Brick By Brick Building Updates

This Is What You've Made Possible!

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:00:00 +0000

It's amazing how much St. Dymphna has grown over the past 6 months. Recently the builders have completed the roofing for the first floor along with 2 additional classrooms. They continue to work on completion of classrooms, an administrative office, and roofing for the second floor. Most importantly, when the rest of the school is completed the remaining students on the waiting list will begin to attend school. I could continue to write about all of the progress that St. Dymphna has undergone, but it seems best to let the photos do the talking. Enjoy!

Thank You!!

Building Progress!!

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:04:00 +0000

Hello Family and Friends!

We are thrilled to tell you about how quickly St. Dymphna’s School has grown since our trip to Tanzania in January of 2008. Mary, the director of the school, has recently sent us many new photos and we wanted to share our sense of pride with you in hope that you will feel the same way. It is only through your continued support that this project has been able to become what it is today…a functioning school for special needs children in Tanzania.

As you see will from the photos below the second building is almost complete and is now home to one completed classroom, a storefront and functioning bathrooms. Yet to be completed in the second building is the classroom for continuing education for special needs young adults where these students will be taught how to cook, make various curios and sew. All of the products made in the class will be sold in the school store. The store will function to not only help sustain the adult education project but also the experience of selling goods will be a learning opportunity for students striving to gain employment in the future.

The third building continues to grow. Currently the foundation and walls are completed for the first floor of the building. This building will consist of classrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen.

The best news of all is that we now have ten children attending school daily at St. Dymphna. Our goal of providing a safe place for special needs children to learn and grow is being realized even as the building continues to grow around them. Mary and all of the children are incredibly grateful and asked me to pass along their appreciation.

There is still much work to be done, but I hope that you agree that with your help, we’ve accomplished a great deal.

Thank you again for all of your support. Through your contribution to Brick by Brick you are truly saving lives.

With Gratitude,
Colleen and Kari

Where Does The Money Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:41:00 +0000

Brick By Brick is sharing with you how donations are being spent to build St. Dymphna. Below is a more recent update from Mary, the director and head teacher at St. Dymphna Special Needs School. You will see a breakdown of what supplies are being purchased with the money, costs for delivering those supplies, as well as labor costs to build the school. In addition, are new photos displaying the progress of the school. We are proud to share that the walls for the initial portion of the school are nearly completed and they will soon begin the ceiling and second level of the school. It is because of your gracious donations that we are one step closer to the completion of the school.

Building Material/Labor Costs
2.13.08
cement 100@13,500 = 1,350,000
steel Bars 16mm20pcs @23,000 = 460,000
Steel Bars 8mm30pcs@8,000 = 260,000
Binding wire 50kgs @2,000 = 100,000
Timbers 6*1 rm480 @1,208 = 580,000
Transport for materials = 130,000

3.14.08
Labour charge = 600,000
concrete bricks 500@1,200 = 650,000
Red bricks 4,040 @250 = 1,010,000
Bricks trans.3 trips@20,000 = 60,000

3.17.08
cement bags 50@1,200 = 675,000

3.19.08
Sand 1 lorry@80,000 = 80,000
labour charge = 1,000,000

3.23.08
concrete bricks 200 @1,200 = 250,000
sand 1 lorry@80,000 = 80,000
dpc(plastic for foundation = 45,000

