Delivering the toys to an orphanage on Zanzibar Island

We left Nagaga village and headed to Zanzibar Island, off the coast of Tanzania. We meet our friend Gigi, a peace corps volunteer; working at an orphanage on Zanzibar Island. She found us sweet accommodations and introduced us to another volunteer, Anita who helped orient us to the town. Gigi, arranged for us to meet the matrons of the orphanage and explain our project. There were about 50 children living in the orphanage, boys and girls, of all ages. Each child got a toy. They were so sweet and grateful for the gifts. We were able to interact with them for a short while before they had to continue their daily schedule. Below are a few pictures of their smiling faces! Thank YOU Family Flex children and families for bringing an extra smile and happiness to these children.

Nagaga Village.... cows, roofing, coloring books, bandages and more....

Hello! We have had a very busy few days. We left the bustling town of Mtwara Sunday morning to arrive in the remote village of Nagaga 7 dusty, bumpy, exhausted hours later. We had many projects planned for our short time in Nagaga. See the pictures and captions below.

In collaboration with the Holy Cow Project, our friend Jessica sent us with funds and contacts to buy a pregnant milking cow for the Wagumu Camp in the village of Mkangaola. Wagumu camp is a group of about 23 villagers. The mission of their group is to provide Health Education to the rest of the village. Finding the cow was no easy task. We sent many villagers in search for a milking cow. After hearing of a prospect in the neighboring village of Lisange. We hopped on 5 motorcycles and took to the dusty road. The cow was beautiful as you can see from her picture above. The haggling for the price of the cow was successful. We settled on a fair price. The cow was herded 3 hours back to Nagaga. We arrived back to a huge celebration of singing, cheering, chanting, dancing and all kinds of happy festivities in honor of the cow's arrival. The village leader was called to officiate the exchange of the cow. Wagumu camp is now the proud owner of a healthy, pregnant, milking cow. We did our job! Soon they will be able to sell the milk to pay for other expenses to keep their office/clinic open to the public-providing health services. 

Secondly, the Wagumu camp chairperson, showed us the new office building the built themselves. The office has 4 rooms. The rooms will be used for guidance and counseling, testing for HIV/AIDS, group meetings, agriculture planning and other meeting groups. They built the building out of bricks but they did not have the resources to complete the roof. With the remaining funds from the HOLY COW project we were able to buy 45 pieces of tin roofing to complete the building and to shelter the cow's hut. 

That completes Monday. It was very unTanzanian of us all to collaborate and finish the above projects in a single day!

Tuesday, we woke early to the sounds of school children singing. We brought the donated gifts from FAMILY FLEX to give to the preschool children. The teachers welcomed us warmly. The students greeted us with songs and dance. There were 70 children in one classroom. We gave each child a coloring book, a handful of crayons and a pad of stickers. They loved their gifts and were very grateful for the visit. It was a lot of fun to interact with these joyful children. Unfortunately we had to cut the visit short because we had a meeting planned with an HIV/AIDS group at the local health dispensary. 

We walked to the health clinic and meet the doctor and Bwilo the chairperson of the HIV/AIDS group. Julie donated two boxes of health supplies to the local village clinic. The doctors and nurses were very excited for the new supplies. Ace bandages were not common in the village setting. They were very thrilled see how they worked and all the possible uses for them.

We left Nagaga village very happy about our projects!!!

That's it for today! We are swimming in the Indian ocean tomorrow and resting up for our next trip to Zanzibar island. We will meet up with our friend Gigi who works at an orphanage. She will help us to donate the rest of the toys from Family Flex.

Ethiopia to Mtwara, Tanzania!!!!

In Mtwara, Tanzania, this young boy, Onesmo, explores his new toy. Onesmo noticed that all of his friends had new toys, so he crawled to the gate where he came face to face with the guard dog.  But his journey was not in vain, we heard his cries, and we came to pick him up and offer him a special toy for his bravery.

Siladi loves his new cow. This one doesn't keep him up all night out his window mooing like the one that taunts me to buy  him and give him away. MOOOOOO!!!

Baobob tree vs Shannon!!

Tomorrow, we take a bus to the small village of Nagaga to buy a cow for the Wagumu group. Wish us luck!!!

Toys for Tanzania!

Thank you Family Flex children and families for your wonderful donations to our Quest! We will keep you updated on the stories of the happy children in Tanzania as they receive these amazing gifts with bright smiles!!!

The Compassionate Backpacker’s Quest 2011!

A Journey to Support Health and Education in Eastern Africa

THE OBJECTIVE:

To collectively raise $2,500, this will send 40 packages of medical and school supplies to underserved villages in rural Tanzania and Mozambique.

