Where It All Began - A Hand Up

For those of you who don’t know the whole story of how I came to Moz… it all began siting behind a desk working in an Architecture firm... probably in 2008. A coworker and I began to talk about traveling. It’s during this time that a seed was planted. I wanted to spend Christmas in an orphanage overseas. A few Christmas’s pass and the thought never left my mind.

I believe it was February 19, 2011, that I finally got to spend a Christmas in an orphanage… yes February. 

I remember so much of my first time here in Moz, like it was yesterday. Everything was new. Everything. Language, food, culture, climate, smells, tastes… everything! I kept envisioning a map thinking to myself… I am on the continent of Africa!!

In one word the reason I came to here was because of children. All I had done for years was think about children. I can’t begin to explain to you just how caught off guard I was by the widows in our community, especially our children’s moms. I’d always heard about orphans and street children, but widows… not so much.

It all began with Cifa. One of my last projects during my trip was to purchase her a bed, mattress and stove (think small handmade Webber grill). When we made the delivery she kissed the sheets and even this little metal stove.  (past blog on Cifa)

Time and time as I return, Cifa is stuck. She is very poor. While the details don’t matter as much now, it’s the solution. I know the solution is getting her a stable income (which she doesn’t have and I doubt she ever has had, since her husband has passed away) but I just don’t know what that looks like yet.

It’s my dream to one day be able to teach Cifa and others like her how to make purses and aprons (visit my Etsy shop), but I think it’s a little to advanced for someone who isn’t used to that kind of detail. So I’ve been trying to come up with things.

A week or so after we arrived, Cifa showed up asking if we had work for her. The only thing we could come up with and afford was our laundry. While I’d love to employ her to do things, our house is small and doesn’t need much cleaning and we don’t have an excess of money.

She has been washing our clothes for a few weeks and keeps asking if we have other things for her. So I’ve been thinking…

Just before leaving the States, Nunu and I stayed with a friend of mine. Who had this cool circular thing laying on her counter. Upon further inspection, I thought it might be a hot pad or something decorative, but it was made out of newspaper, glue and string. Hum.

For the last week or so I’ve been spending time trying to figure out just how to make these hot pads and I came up with something =) Including a chart to try to show how to make the strips of paper which make the circles.

On Friday when she came to do our laundry, I asked if she had time to come into the house for a little. Traduzir joined us as she is more comfortable speaking in Macua (a tribal language). I sort of struggle with exactly how to approach her on the matter. I want to say, “We don’t have the work for odd jobs and we don’t have much money right now, so if you can make something we can try to sell it.” How can you tell someone like Cifa, “We don’t have the money.” I think of Cifa’s possessions, or to our standards… a lack of.

I once heard a woman say that the lady she knew who owned 2 pairs of underwear. Each day when she showers, she washes one pair, leaving it to dry for tomorrow and puts on the other pair that she washed yesterday. This repeats every day and so she just rotates between her 2 pair of underwear.

This is the type of poor I am talking about. This is a different type of poor than most American’s could ever understand. I’m not talking about how big is her house or what type of furniture does she have, does she buy new clothes or go to thrift stores? This might sound strange; I noticed early on that it’s the strangest things that can tell you someone’s financial status. The poorest of the poor have nothing in excess, nothing. Earrings and nail polish are 2 examples… if you don’t have enough to eat, are you going to buy nail polish? No.

So when I think to tell Cifa, we don’t have enough money to pay you for something. I think to all of the clothes of mine that she just washed this week. I think from her perspective, and can’t imagine someone owning so many pairs of underwear, tank tops, and skirts in such good condition saying, “I don’t have the money to…”

Back to my story… Traduzir and I sit and teach Cifa the first part of making these circles. Her first one is a bit rough, but Traduzir’s is good. So we make a few more and she improves some. She also asks if she can work on these at home as she would like to show her older children how to make them too. Initiative, I like it.

Traduzir working away.

Cifa learning how to make crafts. 

So the biggest prayer I have for Cifa right now is that her and her family are able to make these hot pads to a good enough quality that they are sellable. While my heart breaks for this woman, I want to give her a hand up, not a handout. And I have no other ideas as to how to help her make some money.