3.29.08
Nails 10 kgs @1,800 = 18,000
stones 1 lorry @70,000 = 70,000

GRAND TOTAL IS 7,398,000/= Tz shs
= Approx. $6,725 US Dollars

Kwaheri (Goodbye) Tanzania

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:52:00 +0000

After two days of flying and a run in with food poisoning, it has been a real treat arriving back in the U.S. In America one tends to take for granted a refreshing shower and the ability to brush through your hair. Although Colleen and I are both back in the U.S. we look forward to continuing the construction of St. Dymphna. Before my departure from Tanzania, the fundi (workers), were rigorously working on the foundation of the second portion of the school. Only moments after I had arrived back in the U.S. and checked my email, I received word from Mary that the foundation had in fact been completed.
The fundi consistently amaze me with their endurance, speed, determination, and how meticulously they work. Their day is spent shoveling dirt, mixing cement, stacking cement blocks, all while being bare foot, yet rarely do I witness them breaking a sweat.
In addition to the foundation, the fundi were able to complete three bathrooms, which included tiling the main bathroom, placing sinks in the kitchen, and finishing the ceilings in the office and adult classroom, as well as other touchups. Lori, Anna, Colleen, and I were able to participate in a little hands-on work. We spent a day and a half sanding the adult classroom in preparation for painting. Once we were finished sanding and cleaning the walls, we were able to begin painting the classroom a color we referred to as Buttercream. We also spent time helping the fundi shovel dirt to prepare for the placement of cement blocks for the foundation. Needless to say we didn’t last long under the scorching sun.
The next step will be to construct the walls for the main level of the second portion of the school. We hope to be able to provide continuous updates as the walls are being built. Mary has agreed to take photos, scan them, and email them to us so we are able to share the school’s progress with all of you as it is happening. Keep in mind technology and transportation in Tanzania for Mary isn’t as reliable and timely as we are accustomed to in the U.S, but we’ll do our best to keep you as updated as possible. Thank you for your continued support.

Hello from Arusha!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:33:00 +0000

We have nothing but good news for our first update. Since I left a year and a half ago the school has grown tremendously and it continues to grow before our eyes. The building was not what we expected but we are happy to say that it surpasses our wildest imaginations.

When I left here in July of 2006 we thought that the two-story portion of the building would be the priority and would hopefully be completed by now unfortunately as we are all too familiar with in the states our engineer/contractor had taken on one too many jobs and kept putting the school on the back burner. Fortunately for us Mary did not want the building to stop so while she waited for the contractor she began a second phase of the school and it is something we are very excited about.

One of the things we were worried about when we first started building St. Dymphna was how the school would sustain itself. Kari and I knew that we would not be able to continue to support the school upon completion and that Mary would have to find a way to keep it running herself or with the help of someone else, and in the last year Mary found a way to do just that.

Mary realized that once the children completed school around age 15 that they were then sent out in the to the world that was unlikely to employ them and provide them with the necessary training to obtain the skills they would need to be successful. So Mary came up with a solution. She began building another section of the school this section includes an adult/older children classroom that will be used to teach sewing, cooking, jewelry making etc. Right next door to this classroom is a storefront where the students can be taught to sell the goods they make, learn to make change and interact with the world in a business setting. We think the idea is brilliant and is exactly what the school needs to accomplish its mission to help children with special needs become functioning adults in Tanzanian society.

So it is with great excitement that we can tell you that this addition is almost complete. The building contains 6 rooms; two small sleeping quarters (Kari and I joked they were our rooms), an office, a store front, the adult classroom and bathrooms that contain two toilets and a shower. The building looks great and while the pictures don’t quite do it justice they are included here for your viewing pleasure.

The grounds also are shaping up quite nicely. Mary has planted a beautiful garden with both flowers and trees. The playground area is a very good size and is ready and waiting for a swing-set and slides to be installed.

And as for what is next, as of today, building will resume on the two-story portion of the main school building. We’ve hired a new engineer who is highly qualified in building such structures and he is bringing his crew today to start re-digging to stabilize the columns we sunk in July of 06. They’ve recently had earthquakes here and are now taking extra precautions to ensure the building is here to stay. By the time I leave next week the foundation will be poured and hopefully by the time Kari leaves on the 20th the brick walls will have begun to grow.

And as for Kari and I we are both happy and healthy. We are thrilled to have two new energetic volunteers on the trip with us. Kari’s sister, Lori, and her cousin, Anna, have dared the 20+ hour plane ride to come help us work on St. Dymphna's. They are a great addition to the Brick by Brick team.

We hope this update finds you all well and enjoying the New Year!

Until next time…salama.

***This was written on Friday, January 4th but due to lack of power is being posted today***

Colleen and Kari Return to Tanzania!

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 04:40:00 +0000

Good news!! Our blog will soon be updated with new pictures and stories of what has been happening at St. Dymphna's. Kari and I will be returning to Tanzania on December 28th to monitor the progress and hopefully be involved in the building process. If we're lucky we might even get to paint a new mural...any suggestions would be appreciated for what our next wall motif should be.

I know that everyone is curious as to what has been happening. As I am sure you can imagine its not the easiest task for us to get updates when we are here in the states but through email we have heard there is a lot of progress being made and we are incredibly excited to see what all has happened and what we will be doing next.

Once again I thank you for your support and continued interest. Keep checking back for new updates after December 28th.

