A Shiny New Pen

A young orphan girl simpers in front of the camera while waiting in line to receive a UNICEF school kit.

Thursday was a day that helped me remember why I’m here.

Sometimes things can get a bit stagnant in the office, and the immediacy of the need in this country and the beauty of the beneficiaries can dim. Which is why Thursday was so good for me. Help Channel Burundi was in Rutana Province in the south of the country, distributing 12 000 primary school kits to orphans and otherwise vulnerable children in a project funded by UNICEF. We spent many days planning the logistics- how to best determine the distribution locations, how to formulate the information database to ensure the correct amounts of materials make it to the correct schools and to the correct children, and then how to actually do the distribution. It was a massive job, and the Help Channel team shone brilliantly. However, the best part of the experience for me was actually driving to a few schools and handing the school kits to the individual children. It was inspiring to see how they graciously accepted the materials, with the looks on their faces showing their eagerness to learn. For some, to use a pen for the first time. For all, to fill the bright white pages of their new workbooks with marks of hope for the future.

My Burundi

When the camera comes out, this is the Burundi I know.

International Day of Peace

September 21st is the UN International Day of Peace. I hope that we can take today and the weekend to consider the current situation in our own countries- whether that means Canada, the United States, Burundi, or elsewhere- and be thankful for what peace exists. I think we can't really understand how wonderful it is if we haven't experienced otherwise. Let's also consider very carefully our choices, and those of our governments, and how these choices influence the situation of peace, or lack thereof, in other countries. We all play a part, whether knowingly or not, for better or for worse. Let's make it the former of those two.

In Memoriam

Miss you buddy.

Steven Peter Dirksen
November 24th, 1981 - September 14th, 2006

At least 4 N.W.T election candidates have criminal pasts...

I got a chuckle from this headline in today's CBC.ca newsfeed: 

"At least four candidates in Northwest Territories election have criminal records- and in one case, the would-be legislator is still wanted by police, according to court files."

Well, I guess I can understand. After all, who among us doesn't make the occasional death threat or obstruct justice by releasing crickets in the local courtroom? In any case, at least we have elections and our government representatives aren't guilty of crimes against humanity (I'll make a note that I'm speaking only about the situation in Canada...)

Click the title to link to the article.

Studio Photo

I came upon this interesting scene on Thursday while traveling upcountry with Help Channel Burundi to check out a future project site. Studio Photo. I can't overstate how remote this is- it's truly in the middle of nowhere. There were no houses in view and the nearest village was at least a few kilometres away. Awesome. 

What's also awesome is that the project site we were checking out is for the construction of a clean water source near one of the new HCB tree nurseries in Rutana Province, in the south of Burundi. At the moment, the entire village gathers water that bubbles up from a spring in the middle of a muddy marsh where everyone also grows their crops. The first time we visited the nursery, the first thing the people said was that they need clean water because their children are dying of intestinal diseases. What's more is that right above this area is the location of a newly constructed primary school that will host a few hundred students for the first time next week. 

a note

i just thought that i'd mention quickly that i didn't know the unfortunate man written about in my previous post "of sushi and instability". he was just one of the many people suffering human rights abuses and all sorts of other injustices in this beautiful but conflict-ridden country in the heart of africa. 

Woken Up By Sounds Of...

5:45 in the morning and I'm awake. It was probably the fault of the night guard who is somewhat noisily taking a shower in the building in the back yard. The birds have begun to wake up as well, and their exotic songs break the early morning silence. But there is another strange sound under the rest of the usual morning  clamour, audible at first only during pauses in the chirping. Then, with the unmistakable sound of a distant explosion, followed by another, I realize that the other strange sound is machine gun fire. I take some consolation in the fact that it sounds to be coming from across the lake in East Congo...

...but later learn that it was in fact coming from Burundi, in one of Bujumbura's northern suburbs. From about 5:30 to 6:30, dissident parties within the last remaining militant rebel group were fighting because of dissatisfaction with the group's leader. Apparently at least six combatants were killed, but we'll wait for the news later in the day to learn more. 

Again, I'm safe. I live in a safe neighbourhood far from where anything would happen, if anything were to happen. Although there are present tensions and disconcerting rumours, there is massive pressure from the international community for the government to resolve the peace talks, and it appears that they will soon come back to the table. And perhaps with the present instability within the rebel group, their leadership is showing signs of weakness, and their combatants signs of non-commitment.

I'll write more when more is known. Click the title for a link to the Reuters AlertNet news article.

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Afternoon radio news counts 19 dead soldiers plus 1 civilian, but is still unconfirmed because journalists aren't yet allowed on scene. 

Apparently there are those among the rebels who want the peace talks to continue, while others don't, and are fighting over leadership in that regard. 

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September 5th news sources now says at least 25 soldiers and 1 civilian; other sources say 21 soldiers plus 1 civilian.