For those of you who have been following and know that we want to work with widows, this is the type of stuff we want to do. Teach skills that empower widows to become self-sufficient.

We will need some help to get things going, not just here in Moz but also in the States. If you would like more information about our plans or if you are interested in becoming an advocate for us, or helping us sell some of our crafts, send me an email. (email amanda)

There is also an opportunity to help us with Cifa. As we haven’t raised any specific money for this and will be using our own money to pay her and buy the materials for her to make the crafts, because of this we will watch what she makes to ensure we can afford to pay her for it.

Hot Pad - about 6" across

Hot Pad  - about 8" across

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am at what the future holds. I know it won’t all be a breeze, but if we can make a difference in a few peoples lives, it’s gonna be totally worth it!

Land... it's Almost Ours!

First of all I want to say thanks for all of you who read the blog yesterday and have been praying with us as we try to purchase this piece of land. I've sat by all day waiting for text messages from Nunu with updates as to how things are going only to have him feed me little nuggets of what's going on. So I've been waiting to get the full story and now as I prepare to go to bed, I'm ready to share it with you all.

Nunu went out to meet the owner of the land with cash in hand to play let's make a deal. The good news is the owner came down a little on the price, the bad news is he didn't come down to the amount  of cash that Nunu had in hand. BUT the other good news is that the owner is giving us to June to come up with the rest of the money. Until then, we have a simple document signed saying they have accepted our down payment and Nunu made a video on his phone of the cash exchange

So the point of this blog is two fold. Not only to update you, but to also let you know of our need. In the next two or so months, we need to raise about $2,000 to cover the cost of this land. More on that later =)

The other really exciting thing is that today they used an actual tape measurer to check the size of the property and it's... 138' x 110'!!

The owner is going to clear the land for us in the next few days. Then Nunu is going to return this weekend to start building a simple fence around the property, as if to say, "Sorry buddy, it's off the market!" Our dreams are coming true!

For those of you who don't know what exactly the dream is, it's that Nunu and I feel God calling us to something different. We want to start a ministry that reaches out to widows and their vulnerable children. It's our goal to develop a ministry that can teach them simple skills like farming and sewing so that they are able to provide for themselves (we are currently working on a 5 year plan, if you would like more information on that, please let me know). The land we are trying to purchase is for our home and it will be the start of this ministry.

If you are interested in helping us to purchase this land you can either make a tax deductible donation to The Dream Project in our name or you can personally send us money via paypal (amanda.macarrao@gmail.com - no tax deduction for this option). Other ways to help would be to host fundraiser, my step-mom is looking into a fundraiser with Tupperware, where a portion of the purchases would be donated. Anything would be much appreciated =)

Donate Online: click here
By mail: The Dream Project - 3200 Livernois Rd. - Troy, MI 48083
*write Macarrao in the memo line.

Personally (no tax deduction): amanda.macarrao@gmail.com

Land... Please!!

As some of you have heard, Nunu and I are looking for some land to purchase. We need not only a place to live but are also looking for a place to start a new ministry.

Nunu has been doing all the looking, as my being there could affect the price of the land. And he found something and is really excited about it. It's in a good location, where we would have access to roads, electricity, water and people... oh and you can see the ocean from there =) so that doesn't hurt either.

View from the edge of the property toward the beach.

View from middle of the property (I think), but those trees
aren't part of the property.

It's all a little confusing for me as all this is done face to face with the owner of the land who mainly speaks the local tribal language. Nunu told me that he was meeting the owner of the land today while he was measuring the land. Before he left the house he was looking for a measuring tape, all I could find was one for sewing. I said, "If they are going to measure, won't they have one?" He didn't really answer. When he got home he told me they used a piece of bamboo that was about 2 meters long and that is how they measured the land.

Based on the 2 meters of bamboo and my conversions, I think the property is about 65' x 100'

The other thing I found out is that not only are others interested in purchasing this land but their is a man who owns a lot of shops in town who wants to purchase. I guess he is going around buying all the land he can, knowing he will be able to sell the land in even a few months for double. Lucky for us this man is Middle Eastern and the man who owns the property told Nunu he would rather sell to local =)

Buying land here is crazy right now. I feel like a broken record but for those of you that don't know why, it's because they discovered oil off our cost a year or two ago. Oil brings money and people with money and then the cost of land goes up and up.

