Big Changes.

I've just returned from Cape Town, South Africa after an amazing time spent with African Leadership friends. We traipsed around the Western Cape on the Garden Route where I visited caves in the mountains near the earth's first humans, I rode ostriches (the most hilarious expereience!), paraglided along the coastline of Brighten Bay (a new lifetime hobby) and generally enjoyed the summer sun and everything that comes with it.

I just arrived back to Mozambique yesterday and am looking upon big changes to take place this month and the next. Among these changes means me leaving the church I have been working with. We have decided that the intentions for Project Rx and the church itself are not really aligned. We have come to the conclusion that it is best if we work Project Rx through another ministry or another church, where the full potential of the project can be met.

The church is in the midst of organizing several hundred students in the area with the focus of bringing up future leaders in the church. The church feels that it cannot give full independence to the accomplishing of the goals as Project Rx intended them to be implemented because their goals lie in such different areas. In short, the implementation of Project Rx in this area cannot be carried out as orignially planned due to a misinterpretation of the goals of both the church and Project Rx.

After meeting with the head of African Leadership in SA, we concluded that I would pursue a job opportunity offered to me outside of Project Rx. The pastor of the church and I have yet to discuss how to continue/wrap up what has already been accomplished. I have the full intention of doing what is needed to see that the garden is utilized to its fullest potential.

I have been given the names of two other local churches established in the rural areas that would be willing to have Project Rx enter their church ministry. I am looking forward to making these relationships and am going forth with great optimism for what we can accomplish.

Amidst these unforeseen changes I am looking with such great hope for Project Rx and what is to come. Although the project is not going as orginially planned, there is still so much potential for the project and where it can continue to work here in Mozambique.

I will be updating everyone more regularly about what changes are taking place. If you have any direct questions, please feel free to email me about specifics.

aromero@projectrx.org, +258-847-139-075

PS sorry there are no pictures and the updates have been so sparse! Since I arrived here, the logic board on my macbook has been corrupted and is finally/still being repaired in Cape Town :(

O jardim progride! (The garden proceeds!)

Has it been two weeks since my last post!? Sorry guys. Really though, sorry. I hope this is a grand indication that I've been sooo busy. Busy with work, busy making friends, busy seeking out a life. I mean, I've got to get it all in, seeing is I'll be here for a while.

So here are a few of the goods:

1) The garden is growing like madness. We've had so many visitors to the farm seeing how and what it is we've done. I've got a list of people that can't wait to learn about our organic farming practices come January and I'm so excited to see what we can do!

2) The kids have been working so hard to prepare for the Christmas festivities. They have painted elephants, lions, tree scapes, created angel halos and have been dancing up a storm learning Noite Feliz (Silent Night), O Pequeno Tambor (The Little Drummer Boy), and Fa La La (Deck the Halls). We've made up dances to each of the songs and we get silly with it. They love to dance and sing, (and so do I!).

3) We've been planning for my return come January when we can start more of our outreach. :) We've been planning our strategy for teaching people in the community and how that will look. We're working on timeframe, types of classes, teaching materials and other factors that will allow us to be completely prepared for when we have our first health classes.

4) I'm off to Cape Town tomorrow for some summer fun in the sun! I'm spending my summer/winter holiday with African Leadership friends and some new ones from here in Mozambique! :) Sooo excited!

Pictures to come! Internet's bein a bum... :I

Political apathy contributes to six million child deaths each year

A failure of political will worldwide is contributing to the unnecessary deaths of more than six million children a year, according to a new report by World Vision.

Nearly nine million children die each year before their fifth birthday in the developing world; the overwhelming majority from preventable conditions such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and neonatal complications.

At least two-thirds of these children could be saved, if governments make child health a priority and refocus health spending on prevention in the community and not just cures at the clinic, says World Vision.

Nearly nine million under-fives die each year in developing countries

"Child rights violation"

In a week that marks the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the aid agency condemns preventable child deaths as “the biggest child rights violation of our time”.

In order to save lives, World Vision calls for more intelligent health spending, and points to a complete mismatch between where the need lies and where funding is directed.

“Over a quarter of a billion children live in a healthcare desert, miles from the nearest clinic or hospital,“ says World Vision UK Chief Executive Justin Byworth.

“These unreachable children need simple life-savers in their homes and villages, such as mosquito nets, nutritional supplements and safe, clean drinking water, if we are going to prevent children dying from conditions such as diarrhoea and malaria.”

Child Health Now campaign

The report is published to mark the launch of Child Health Now, a global five-year campaign to hold governments to account on their pledge to cut under-five deaths by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. World Vision argues there is still time to achieve this target, but drastic action is required.

Further highlighting the inequity between health spending and the need, the report shows:

* More than 80% of child deaths occur in just 30 countries but these countries receive less than 50% of health-focussed aid.
* More than one-third of child deaths are a result of malnutrition but only 1.5% of aid for health is directed towards nutrition.

World Vision calls on the UK government to prioritise spending on preventive measures in the worst-affected countries and publish action plans, setting out how the £6 billion they have allocated to health over the next seven years will be spent to ensure it gets to the children who need it most.

“Success is possible,” Justin Byworth said.

“Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world but has halved child deaths since 1990 by investing in simple preventive measures within communities, by distributing mosquito nets and increasing the number of skilled birth attendants.

“In contrast, Kenya, the richest country in East Africa, has seen child mortality increase since 1990.

“Saving six million children each year is achievable, but not without the political will to make it happen.”

16 November 2009