And most importantly, I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season.

Colleen

Brick By Brick Video Update

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Mon, 21 May 2007 05:36:00 +0000

We've taken some time off due to work and school but we are happy to report that a lot of new and exciting things are about to happen at Brick by Brick! Over the next few weeks we will be updating our webpage with news, photos and videos.

We are also about to start a new fundraising campaign as we are happy to finally report that we obtained our 501.c.3 status from the IRS! This means that Brick by Brick is officially a non-profit business that is able to receive tax deductible donations!

Please check back soon to see all of our updates. Until then, I hope that you enjoy this short video we put together to show the progress that has occured since Brick by Brick began.

Asante Sana Wazungu!

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 09:43:00 +0000

With only a few days left in Tanzania, I thought it was time to begin to recognize all of the wazungu who have volunteered their time and efforts while I was here. I have been overwhelmed with the amount of interest and support shown by so many of the people I have met along my travels. Whether moral, financial or artistic each contribution made a huge difference and at times kept the project going along much more smoothly than had I done it alone.

I want to thank Joe, Becca and Nikki for showing me what a difference a coat of paint can make. Their work at Patandi in Mary's classroom paved the way for the painting at Oloseva. I also want to thank Joe for coming up to the school to visit and taking the time to learn more about disability education in Tanzania. His excitement for the project and for disability education in general helped to remind me why building St. Dymphna is so important.

Since I last posted pictures of the classroom at St. Dymphna a lot of progress has been made. The white coat of paint and the red letters made the classroom look better, but after seeing the mural at Patandi I knew that I couldn't stop there. To move further though I had to recruit some help as my artistic talent is rather limited. I had dreamed up an idea of an under the sea theme but wasn't quite sure how we were going to accomplish it, I knew it would be difficult to find someone to paint fish, so I had to figure out a way around it. It turns out that a coloring book, lamination and velcro can solve many problems. Once the fish problem was solved I still needed some help with the painting, thankfully, Mandy and Rachel came through and helped to paint the ocean and color the fish. They went a step further when they came up to the school a second time along with Michelle and added sand, seaweed, and a fantastic sun. I hope that you agree with me when I say the room looks fantastic. It is so much fun to see the children inside working in a bright and inviting environment.

I also need to thank Ingrid (who I don't have any pictures of other than of her dancing with Said and I won't do that to her). When I was stressed and having problems with the bank and dealing with all of the frustrations of getting things going here, she kept me calm by forcing hamburgers down my throat. I don't know that I would have been able to emotionally get through it as well as I did if she hadn't been my mom from the land of Oz. I also have to thank her for lighting a new fire in my heart and soul and brainstorming with me for our next venture. This trip is certainly not the last of our collaborations.

And finally of all my mzungu friends (and I'm sure I'm leaving some out so pole sana) I have to thank Bryan. Bryan came along on this trip with little knowledge of what he was getting himself into. He didn't know the language, he didn't know the culture, and he certainly didn't know about the copious amount of food he would be eating while he was here. And while he hit a few bumps along the way, for the most part he was a phenomenal volunteer/partner to have with me. He deserves the most thanks for putting up with the brunt of my frustrations and for keeping me sane in my most insane moments. He also deserves much of the credit for my survival of dysentry and my subsequent illnesses. He was there every step of the way whether it was taping the outlines of letters, cutting out fish, video taping the progress, entertaining me with his drumming, refusing to force feed me thirty potatoes when I was ill, or reminding me that all of this was worth it--he made everything a little bit easier for me. I will forever be grateful for his support, understanding and patience.

Upward Movement

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 07:33:00 +0000

The buliding process has continued smoothly. I feel as though I can finally take a deep breath as it seems we have worked out all of the major kinks. I am more certain than ever that when the time comes to leave in six very short days that things will continue to progress without a problem. Below I am inserting pictures of what has happened in the past week at the site. The most exciting part for me was to see the columns rise above the ground level. It was fantastic to know that not only had I seen the ground breaking but I had also seen the school rise above the dirt. I constantly find myself taking a step back and realizing just how amazing this whole process has been. I feel so lucky to have seen it first hand. I only wish that Kari could be here with me to share in the small victories.
Steel Grids were made to fit into the bottom of each pit.
After the grids were in place, the steel columns were attached to the grid
Once the columns were in place the grids and the bases of the columns were covered with cement. (Bryan and I loved this guys shoes...empty cement bags!)
Wooden boxes were made to fit around the steel to serve as molds so that the concrete/cement could be poured and formed around the steel structures.
The concrete was then poured and left to dry overnight.
The next day the wood was removed and the holes were backfilled with dirt leaving the tops of the columns above ground!