Two weeks ago I mentioned a small property maybe 30 x 30 (feet) give or take that 5 years ago would have sold for maybe $2,000 (because it's on the major paved road into town) was going for $33,000... well now the owners wants $100,000!!! Yikes!!

So all of this to say WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS!!! Please, please join us in praying that God will make a way with this land. We have been trying to wire money since Friday without luck, but think we found another solution. (Praise God) Now we just have to try to get the money from the bank and to the owner and pray he accepts our offer (which is under his asking price), or that he could agree upon payments that we can afford.

I'm a little nervous wanting tomorrow to come fast, but I also have a sense of peace... if this doesn't work out God has something else in store for us.

I ask again, please join us in praying:
- That we can get the funds together to purchase the land.
- That Nunu can make a deal with the owner, a deal we can afford.
- For patience and good timing tomorrow.

Sarah's House Update

Sometimes I feel like I process my day in the form of a blog. While I’m doing the dishes,  my mind runs and I play out just how I am going to write about something that happened. Nunu knows when something funny happens and he always turns to me still laughing and says, "What will you blog about this?" Sometimes I think in such detail about what I’m going to write that I think I’ve posted a blog, when in reality the blog has never even left my head.

Many of you remember my blog from a few months back about Traduzire and his sister Sarah (http://amanda-nichols.blogspot.com/2013/02/heres-what-i-know.html). Well today I sat down to write my 2^nd update and as I looked through my past blogs I realize that I never actually wrote the first update!!!! I just thought about it so much and I posted some pictures on Facebook and guess I must have thought I blogged about it!

So to those of you who were touched by the story of Traduzire and Sarah, here is the long overdue update!

With in days of blog about Sarah’s house, we had raised $600! And we had 2 – 3 more people interested in helping. But I wanted to talk to Traduzire first and determine the cost of the house.

We brought him into our house and asked him if he thought his family would like a new home and he simply shook his head and said “yes.” And once again, he sat in silence. His response isn’t what you or I would imagine. It goes a little more like the tv portrayal of someone being told they have cancer. He puts his head down. Silence. He processes. It sinks in. Thinks, “Did they really just say we are going to build a house for my family?” More processing. Thinks, “okay, a new house.” Wow. After all of that, he looks up and says “Thank you, I’m happy, I don’t even know what to say.”

A few days later when it’s really sunk in, we talk with Traduzire more. Whenever possible we want to give a hand up, not a hand out. So we plan to talk to him about earning a portion of the money to build this home. Being the hard worker that Traduzire is, he understands and agrees it is better that he work to provide this house for his family. We agree on a few tasks and offer to pay him a good rate and then match it. We agree to start once a portion of his tasks are completed. 

As he is nearing the start point, we meet to come up with a budget. Often times projects are difficult, as I ask “how much with this cost?” and inevitably they come back to me one or two more times saying they need more money to finish the project. So I ask Traduzire to go though all of the building materials and tell me how many he will need and what they will cost. He lists bamboo, rocks. roofing, roof trusses, sticks (sort of like a 3x3), and tells me that is about it. The conversation goes on like this:

A: What about doors, will you need new ones or use the old?

T: Oh yeah, we will need one new door, we can use one old.

A: What about windows?

T: Oh yes, we will need 2 windows.

A: What kind of window (glass, iron (to prevent thieft), mosquito net…)

T: Oh yes, we will need windows. The iron will cost extra.

A What about locks and hinges?

T: (he laughs) Mana Amanda, you think of EVERYTHING!!!!!

A: Uh… that is what a budget is, you have to think of everything or else we will run out of money!!!! (I’m laughing too and teasing him… a valuable lesson for someone who is studying Accounting!)

In this little budget, I learn a lot about budgeting and money in Moz. While the big picture items do indeed cost $500, the details cost another $500 and to cement the house (which helps the house last longer) another $250. 

I heard just a few weeks back that the house is basically done. I think he ran into some problems trying to reuse some materials, like the old door. I'm waiting for more of an update but can't wait to see the final product when we return in a few months. 

So to all of you who have wondered, I hope this feeds your soul a little and I hope the next time you put together a budget that you think of Sarah and her mother living in this safe new home.

