2 weeks ago, my girlfriend Darla and her sister Cheryl came to visit Zambia. They brought along a collection of childrens tshirts. While they were here, we unfortunately did not have the chance to visit the hospital and hand them out. I was extremely fortunate to be able to spend part of my last day visiting some of the children at the local hospital. My cousin Austin and I were able to hand out new tshirts (thanks to Cheryl and Darla), new shoes and sandals, and stuffed animals.
Many of these children have been in the hospital for quite some time. the conditions are not very comfortable and they are far from home. Most of them have never had anything "new" so to them, this was quite a special treat. I felt priviledged to be able to hand out these items out. Thank you very much to those who donated the items that we were able to distribute! The kids appreciated it...and so did I!
Many people have asked what type of 4x4 vehicle the school needs. We have been investigating all of our options and have finally come to a conclusion. The school would be best benefited by having a Toyota Landcruiser 70 series. This is a vehicle that is only sold in Africa and Australia. It is called the "work horse" of vehicles in Africa, and is built to endure the incredibly rough roads and conditions like those in Macha. It seats 13 people and has fold-up seats in the back so that it can easily be used for transporting supplies.
Ideally we could find a deal on a 2-4 year old vehicle. We looked at importing a used one and found that it would cost about $30-32,000 after taxes and import fees.
We have found a Toyota dealer that sells these vehicles to Not-For-Profit organizations in Africa for about $35,000 (NEW). This is a hefty price tag, but considering the sticker price is $10-15,000 above this and it would be a new vehicle, we think this would be the best option. Reliability and Durability are the keys to getting the most out of this vehicle. The closest mechanic is 2.5 hours away (on the bumpiest dirt road you have ever traveled), and that is not even a real mechanic...you have to go 6 hours to get to the real garage! That means that the only work that we want done on this vehicle is preventive maintenance...no break downs!
Whew! I am sure you are bored to death by these details, but I just wanted to let all of you who are so generously helping the children of Macha and MICS what the exact plans are.
Below is a video that gives plenty of details on the LandCruiser 70 series (click on the image to start the video)
Last week a cargo container from the US arrived. The main item in the container was a giant playground set for the school (similar to McDonald playground). In addition to that, many boxes of clothes and school supplies were packed around the playground set. One of the boxes contained about 75 pairs of shoes. These shoes had been collected by a teen age girl in Virgina. She heard about the school and wanted to help the children.
Many of these children have so little. You would not believe how many of these kids have only one pair of shoes...and it that one pair is several years old. their poor toes are jammed up tight into the shoes.
It is amazing to me how many people from so many different places are willing to get involved and help with MICS!
I had the privilege of being able to help hand out the shoes to the kids at MICS. One of the boys had wanted a pair of running shoes, so I was able to find him a pair that fit. Now he will be able to run with me!
This weekend a neighboring village had a harvest festival. I decided to check it out. There were people everywhere! Running through the village center in my Pajamas created quite a commotion.
I guess I kinda stood out!
The people were very friendly and excited to have their picture taken with the Pajama Guy.
The chief of this village is a big supporter of MICS. He is interested in the possibility of bringing the same level or education to his village.