A more complete building update

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 09:59:00 +0000

The power has returned for the day and so now I sit with a cup of filter coffee, a full hour of internet time, and every intention of writing a proper building update.

As I said in the previous post, work started on Monday. The crew arrived bright and early. They spent most of the day surveying the land and framing out the building using four by fours and a few branches from nearby trees. I was assured that our building would not in fact be constructed of these materials rather they were an easy and efficient way for the engineer to measure where the column pits were to be dug the next day.

On Tuesday, the work really began. The work crew arrived at 6am to start their day. They knew it was going to be one of the more labor intensive days. They had to dig fourteen pits that ranged anywhere from four feet to five and a half feet deep. These pits would serve as the foundation for the building. The ground was by no means level when they started so every hole had to be dug at a different depth. As I hope you were able to see from the pictures it was by no means easy work. It took a full five hours of non-stop work to dig three pits with one worker at each pit. We were amazed at how quickly they dug the very deep and very wide holes and with great precision as well. I cannot say enough good things about the people we have working with us. They really never stop, unless of course we force them to take a coca-cola break which we learned after the first day they really do enjoy.

On Wednesday we arrived later in the day to find that all but three of the fourteen pits had been completed. I'm not quite sure how that amount of work was completed in such a sort time, I joked that they must have found a bobcat while I was sleeping, but they somehow managed. I was convinced that they would have finished the job completely on Wednesday except for one slight problem the last three holes had to be dug through a three and a half foot deep layer of cement and boulders. When the original building was built they extended the foundation further than neccessary with the thought that they would just be able to use the same foundation for the new building. What they didn't know at that time was when the time for the second building came along that the new building would require column pits for support. (I have learned that the first engineer was sub-par and we are now working with someone who is much more professional and well respected) So, unfortunately for our three hole diggers they had a lot more work cut out for them than they expected. They left on Wednesday without even attempting to get through the cement. I cannot say that I blame them.

Thursday was another early morning. They had to get through the cement before Friday when they had to pour the new cement into the column pits. They toiled for nine straight hours on Thursday to dig out the final three pits. It was not only painful to watch them work so diligently but it was also quite painful to stand by and literally not be allowed to do anything. So, Bryan and I continued with our painting project. We still have been unable to solicit an artist to help us with the mural so we continued on with the things we could do. We decided to paint the alphabet around the room in bright red letters. Easier said than done! We first measured the space we needed to evenly space out the letters and after we did that we realized we did it incorrectly and only had space for twenty-five letters so we had to start again...good thing we did the math and measuring ahead of time! So after we had that all sorted out I drew the letters and Bryan went around and taped the letters due to my lack of ability in precision painting with oil paints and the lack of stencils. We quickly learned that crooked letters are not so easy. But after a lot of laughter and frustration we were able to paint. We're pretty proud of our alphabet, its by no means perfect but I think you will all agree that it looks better than it did a week ago.

Friday's work task was hugely ironic to me. After digging out all the dirt, boulders, and cement, it was time to put dirt, boulders and cement back into the holes. It was fun to watch how it was all done. I'll be the first to admit that I don't really know how foundations are built in the US but this seemed to be a task that could be made so much easier with some simple machinery. The first step of the process was to put a level surface of boulders at the bottom of the pit. The next step was to mix the cement. This required a five part process. First they poured the bag of cement on the ground, next they put sand on top of the cement and then a layer of rocks. Then, they poured a buckets of water onto the pile and had to mix with shovels. Bryan informed me that you can make your own cement at home in the same way but its the same price to buy it pre-mixed so he never understood why you would make your own! Clearly here the pre-mixed option is not available. Once the cement was mixed the poured it into the holes on top of the layer of boulders. They then had to make it level and smooth, to do this they used a piece of word and a level. Not surprisingly they were incredibly efficient at getting the whole thing done in one day. They are without a doubt the exact opposite of lazy. I on the other hand felt quite lazy as the only thing I accomplished on Friday was a second coat of paint and removing the tape from the letters.

