adults who have been living on the streets establish hair salons in Kigali. Both the women and young people must repay any loans received from the project from the proceeds of their businesses and they are required to attend weekly meetings with Amahoro Builders to insure their success.
Would you consider supporting these projects? To make a tax-deductible donation, please donate to paypal.me/BrannonLaForce 100% of the money you give will go to these projects. My friends I need your help to help these amazing people. I will be providing regular updates on my adventure. If you want to receive email updates, send your email address to Alex@brannonlaforce.com, or you may visit the African Adventure page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/africarwandakigali
or you may check back here on this Facebook page. Thank you for your help and support.
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