A haircut
A friend invited me to to accompany him on his monthly trip to the barber. In Rwanda the barber shops are called Saloons. In Burundi, they're Salons. You say Saloon. I say Salon. Let's call the whole thing off.
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January 11, 2010
Security
Security is a serious issue in Burundi. After a recent ambush on the road leading to the VHW clinic where beloved driver Claude was killed, security forces accompany every vehicle bound for the clinic. During our daytime drives between Bujumbura and Kigutu we travel with police. But since we were traveling at night we took a couple of military guys. They mugged for the camera after protecting us the entire ride along National Route 3.
Finally I'm a first at something
It was a dark and stormy night. After a vehicle mix up we got a late start in our drive from Kigutu back to Bujumbura. By the time we rolled into town we were hungry. So we made a pit stop at a restaurant where people lounged under tin coverings, sipping their Amstels, protected from the rain. As we were led to our table, a woman approached me and said, I was the first white person to ever step into her restaurant. We had our picture taken together.
Production Guide for Kigutu
We scouted the mountain looking for the perfect spot to film the interview with the founder of Village Health Works. We wanted to film outside to show the utter beauty of the community where he grew up and where he has returned to re-build a community after 13 years of war.
The wild card when filming in outdoor locations is the sun. Clouds come and go. The sun shines brightly, then dips behind some trees. We needed a sheet to diffuse the sun's rays to ensure consistent light throughout the 3 hour interview.
All the sheets that we found had wild prints on them. So we set out to a village near the base of the mountain. There we found a man selling narrow strips of white linen. Across the street: a sewing shop. We may not be Hollywood, but with these few production expenses we managed to revitalize the local economy for the day.
See the final results of the sewing project here:
Malnutrition, Plastic Seedling Bags and Watermelon from the Community Garden
One of the biggest problems that the doctors of VHW see on a regular basis is malnourished children. Cassava is a staple crop and the leafy vines are ubiquitous along roadsides and in small garden patches. However, cassava offers no nutritional value and leaves babies and children starved of the vitamins and minerals they need to develop properly.
VHW is trying to fix that. They have planted a vegetable gardens and fruit trees. Members of the community come daily to work in the gardens and take home long blue plastic bags filled with sweet potato or carrot seedlings. They take them back to their gardens at home -- fortifying their diets with veggies rich with vitamins.
Watermelons were introduced and planted earlier this year. They are by far the most popular garden item. The flesh of this melon is pinky white, but so sweet and refreshing after a full day of running around the mountainside with heavy camera equipment. And a nice change for the palate after many days of rice, beans and Irish potatoes.
Home Visits
With the VHW founder, executive director, board of directors, and a NY-based architect who will be designing the new women's center, we went on a walked down a dirt path, under African Palm leaves to visit many of the villagers who come to the VHW clinic. We greeted a woman who was well over 70 years old, held a baby that was only 1 week old. We looked at homes constructed from mud and straw. Their poor ventilation is a breeding ground for tuberculosis, one of the diseases most commonly treated at VHW.
yet another gorgeous sunset
A typical evening in Kigutu.
Nothing but Flowers
We accompanied the VHW founder on a flower buying expedition in Bugurama, a thirty minute drive from Bujumbura along a winding mountain road. He believes that poor deserve to be surrounded by tranquility and beauty as much as the wealthy. And it with this in mind that he has created a garden oasis, with the help of a large staff of grounds workers. VHW isn't just a health clinic. Entering through the gates, one feels like she's stepped into an Eden.
January 08, 2010
Song and Dance
When Claudine isn't working as a janitor at VHW, she teaches girls educational songs about HIV/AIDS prevention.
January 04, 2010
Baby I love you, by Best in Crew
More dancing from Best Crew
January 03, 2010
Local Performers
While we shot a time lapse of the sunset over Lake Tanganyika from the hills of Bujumbura we were entertained by Best Crew -- a local performance group.
Yes We Can Bubble Gum
Strawberry Flavor Obama gum
January 02, 2010
Umwaka Mwiza (Happy New Year)
New Years Eve Burundian Drummers in Kigutu from
We leave Bujumbura and drive two hours south along the shore of Lake Tanganyika, Congo's mountains border the lake's edge. In Mugare, we turn left off National Route 3, and begin our steep ascent up the bumpy dirt road that leads to the mountain of Kigutu where Village Health Works is perched. It's a path that thousands of patients take mostly by foot, to receive free treatment. As we jostled about in the vehicle, I think of the truly dire cases -- ones that require ambulance pick up. For the sick, the ride in the ambulance can't be comfortable with all the rocks and pot holes we hit.
For almost five years I have heard about Deo's vision to create a health care oasis in the community where he was born and raised. Everyone, he believes, including the poorest people in the world should have access to health care, regardless whether they can afford to pay. And with most hospitals and doctors located in Bujumbura - the great distance and costs make seeking medical attention difficult if not impossible.
But Village Health Works isn't only a place to go for people living in rural areas to go for treatment. In a community where for thirteen years neighbors waged war on neighbors, VHW is a place of beauty, tranquility and peace. In only two years they have served over 28,000 patients and with the help of the community they have cultivated beautiful flower gardens, vegetable gardens, a water tower with potable water, a school, and recently a traditional drumming classes, so that the Burundian drumming culture isn't lost after so many years of war.
We arrive and the moment I stepped out of the vehicle I am overcome. Tears well up seeing the beauty that has been created and knowing the commitment and hard work that has made Deo's vision a reality. Sarah, the executive director leads me a tour of the grounds taking me to the community garden when seedlings are being planted for villagers to take home. This is part of the nutrition education program which is addressing the overabundance of malnutrition. We continue to see the animals. There are about twenty chickens.
"How many are producing eggs," Sarah asks.
"Only ten."
"We're having chicken for dinner. We're eating any hen who isn't producing eggs."
There is a new goat -- a Muslim goat, I'm told. He has a long beard and is called Osman.
I am surrounded by beauty. Everywhere green hillsides slope down to the glistening waters of the lake. Cloud puffs envelope spots on the mountain side. We walk to the community center -- still under construction but almost complete. This will serve as a place for people from near and far to gather to socialize, learn and talk.
We walk to the residence hall where the doctors and many of the 60 staff members live.
As the sunsets over Lake Tanganyika, into the hills of Congo, Village Health Works very own drummers serenade us.
Soon after we gather to watch a partial lunar eclipse -- one that we're told happens only every 300 years --a true blue moon.
The festivities are underway. We go to the Community Center, to christen the space with song and dance. Deo, then Basil, a doctor from Haiti are passed overhead. There are introductions. Laughter and more song.
Dinner is served and indeed, the non-egg producing chickens have been sacrificed. Basil brings out his guitar and sings Haitian love songs, then passes the guitar to Peter one of the drumming instructors and VHW's IT guy. Peter plays the sappiest of 80s love songs. We groan and request more Haitian music. Boxed wine flows freely and midnight is approaching.
Deo slips away and returns. He has a plan. We practice saying "Umwaka Mwiza," which means Happy New Year in Kirundi. Then we march, wine in hand to the hall which houses the in patients. "Umwaka Mwiza" we cheer. The patients stir and smile and greet us. The countdown is on. With five minutes remaining before the start of the new decade a small group of us makes our way to a field for a clear view of the night sky.