And now, the cement is drying until Monday when the columns (which I cannot explain because I haven't seen them yet and don't understand exactly what they will be like) will be placed.

The whole process so far has been incredible for me to be able to see, photograph and video. I am constantly reminded of how hard these guys are working and how little they are getting paid. It's a bizzare situation for me to be in feeling as though I am not paying them enough but also knowing that they are making more than most and any more would be considered excessive by Tanzanian standards. I cannot say that I am entirely enjoying being the whitey with the money, I find it frustrating that I cannot get my hands into the dirt and help, but I also know why I can't and why I shouldn't and so I am learning to be okay with finding side projects that I can help with like painting and gardening. It is funny to hear about the perceptions of work in America. When asked if we dug pits by hand or with machine and we replyed machines there was a large amount of laughter and a comment made about how we must just drive around in our cars all day and do work on our phones and computers. It's been fun to try and explain that while that is true of some people that not all people from the US have cars and a lot of money. There is such a huge perception that we are all wealthy and without problems. So much is lost in translation when you try to explain that while our poverty doesn't compare to the poverty that exists here that there are still many Americans who don't live with the luxuries that they see from American television, music, and magazines. It's been a fun learning experience and I have enjoyed the cultural exchange that seems to be taking place.

So, I think that is all for now, I hope I didn't bore you too much with the building process. I had a lot of requests for more information about how it all was done. I hope that you are able to enjoy the pictures. I will post more next week as the columns are placed.

Thank you once again for all of your interest and support. You've helped to make this all possible!

Oh! And to answer a common question that I have been receiving, we will not be celebrating the fourth of july here as America's independence isn't recognized as a Tanzanian holiday however we have decided that we will burn our trash pile on the fourth to fulfill our pyromaniac desires.

Picture Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 11:45:00 +0000

Ground has been broken!!!!

The work crew has been working very hard all week digging the column pits for the foundation. Fourteen pits in total had to be dug ranging in depth from four to five and half feet deep and the only tools that were available were pick axes and shovels.
Unfortunately due to a current power shortage and therefore a slow internet connection I can only post a few pictures with a few descriptions. I promise to write more and share more pictures in the very near future.

The workers arrive Monday morning

Framing out the boundary of the new building

Ground Breaking!

The persistence of the wokers and their mental and physical stamina was incredible. Three workers dug six holes in the first day

We thought it was a good photo op!

Planning, Painting, Planting

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 12:56:00 +0000

And we have PROGRESS!!

I write with a very happy heart after two fantastic days of hard work and with many days ahead of work that can be done. The best news of the week is that after almost a full month of fighting with the bank, our money has arrived safe and sound and we are now able to take the next step forward.

The money arrived on Tuesday of this week and we immediately started planning how to spend it. We knew that we needed to acquire another plot of land. The current plot is only big enough for the current and new buildings and Tanzanian law requires that if a school is going to be built there must also be room for a playground. There is a plot of land immediately behind the original building, it is currently completely full of corn, but it is quite a large piece of land. We met with the woman who owns the plot. She is a Maasai woman. Her husband left her when her two children were quite young. Her two boys are now getting older and she needed money to put them through school and to build them each a house. It is apparently a tradition that each boy should have his own home when he becomes a certain age. She owns quite a bit of land and is slowly selling it off piece by piece. We were fortunate to meet with her and convince her to sell us the land adjacent to our plot at a fair price. So, that was our first order of business as there were many people also placing bids on the land. The woman assured us that we were the only people she wanted to sell to because she knew it was for the school. It has been amazing to me to see the support from the surrounding community for this school. Everyone is excited to see the progress and just wants to do whatever they can to help.

After negotiating for the plot of land we met with our engineer. He too is excited to get started. We explained to him our current monetary situation and told him that we could only give him so much at this time. He was more than happy to start with what we have. So as of Monday, we will break ground and begin building the foundation for St. Dymphna School. I am incredibly excited to be working with this engineer. We sat and had sodas with him as he told us his story and why he is so eager to help us. He grew up in this area and has been looking for a way to give back to his community. His wife works with the largest volunteer HIV support network in Tanzania and has been encouraging him to do his part and get involved in the community. When he heard about St. Dymphna he saw it as his opportunity to contribute. He is doing everything that he can to lower costs and provide us with a quality building. It is incredibly refreshing to speak with him and hear about how excited his is about the project. His excitement and his respect for the project and the efforts of all of those involved with Brick by Brick reassures me that we are working with the right man.

