The secondary school principal set off for Tanzania in 2008 in his first-ever trip to Africa, not knowing what to expect. This spring he returned to the dark continent, to Malawi with a group of Dignitas volunteers. The destination was different, but the people faced many of the same life-diminishing problems. Life expectancy is 38. AIDS ravages whole communities, leaving hordes of orphaned children in the care of grandparents - or no one. Hygiene is an unknown and, in current conditions, unattainable.
The government promises free elementary education but doesn't have the resources to deliver it. Education is cursory and provided under the most primitive conditions.
A typical elementary school classroom, taught by a single teacher.
The situation may have repelled some, but Jeff Kawzenuk can't stop thinking about it, and he is driven to do more. He has been drawn under the spell of the compelling continent.
Under the leadership of Dignitas, he and fellow principal, Steve Truelove, landed in April in the Zomba District, an area with a circumference of about 50 km. and a population of 760,000, clustered in traditional primitive rural villages.
Dignitas is an international non-governmental organization which dramatically increases access to effective HIV/AIDS-related prevention, treatment, care and support in resource-limited settings through developing and sharing community-based solutions. It was founded and is led by Dr. James Orbinski and James Fraser, both formerly of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders). Dr. Orbinski was President of MSF when it accepted the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize.
The problems faced in Zomba are similar to other sub Saharan areas.
There is no infrastructure; there is widespread poverty and rampant AIDS. The antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are available - in the city. Unfortunately, there is no way to get them to the people who need them.
The solution Orbinski provided to the problem is now being duplicated by volunteers, like Jeff Kawzenuk and Steve Truelove, who pay to travel to African communities and build Community Based Organizations (CBO's). More than 12,000 HIV-positive people in Malawi have seen their health care improved under the Orbinski plan which sets up the CBO's. Building two CBO's was one of the goals of the 2009 trip for the group which included the two principals.
Work continues on the CBO.In Kachere, where they built one of the CBO's there were 26 women and three men. All of the women had AIDS except one 22-year-old. All are on ARV's. Jeff explained the shortage of men. Those who don't die of AIDS disown the women once they are diagnosed HIV positive. For that reason, some of the women are unwilling to be tested and are, therefore, not treated.
The Dignitas solution was simple, and perhaps it is the simplicity which ensured its success.
Dignitas went to the tribal leaders in areas where most of the adult males were dead and the women dying. Hundreds of orphans were being raised by their 60-70-year-old grandparents.
The offer to the tribal leaders was straight forward. Dignitas would work with the locals to build a multi-use brick building. On one side they would build a child-care facility which doubled as a meeting room. On the other side they built offices. From the offices, trained Dignitas volunteers trained people in the community in AIDS prevention and treatment. It was a way to empower the community.
That brought the community together but it wasn't enough.
There is little enough income for most people to provide even the basics for their families. Only the wealthy own bikes. Transportation into the city to get medications was impossible without transportation, so bikes were provided. Now the ARV's can be delivered. Bicycle ambulances can bring in those who need medical attention, and the general standard of health begins to improve.
As Jeff says, "We can't go in and save Africa. But, if we give them the tools, amazing things can happen."
The Dignitas volunteers laboured alongside the men and women of the community. The women hauled the bricks and water. The men worked on the site. Beside one of the CBO's they built a two-person latrine with a pipe running out of it which functioned as a septic system.
When they were finished building the CBO's, the communities held massive celebrations. They now had ownership of their situation and were working toward improving their own lives.
And by our standards, their life stories are tragic.
The communities are littered with orphans who often are left to fend for themselves; many of them are already infected with AIDS.
Jeff met one pregnant 37-year-old grandmother. Her daughter had died of AIDs, leaving the grandmother caring for her grandchild. The grandmother has little to look forward to - she has advanced breast cancer.
The Dignitas solution was simple, and perhaps it is the simplicity which ensured its success.
Dignitas went to the tribal leaders in areas where most of the adult males were dead and the women dying. Hundreds of orphans were being raised by their 60-70-year-old grandparents.
The offer to the tribal leaders was straight forward. Dignitas would work with the locals to build a multi-use brick building. On one side they would build a child-care facility which doubled as a meeting room. On the other side they built offices. From the offices, trained Dignitas volunteers trained people in the community in AIDS prevention and treatment. It was a way to empower the community.
That brought the community together but it wasn't enough.
There is little enough income for most people to provide even the basics for their families. Only the wealthy own bikes. Transportation into the city to get medications was impossible without transportation, so bikes were provided. Now the ARV's can be delivered. Bicycle ambulances can bring in those who need medical attention, and the general standard of health begins to improve.
As Jeff says, "We can't go in and save Africa. But, if we give them the tools, amazing things can happen."
The Dignitas volunteers laboured alongside the men and women of the community. The women hauled the bricks and water. The men worked on the site. Beside one of the CBO's they built a two-person latrine with a pipe running out of it which functioned as a septic system.
When they were finished building the CBO's, the communities held massive celebrations. They now had ownership of their situation and were working toward improving their own lives.
And by our standards, their life stories are tragic.
The communities are littered with orphans who often are left to fend for themselves; many of them are already infected with AIDS.