PS I wrote this blog in early December and just noticed it was still in draft form. Traduzire and I have already talked about going to see his house. I'm hoping we can go in the next 2 weeks.

PPS With the rains this year I can't even imagine that old house standing and keeping Sarah dry. I'm so thankful that we were able to get this new house built!

It's More Than Just A Meal

At our staff meeting this week Nunu was talking about the importance of our staff eating with the children. More than just eating with them but talking to them and getting all involved.

He brought up the first time he came to the States and talked about how open I was in talking to my parents. Nunu actually wondered was I being disrespectful, because this was my father and not my friend. He couldn’t believe how casually I was talking. In case you were wondering I was not being disrespectful, I was just having what I would call a normal conversation.

At least it was normal for me. But keep in mind normal is a product of the environment in which you grew up. I grew up in a house where everyone ate dinner together at the table. Sure there were exceptions but if you were in the house and wanted dinner, you came to the table, we said grave and talked while we ate.

This was a first for Nunu. In my mind Nunu loves talking to his peers, but not so much older folks. But I’ve learned that it’s not that he has a problem with older people, he is just intimidated because he doesn’t have the experience, or rather I’m sure he has had a few bad experiences.

One of our other staff, Antonio, commented that when he was growing up the family ate together but in silence. No one said anything. He said in his house all the males shared one plate and all the females shared one plate. His dad told him I don’t want to hear you or see your food.

Both Nunu and Antonio commented how uncomfortable they are now as adults speaking with older people, saying that they didn’t want this for our Center kids.

It’s so interesting because as an American I feel I was brought up to think that people are poor because they don’t have money. But the more I see the life around me the more I see that people are poor because they don’t have the support or security of nurturing. They didn’t come from Christian households where family was put first. Where children are tucked in at night. Where boo-boo are promptly kissed. Where backs are patted. And the question is asked each day at the dinner table, “How was your day today?”

Prayer Requests:

- Health - I was quite sick for last week. So I switched to bottled water for a few days. But I'm back on filtered tap water and hoping to stay there as bottled water isn't in our budget right now.

- Land - For those of you who get our Newsletter you know we feel God moving us in a different direction (for more info click here) We are currently looking for land to build a house and if large enough the site of our new ministry. We have some money saved to buy land. A few years back it would have bought us a nice choice piece of property but the price of land keeps rising (because of oil companies in the area). So we are taking our little bit and praying that God will stretch our dollars and show us the land meant for us. Nunu has already started looking, so please be praying with us!!

Things Change...

When we arrived it was very humid. With all the excitement of arriving, I don’t remember noticing it until we were dropped off at the Center. The air feels so thick like you are in a cloud and able to cut your way through the moisture.

The rain has done more than affect the temperature, or rather what I perceive as the temperature. It has continued to erode the streets, while the block we live on looks good. The main paved road is so much scarier than I remember! Right near our house there is a divot from one side that must be a 5 foot or so drop off and it’s marked by a thin stick with a little piece of material a the top waving in the wind. A few days later the spot is fixed with red dirt… what can one do but shake their head, because it’s going to rain again.

When we entered the apartment we live in we found small puddles on the floor and most of our walls looked like that had just been hosed off. I have to say I was bracing myself for worse.

A walk around the property and I can tell the ground level is inches lower than last year. I also see that the church has been fighting more than just spiritual battles, it most recently lost it’s bought with Mother Nature. The heavy rain caused the roof to collapse.

It just couldn't hold off the heavy rain. 

After a few days of looking around trying to see which kids have changed and what new faces have appeared. I realize that I haven’t seen many of my itty-bitties, so I start asking the kids about them by name. As I go down the list I get to Eddie, who is the one I wanted to ask about first, but try to play down my favorites… who knows if it works. I find out he and his family moved. How sad is that?

I think I will try to find out where he lives so that I can go visit at least once. As tradition I print off pictures of the kids and bring them back, the picture I have is of Eddie and one other child, so I meant to print 2 of them. Instead I printed 22.

 

The pic I printed 22 times... Eddie is on the left.

I guess that’s the hard thing about coming and going, is the change. You always expect things to be just the same as you left. But the reality is things or rather people never are just the same, life continues to shape us all each and every day.