So, once the money was spent or at least promised the fun was able to begin. After being inspired by the work of a few volunteers who painted Mary’s classroom at Patandi. (Thank you Joe, Becca, and Nikki) Bryan and I decided that we should paint the completed classroom at Olesevia.

Let me take a brief moment to explain the building plan as we have been unable to scan and post the actual drawings. Currently, there is a building that Mary and her friends and family funded and built over the past two years. It is standing but by no means complete. It is the building in all the pictures and the building that Kari and I helped to put windows and doors into in January. As of Monday, we will begin the second phase of the building, which will actually be a completely separate building, that will run perpendicular and to the right of the building that now stands. I promise to post pictures and scanned copies of the plans ASAP.

The classroom that now stands houses a class of anywhere from 3-7 students on a daily basis. The walls had been covered in cement but had never been painted with the exception of some crayon drawings by the children. It was grey and dark and somewhat depressing so after seeing the wonders that new paint can do for a classroom we decided to see what we could do. As of today we finished the second coat of white on all four walls. I feel as though I should thank Alice and Aron for all the hours of painting they “provided me with” during my undergraduate career because I learned that painting walls is definitely a skill and is not something that just anyone can do without causing streaks and drips. As I hope that you can see from the pictures there is already a vast improvement in the room it is now much brighter and appears to be much larger. We have plans to continue painting and I’m hoping to find someone with a little more artistic talent than I possess to paint a “under the sea” mural on the wall with numbered colorful fish.

And finally my favorite part of the today was when I once again had the opportunity to plant some African roots. Upon obtaining a plot of land it is customary to plant on it so that people know it has been purchased and is no longer for sale. So, amidst the maize Bryan and I planted the first tree on our new land. It truly is an amazing experience to dig in the dirt and plant something, for some reason it makes the whole experience here feel more real and tangible. I will always be able to watch our tree grow as well as my previously planted Kayley rose garden and know that those are roots that I helped to plant here in Tanzania. Those are my African roots.

Frustrations, Realizations, and Renewed Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 06:59:00 +0000

The first time I sat down to write this post it began as an ode to my Tanzanian banking woes. I had had 10 full days of anguish trying to set up an account that money could be transferred to and had seen no real result, so the original form of this post was really more of a rant than anything else. However, in the last twenty-four hours my outlook has changed slightly because I realized that if anything happens quickly or easily here in Tanzania it probably isn’t legal.

This realization came after having a safari guide tell me (after hearing through a third party that I was having banking woes) that he could pull some strings at a Kenyan bank and within 48 hours we could have an account in our name and have access to the cash. This came at the end of my 10th day of misery, after having three international and reputable banks tell me that there was no way for me personally to open my own account in Tanzania without first becoming/obtaining a Tanzanian residential visa. Some may have jumped at this offer, however it was clear to me then and it is even more clear now, that the easy way out here often involves bribes, backhandedness, and dark alley negotiations, and I did not want to be any part of it.

So, it is taking us a little longer than we anticipated in terms of getting the money to flow this way, however, I have been encouraged that it will happen by the end of this week. We were able to open a new account using Mary’s residential status and my bank has agreed to figure out how exactly to get money into the account in the most expedient and safe way possible. As of today the money has left my account in Michigan and is somewhere in the land of wire transfers. It should hopefully be arriving safely sometime this afternoon in Arusha.

Unfortunately it means that I don’t have any stories of groundbreaking or any pictures of all of the work we have accomplished, because the pictures would mostly contain grumpy pictures of me sitting in a hot bank waiting in line only to be told I don’t have the right color pen on my paper work. However, it does mean that I am working on it and will continue to work on it until the money is here in the most respectable and traceable way possible.

Every story has to have some nasty turns and pitfalls. Here is to hoping that this is our biggest and only problem.

My spirit was renewed in the project today when I heard word from home that Brick by Brick had received a donation from a family in Joliet. It wasn’t so much that the amount of money renewed me although I assure you that it was incredibly uplifting and exciting but it was more the letter that accompanied the check. In it I was informed that the children in this family had decided they were going to donate part of their monthly allowances to help to build St. Dymphna. And it was in this act, the act of children being taught to care for other children that they had never even met and never would meet that my faith was renewed. I was reminded that this project is more than just about building a school for disabled children in Tanzania, it is also about education and awareness to all who are a part of the project with the hope that we will all become better global citizens and learn to care for all of humanity regardless of race, nationality, economic status, or ability.

