Back to Africa - from Bill and Joanne Cala

www.joiningheartshands.org

9 Fieldston Grove

Fairport, NY 14450

585-377-8298

wcala@rochester.rr.com or jcala@rochester.rr.com

Back to Africa

May 10, 2008

Dear Friends and Supporters:

The time has come to return to Africa. All of your good thoughts and prayers have clearly helped. The unrest in Kenya has settled significantly and our colleague John Mukolwe in Kisumu, Kenya tells us today that:

“The Prime Minister has finished his speech twenty minutes ago at Jomo Kenyatta sports grounds which is 100 meters away from our Central police station of Kisumu where he talked a reconciliation spirit. Now we are intermingling and other tribes have restarted their businesses in Kisumu.”

This is good news indeed (in spite of the 26% inflation rate and the catastrophic increases in food and fuel).



Anne Dwelle of Kisumu Kiwanis giving relief food from Joining Hearts and Hands

to Wastahili Food Kitchen night guard Festo Swa

Joanne and I will leave for Kenya this Wednesday. As we have had to delay our last two trips (due to the political unrest) our agenda for this expedition will be packed full. Here is what we will be doing:

Start construction on:

· Hannah’s Hope

· New self-contained modern kitchen at Mbaka Oromo Primary School

· New self-contained modern kitchen at Lufumbo Primary School

· Two new eight-unit latrines at Iranda Primary School

· New self-contained modern kitchen at Iranda Primary

v Complete construction of a 40,000 liter water-collection tank at Lufumbo Primary

v Complete the purchase of 12 exotic goats for our two dairy goat breeding and
milking cooperatives called Shiebu (In Western Province)

v Complete purchases for the micro-tailoring business at Mbaka Oromo

v Visit all 65 of our scholarship students at nearly 30 secondary school locations

v Check on relief efforts through Kisumu Kiwanis that we have provided since
January

v Purchase shoes for children in three school communities

This trip we will be exploring a school in Kericho. We will examine the possibilities of improving their infrastructure. We will also investigate Ngeny Primary School (between Kisumu and Kericho) as a possible project.

An exciting part of this spring’s mission is traveling to Korogwe, Tanzania. Korogwe is near Tanga, Tanzania. We will be staying at the motherhouse of the Congregation of Our Lady of Usambara. We were introduced to Mother Superior, Sr. Leonia through Sr. Servatrix, who is a nun from Tanzania who is attending Nazareth College through the generosity of the Sisters of St. Joseph. We will examine the possibility of starting a primary school near the motherhouse, located in a very poor area in northeast Tanzania.

We will be sending you newsletter updates from Kenya and Tanzania to keep you abreast of our progress and to give you an “up close and personal” view of the projects you so generously support. Until Africa………….

Peace,
Bill and Joanne Cala
www.joiningheartshands.org
9 Fieldston Grove
Fairport, NY 14450

585-377-8298