 The 4-way Test-Of the things we think, say or do 1. Is it the TRUTH? | 2. Is it FAIR to all concerned? 3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? | 4.Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? |
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4/30/08 Email From Ann Backhause -Joint Meeting May 29th
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| Hi Tom, Apologies for the delay in responding to your email. I've been on a tight deadline for work, so worked through the weekend and am now getting caught up on emails. Thanks very much for promoting the joint meeting with the Manitowoc Clubs! Here's some info - feel free to use what you like and change to fit! I'm originally from St. Nazianz. Yes, I was the charter president for the Rotary Club of Balikpapan, which is located on the island of Borneo. We lived on the island of Borneo for 3 years. We kicked off the projects that you list below and I'm happy to provide follow-up. Borneo is the land of the Dayak headhunters. I ran into various Dayak tribes when my husband and I traveled into the jungles, but luckily they'd already eaten. :) In November 2006, my husband and I moved to Jakarta, Indonesia. Jakarta is known as 'the big durian'. If you've never eaten or smelled a durian, which is a type of tropical fruit, consider yourself fortunate. It smells like rotting flesh. They ban it from many hotels, and forget about trying to sneak it in. You can smell it a mile away. Do I eat it? My husband loves it, so I eat it too (though I admit to holding my breath while doing so). Anyway, so Jakarta - like all of Indonesia - is an interesting mix of extreme poverty and wealth, beauty and destruction, culture and corruption. In my presentation I'll be giving you a glimpse of Indonesia through photos and music. We are currently targeting 3 main programs through our Rotary Club that focus on education and health. A tuberculosis eradication project is one focus. Tuberculosis is a stalker that can be stopped. There is medicine to prevent TB deaths. Getting medicine to those who can't afford it is one project we've undertaken in Jakarta, and at the remote, impoverished island of Nias. Nias is a very poor island that was hit with the tsunami, and shortly after the tsunami, with an earthquake. A second project focuses on the education and building of cottage industry / trades on another impoverished island - Flores. During the dry season, individuals die because there is no food (crops) and no way of making money to buy food and bring it to the island. We have already built a community education and information center there, which has been publicly acknowledged as fighting poverty through education, at the grass roots level. We are looking to increase knowledge transfer and build skills so the islanders can continue to improve their own lives. A third project focuses on the street children of Jakarta. These children are seen begging on the streets and living under bridges. A group we are working with provides classes. For many this is the only chance at education that these children will ever get. They conduct the classes whereever the children are - at railway stations, under freeways, in small rooms, etc. When this group has enough funding and they see a child with extreme determination, they also take that child off the street and place him/her in a halfway house and provide them with an education scholarship. This is an amazing opportunity to give these children a chance that they'd otherwise never get. I'm happy to provide you with more information if you'd like it on any of these, or additional projects.... we have no shortage of needs and projects here! And all so worthwhile!! To have some fun on the evening, I'll bring some Indonesian treasures with me to raffle. There are some lovely pieces I'll be bringing, which include: Ikats, cloth that is traditionally made - from the spinning of the cotton, to the dying of the cotton with roots and barks, to the weaving of the material on looms that sit in the weaver's laps. A single, small piece will take up to 2 years to finish. Dayak style beaded items, including a small beaded purse and a baby carrier (if I can fit it in my luggage!) Batik items. Batik is a type of "printing" on cloth that is done via hot waxes and dyes. Very difficult to do - I've tried it! UNESCO recently recognized that batik is an Indonesian cultural treasure. And more! I'm looking forward to seeing you all! Ann |