Meet Zwadi

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:52:00 +0000

I thought it was time to introduce you to some of the children that Mary works with and has been working with over the past three years. So the next couple of posts will be about a couple of the children that I have known and been fortunate enough to see learn and grow in the time I have spent in Arusha.

When Kari and I were first in Arusha in 2003 one of our placements was at Nkoragana Orphanage or to be more correct, Kari's placement was at Nkoranaga and I went up there whenever there was time to visit. It was one of our favorite places to volunteer mostly because it was clear that it was there that we were most needed. There were 32 children at the orphanage at that time and without volunteers most of those children went uncared for, untouched, and unloved. Our job as volunteers was to bathe and feed the children and then take them outside to play. For the most part it was fun, at times it was incredibly challenging. There was one child in particular that was a huge challenge. Her name was Zwadi. The pictures above are of Zwadi three years ago at the orphanage. It was clear to us at the time that Zwadi had some sort of mental disability. She was unable to communicate or play. She refused to look you in the eye and did not like being touched. After volunteering in Mary's autism unit I began to wonder if Zwadi was in fact autisitc. She was incredibly physical, she struggled whenever one of the volunteers tried to bathe her and refused to be toilet trained. We all cared for Zwadi but to be completely honest most of the volunteers didn't like her. She was difficult and demanded much attention if one tried to care for her. There was little any of us felt we could do. There wasn't the time or resources to work with her and we all figured that she would live her entire life at the orphanage never being able to communicate or interact with others.

Fortunately when we told Mary about Zwadi she offered to evaluate her. Sometime after Kari and I left, another volunteer offered to help to bring Zwadi to Mary's class each morning. Eventually Zwadi was moved from the orphanage to Patandi boarding house where she is cared for and brought to Mary's class each morning.

I am incredibly happy, excited, and proud to tell you now that after approximately two and a half years of being in Mary's class Zwadi is now doing incredibly well. She has developed a personality. She loves to clap and sing. She loves to play ball, and participate in class. She not only will sit with you and sing with you, telling you when you're clapping is off beat, but she is also able to sit quietly while others participate in class. It is incredible to see someone who was so uncontrollable and unable to function or participate in daily tasks, to not only be under her own control, but also to know and understand when someone is talking with her and to respond to requests and commands.

I sat with Zwadi for twenty minutes this morning, singing, clapping, and drumming, and when it was time to finish, Zwadi said "imekwisha" which means I am finished and got up and moved on to playing kickball with another child.

I cannot begin to tell you how incredible it is to see that education really does work, that Mary's program is effective. I am more certain now than ever that this school is essential. Through her class, Mary is saving lives. She is giving purpose, hope, and the ability to communicate to children who had been given up on long ago. It truly is inspiring.

Zwadi is learning new activities and words every day. Soon she will be learning daily tasks like doing laundry and pouring water. She is so much fun to be around as she is always smiling, laughing, and looking for someone to play with. I am confident that with the help of Mary Zwadi will continue to grow and eventually be able to function in Tanzanian society.

I will keep you posted on all of her progress and next time I will write about another child who I've known and loved for the past three years named Toomey. Toomey was Alexis' (a friend of mine) favorite child and I look forward to telling and showing everyone of her improvement.

So until next time, I am doing well. Progress with the banking has been slow and painful, but I am happy to report that as of tomorrow all of our sorrows should be figured out and groundbreaking should be taking place by the end of the week. I will write more as soon as I know about the progress of the school.

thank you once again for all of your interest and support.

Salama,
Colleen

First Official Update

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Mon, 29 May 2006 18:35:00 +0000

We finally made it up to the school on Saturday. It took us awhile to make it up the hill. Normally, in dry weather the walk takes about 30 minutes unforutnately it has been extremely rainy so the road was very bad. Some of the ruts were as deep as I am tall. To add to the road conditions many of our paths to the school are now entirely covered in corn. It seems that with all the rain came many many fields of corn. It made the journey interesting to say the least.

The school looks great! The glass has been installed in the windows so the first building is now secure. It was exciting to see that furniture had been moved in doors and that classes had begun in the small classroom available. After looking around for a few minutes it was very clear that much more space was needed. There are so many students just waiting to start school at St. Dympha.