Jeff met one pregnant 37-year-old grandmother. Her daughter had died of AIDs, leaving the grandmother caring for her grandchild. The grandmother has little to look forward to - she has advanced breast cancer.
Too young for treatment, and infected with AIDS,
this nine-year-old boy must wait.
The hospital in Zomba is a grim reminder of the reality these people face and the statistical evidence of their plight. In the intensive care wards, gaunt adults fill the infectious wing. In some parts of the hospital the beds are stacked. Malawi has the unfortunate distinction of having one of the highest death rates in the world. But its birth rate is even higher, so the population is growing.
Corn dominates their diets and is eaten as Sema, a tasteless paste made in huge pots. Corn draws heavily from the soil and is grown repeatedly on the same plots. Most of the nutrient is gone from the soil, fertilizers are too expensive, so the crops are meagre.
Despite the havoc that AIDS has wrought, and the widespread poverty, Jeff says the people are esentially happy. They hold out for hope and are very welcoming. They may not have financial resources but they don't lack initiative.
With only shovels, the men of one community were building a fish pond. As they dug, they would move the dirt back a few feet, then start over again, gradually making it deeper and wider. Working barefoot, they expected to complete the labour in months.
The second Dignitas project took the volunteers to Namasalima School, 15 minutes drive from the city.
The school sits on a flood plain, so the water can be 18 inches deep in the rainy season. But conditions are worse in the village and often the people congregate at the school for refuge - so classes are cancelled.
Almost 1,700 children are crammed barefoot into eight classes with eight teachers. The grade two class had 450 in a room smaller than a standard Canadian classroom. The kids sit on the floors. They have no books or supplies. There are no teaching tools. Two latrines serve the entire school. There is no running water or toilet paper. The toilet is a hole in the ground.
The dropout rate at schools in Malawi is astronomical. By the time children reach grade eight there are only 40 in the class. Three of them will advance to the secondary level.
The teachers earn $150 a month with $30 taken off to pay for their housing.
Jeff smiles, describing the children as "beautiful". But they are also very dirty and they smelled. The stench during some of the ceremonies was almost unbearable.
During their two days at the school, the volunteers fixed all the floors and walls and painted the interiors. Thanks to the generosity of the volunteers, the kids now have real soccer balls to replace the ones they had made of rolled up garbage bags.
One of two toilets which served over 1,600 children and their eight teachers.The third goal of the Dignitas volunteers was to teach the people about germs and cleanliness. Without toilet paper, the kids track the germs from the latrine back with them into the school. They received some lessons on hygiene in the hope that their health will improve.
Back in Canada, Jeff has been working to remedy the shortage of toilets. An ENSS Goddess Within Night raised $4,000 of the $8,000 needed for eight new washrooms with septics. Another Dignitas volunteer, Chris Snyder will get the rest of the money needed.
The money needed is a drop in the bucket for Snyder, a tireless fundraiser who has raised a quarter of a million dollars to build 175 wells in the Zomba district.
The work continues on both sides of the Atlantic.
Sixty-seven orphans are currently being funded to attend secondary school. The students and staff of ENSS have raised $6,000 for Tanzania and another $4,000 for Malawi. Jeff's former students and staff at Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East are also raising money.
It is all about changing lives, one at a time, says Jeff. A computer can be life changing. Toilets are a huge improvement. Not one to take credit, the veteran of two trips says, "kids are changing the world".
And their world is changing.
The school in Kalame, Tanzania has turned around in four years. Not long ago kids were unruly, no one wanted to teach there. By upgrading the facility, and repairing the teachers' residences it has become one of the best schools in the area. Kids are advancing to the secondary level. And with improved education, AIDS can be combatted.
The story of Africa is AIDS, poverty, hope and joy. Those who work tirelessly to improve living conditions thrive on the hope that their efforts are slowly changing the face of the continent, bringing reason for optimism and hope for a better future.
To see the gallery of photos from the Malawi trip click on Malawi visit
Back in Canada, Jeff has been working to remedy the shortage of toilets. An ENSS Goddess Within Night raised $4,000 of the $8,000 needed for eight new washrooms with septics. Another Dignitas volunteer, Chris Snyder will get the rest of the money needed.
The money needed is a drop in the bucket for Snyder, a tireless fundraiser who has raised a quarter of a million dollars to build 175 wells in the Zomba district.
The work continues on both sides of the Atlantic.
Sixty-seven orphans are currently being funded to attend secondary school. The students and staff of ENSS have raised $6,000 for Tanzania and another $4,000 for Malawi. Jeff's former students and staff at Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East are also raising money.
It is all about changing lives, one at a time, says Jeff. A computer can be life changing. Toilets are a huge improvement. Not one to take credit, the veteran of two trips says, "kids are changing the world".
And their world is changing.
The school in Kalame, Tanzania has turned around in four years. Not long ago kids were unruly, no one wanted to teach there. By upgrading the facility, and repairing the teachers' residences it has become one of the best schools in the area. Kids are advancing to the secondary level. And with improved education, AIDS can be combatted.
The story of Africa is AIDS, poverty, hope and joy. Those who work tirelessly to improve living conditions thrive on the hope that their efforts are slowly changing the face of the continent, bringing reason for optimism and hope for a better future.
To see the gallery of photos from the Malawi trip click on Malawi visit
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