WHAT:

Mandy Nurrenbern (Health Education Peace Corps Volunteer, Mozambique), Shannon Schiele (Teacher and Returned Peace Corp Volunteer, Tanzania) and Julie Costa (Nurse, Teacher and World Traveler) are teaming up to organize a philanthropic backpacking voyage through Eastern Africa, bringing medical and school supplies to several remote and desolate villages.

All of the proceeds will go to purchasing supplies, shipping packages and paying customs fees to receive the packages in country. These supplies will bring comfort to those in need of medical services and educational sponsorship.

HOW:

Here is how you can help! Your contribution to our cause can help pay for needed supplies and shipping services that will make all the difference for many under-served communities.

Any amount is most welcomed and appreciated.

A donation of $25.00 will pay to ship one package to East Africa and the custom fees to retrieve it from the post office in country.

You can pay by credit card through our website's secure Pay Pal Account or check payable to Shannon Schiele or Julianne Costa.

WHY:

This fundraiser was organized to raise funds for the “The Compassionate Backpacker’s Quest 2011” expedition to support quality health care and empower education for ALL!

WHEN:

Our deadline for raising $2,500 is August 1, 2011. The Backpacking Adventure takes place August 2-September 9, 2011.

THE DETAILS:

Metropolitan State College of Denver's Nursing Club has collected their essential medical supplies and donated to the QUEST. School supplies still need to be collected and purchased. Packages will be mailed to Peace Corps Headquarters in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and to Peace Corp Volunteer Mandy Nurrenbern in Mozambique. Shannon and Julie arrive in Tanzania August 3, 2011. They will collect the packages of school and medical supplies and visit Southern Tanzania, delivering the supplies to rural communities. After three weeks of backpacking through Tanzania and visiting desolate villages, they will fly to Mozambique where they will travel to Makwakwa village to meet Mandy Nurrenbern and deliver the last of the supplies to her small village. We will spend two weeks in Makwakwa village facilitating health education and conducting sports camps for the youth. 

BIOGRAPHIES:

Shannon Schiele – Educator

Shannon Schiele, early childhood educator, and aspiring philanthropist, initiated the “Compassionate Backpackers Quest 2011” in hopes of bringing a little happiness to others through health, education, sports and games. Shannon loves adventure and experiencing new cultures. She recently returned to the states after spending two years in the Chiungutwa Village in Tanzania, Africa, as a United States Peace Corps Health Educator. “I am very excited to return to Chiungutwa village and reunite with the wonderful people.”

Shannon known for her enthusiasm, energy, and work ethic looks forward to working with the youth in the communities of Eastern Africa. “I am excited to be a part of this philanthropic quest and to pay it forward. I look forward to working with people who share a love for education, sports and youth empowerment.”

Shannon completed her undergraduate degree at Linfield College where she graduated with honors while earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood and Elementary Education.

Julie Costa – Nurse and Educator

Julie Costa, an optimistic Sagittarius, is one of the original founders of the “Compassionate Backpacker Quest 2011” initiative.  Julie is well known for her outgoing and friendly personality. She is spontaneous and adventurous and loves to travel the world and to meet people from every walk of life. This student of life is well traveled and has visited many countries in most of the continents on this Earth including; Central America, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Julie brings her own world knowledge and experience to this expedition . A graduate from San Francisco State University, Julie is a scholar of Kinesiology,  with a Physical Education teaching credential.  She has spent several years serving the public school system of San Diego as a substitute teacher K-12. Her passion, dedication and compassion for education, health and fitness have positively impacted the lives of her students and everyone with whom she has crossed paths.

Although she is a natural teacher, Julie is constantly looking to further her education and challenge herself in new ways. Her passion for the human body and helping others has led her to Metropolitan State College of Denver, where she volunteered through Americorps and is graduating from an Accelerated Nursing Program to become an RN, another step closer to helping others. Julie lives for today!  She lives to PLAY! And she strives to SAVE THE WORLD!

Mandy Nurrenbern- Peace Corps Volunteer, Mozambique

Mandy is currently serving in the US Peace Corps in Mozambique, East Africa. She resides in a small village called Makwakwa.

Mandy is a teacher, world travel and passionate rugby competitor and enthusiast

After graduating from Purdue University with a Physical Education Bachelors Degree, Mandy traveled the world playing rugby and inspiring youth and adults to live active healthy lives. She lived and worked in the grand Himalayas of India teaching physical education and served as an Americorps volunteer before deciding to go into the Peace Corps.

Mandy is excited to host the “Compassionate Backpackers Quest 2011” in her village to support health and education for ALL!

ATTENTION!!!

We would love to hear from our contributors. Please notify either Shannon or Julie by email or Facebook indicating your contribution and  whether or not you would like your name to be posted as one of our contributors on our website. We appreciate your support.