In the afternoon we went around the area to meet our neighbors. The school is being built on Masai land therefore the majority of our neighbors are Masai. The first people we met were incredibly kind and enjoyed making fun of our lack of Swahili. They took us inside there traditional home (a round house made with mud, sticks, and straw). Initally they told us that if we wanted to take pictures we would have to give them money however after spending some time with them they decided that as long as I printed the pictures for them as well, we could take as many pictures as we wanted. The man of the house was not home but his two wives were there sitting together, each with their own baby. It was incredible to see how well they got a long and worked together. While it is easy to criticize polygamy, it is common among the Masai people and with the more wives you have the higher status in the Masai community.

After our visit with our neighbors we returned to the school to meet with our Engineer. He is incredible. Since we last met with him he has done a lot of work on the building design and structure. He also reduced his original cost telling us that he had decided not to accept pay for his work. We spoke with him about what we could do with the money that we have raised so far. Finally it was decided that starting next week we will beginning digging the foundation and placing the concrete columns that will be the skeleton of the school. It was very exciting to make some progress and begin to realize our dreams of building the school.

So, that is all for now. All is well here. I did manage to obtain an upper respiratory infection, but it seems to be dissapating. Our next big mission is to set up a bank account here that we can access from home.

I wish you all well and thank you for your continued support!

Internet in Arusha

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Fri, 26 May 2006 07:36:00 +0000

We made it! After 24 hours of traveling, we (Bryan and I) arrived in Arusha. It was a very long but fortunately a very uneventful journey. We made it with all of our luggage in tact.

The past two days have been spent trying to adjust to the time change and finding a place to stay. I decided that I wanted to live in a village rather than in Arusha town, so we had to find a house that we could stay in. Fortunately, Mary's family has a house in the Meru region. It's a beautiful area surrounded by banana trees with a great view of Mt. Meru out the front door. The house is quite modern with occasionally running water and electricity. Fortunately the drought has ended so there is plenty of water in the area now we just have to figure out how to get it into our water tank so that it will run into the pipes. The end of the drought also means that electricity should become more available. During the drought there was a huge energy shortage as much of the areas power is harvested through hydroelectric dams. So, hopefully we won't have many problems with that.

With our living arrangements taken care of, we ventured into arusha today. The trip consisted of a thirty minute dala dala ride. A dala dala is a old rusted out VW bus that has been stripped of everything except a few bench seats. If I had to guess there were at least 30 people crammed into a vehicle that only has seats for 16. It's a crazy experience and super uncomfortable, but an adventure nonetheless. It's the cheapest form of transportation as it costs less than thirty cents to go 20km.

And now, I sit in the Patisserre on my computer using wireless internet. It seems that internet service in Arusha has improved greatly and I cannot put into words how excited I am about that. It will greatly increase my ability to communciate home and will reduce the stress that used to be caused by only getting to send two emails in an hour.

Tomorrow we will journey to Olesevia to visit the school site for the first time. I will be sure to take pictures and post them here as soon as possible. I look forward to seeing the progress made since Kari and I left in January.

So until next time, I hope this finds you all well.

I am safe, healthy, and incredibly happy.

Colleen

Karibu! Welcome!

noreply@blogger.com (Colleen Kiernan and Kari Sawyer) — Wed, 17 May 2006 17:19:00 +0000

Hello Everyone!

Kari and I decided that using the blogger site would be the easiest way to keep in touch and stay up to date on what I will be doing when I'm in Tanzania. On this site I will post as frequently as possible, what exactly I am doing while overseas. The site also provides the opportunity to everyone who visits to post comments about what I've written.

I will try to respond to comments as much as I can. I look forward to hearing from all of you. Please feel free to ask any questions that you may have.

To make comments click on the comment link below the post. You will be able to see where you can type in comments. If you want me to know who is posting the message click the bubble that says other and type in your name. Or you can remain annonymous if you so choose. (I do however have the right to edit any posts that are inappropriate for public consumption).

After typing that in I ask that you type in the word verification listed. This prevents the site from being spammed.

And then publish your comment.

If you have any trouble you can email me at colleenkiernan@gmail.com and I will do my best to help you out.

I look forward to sharing my travels with you and all the building updates.

Thank you once again for your interest and support.

Salama,

Colleen