March 28, 2008 by jacquie.

This has been a marital topic in our house for years, actually, ever since we met! Jim and I each have a penchant for being right. Over time, we’ve learned to recognize it earlier in the “discussion” and can even make a joke about it, but being right still comes up. Just last week, we were coming home from Yosemite and noticed that we started to defend our differing ideas about when the road stops following the river and takes off uphill – as if that matters in the grand scheme of things! Of course, it mattered to the engineers and laborers who built the road and nowadays it matters to bicyclists and motorists who are about to run out of gas, but to Jim and Jacquie, it only mattered as a test of observation and memory.

What’s the importance of these little skirmishes about being right? Back when friends and family told us that they were uncomfortable hearing us grappling for position, I started to investigate the origin of our attitudes. As we engaged rather trivial differing points of view, each of us had an inner feeling as though winning the point was a matter of life and death. What a lot of energy to expend on the name of the last movie we saw or when we took a specific trip. Being right is necessary when you’re doing brain surgery or landing a plane, but being right about the fastest or easiest way to complete a task is downright silly!

Last night I got a big clue to our inner workings and here I am at 3AM writing about it. It’s very exciting to finally understand. Thank you, Oprah and Eckhart Tolle, for the webinar you have produced. (You can watch it free on www.oprah.com.) Here’s what I learned in the second session: many people define themselves by roles, skills, or characteristics. “I’m a teacher.” “I’m a happy person.” “I’m intellectual.” “I’m smart” “I’m accurate.” I’m an arthritic.” “I’m cute.” When anything changes our definition of ourselves, we feel like a part of us has been taken away. So if I think of myself as accurate and I make a mistake, it feels like life or death. If I define myself by my career and I lose my job, it’s like my arm was cut off. That definitely was a light-bulb moment!

In my earlier writing about this, I’ve quoted Gay Hendricks, who said, “You can be right, or you can be loved.” This is certainly true if being right makes someone else wrong. Jim and I don’t get into our discussions in order to make the other person wrong. That’s probably why we’ve been able to stay together for 30 years! We aren’t saying that the other person is stupid or anything negative. Well, OK, maybe we think, “Why is s/he so stubborn? Why doesn’t s/he just give up and say I’m right?” We don’t give up because we are struggling to keep our identities. He perceives himself as having a great memory; I perceive myself as being accurate.

Now that I know that, what can I do? Maybe just stopping thinking of me as being accurate is all that I need to do. Hey, I’m only on Session 2 of the New World Webinar, there’s still much to learn. Who am I? I’m not some external characteristic; I am my essence, my soul, if you will. It’s unlikely that my soul would be damaged if I make a mistake. I suspect my soul might be damaged if I don’t forgive myself for making a mistake, but that’s another article!

©2008, Jacqueline Hale

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March 17, 2008 by jacquie.

We were lucky to see many schools because Global Partners, the NGO (non-government organization) that coordinated our trip is involved in schools and scholarships in East Africa. Many things amazed me during these visits: the lack of books, classes with 100 students, no electricity, and in some cases, no walls or roof. The enthusiasm of the kids and the devotion of the teachers are impressive when there are virtually no supplies and, occasionally, no food! Oh my. I constantly wondered, “What can I do?” It’s a daunting prospect for an organization with a staff and thousands of dollars. What can I, an individual, do to make a difference?

A few schools have a computer or two. One school had a whole room full of computers. They even had electricity to use them! What they didn’t have was the knowledge of how to use them. Imagine that you’ve never seen a computer before. How would you know what it could do? These days, when you get a computer, the only instruction you get is a manual that tells you how to plug in the components and turn it on. Then what? That’s why the computers at Kimnyak Secondary School sit unused in the “computer lab.”

Well, there’s something I can do. At one time, I wrote user manuals and tutorials for computers and software. I even wrote about computers way back when they were unusual to have, so I have experience explaining tasks that computers can do. Since I got home from Africa, I’ve been writing a tutorial for those languishing computers. That’s the easy part.

The dilemma is what to do with the tutorial once I’ve written it. How do I get it to the schools that need it? If I send it electronically, would they be able to print it? Will they have paper to print it on? Is there a central resource for teachers in each city that distributes teacher materials? I did get the names of two teachers who asked for help. Maybe I’ll collaborate with them to refine the materials and then decide how to set up a wide distribution. As you can see, even having something to contribute doesn’t mean it will help. Certainly an individual needs support. That’s why I am working with Global Partners. They have resources and connections in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.

How You Can Help

Do you want to help with any of the projects I’ve described so far? You can send a check or use PayPal for a credit card donation. Send a check to Global Partners and mark it for “Jacquie Hale’s Fund.” Such a donation gives me permission to determine how the money is used for Global Partners’ projects and/or my new projects. If you want to use PayPal, go to www.GPFD.org and click Give/Donate. Once the PayPal page appears, you can leave a memo for my fund. Blessings on your generosity!

Global Partners
320 Professional Center Drive, Suite 120
Rohnert Park, CA  94928

I’ve found that many people want to help and simply don’t know how, so here’s your chance!

© 2008, Jacqueline Hale

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March 13, 2008 by jacquie.

Discarded water bottles! We saw them everywhere. Our group personally emptied nearly a thousand while we were in Tanzania for two weeks. What was happening to all those bottles? Nothing. The resort burned them. Ick! They didn’t even know that the smoke was toxic. We saw them strewn along the roadsides and in gullies everywhere.

I resolved to figure out how these ubiquitous bottles could be turned into building materials. One idea I had was to cut them up on one side, spread them out, and overlap them like roofing tiles. That may still be a good idea, especially for people who are trying to keep the rain out with tattered plastic bags and old rags. In my research to find a simple use for plastic bottles, I discovered that water can be purified in them. The picture above shows an elaborate system for exposing the water to the sun’s UV rays and warmth. In Tanzania, the bottles could simply be laid on a black plastic bag because near the equator, the sun is overhead all year long.

In countries where water-borne diseases are a significant cause of discomfort, disease, and death, a low-tech method of purifying the water would make a huge difference. This sun method doesn’t remove naturally occurring chemicals or industrial pollutants, but it can change the lives of people who have few resources. Currently, the only method millions of people have for killing pathogens in their water is to boil it. That means not only carrying the water, but also carrying the wood (if there is any) and building a fire. I wonder how many people, when faced with such daunting problems just drink the water untreated?

All it takes is a stash of 10 bottles, a black plastic bag, and a sunny day. The process even works on a cloudy day, it just takes longer. I have been captivated with this idea and have set about finding a way to bring this low-tech solution to people who need it desperately. This is one of the projects that followed me home from Africa and I am committed to follow through with it. I’m still working out the how-to aspect, but I thought I’d share my excitement with you and let you know that you can help make a difference with this or any of my other projects.

How You Can Help

You can send a check or use PayPal for a credit card donation. Send a check to Global Partners and mark it for “Jacquie Hale’s Fund.” Such a donation gives me permission to determine how the money is used for Global Partners’ projects and/or new projects, which I’ll be describing in future articles. If you want to use PayPal, go to www.GPFD.org and click Give/Donate. Once the PayPal page appears, you can leave a memo for my fund. Blessings on your generosity!

Global Partners
320 Professional Center Drive, Suite 120
Rohnert Park, CA  94928

I am creating other reports about projects you might want to support. I have qualms about sending this appeal because I don’t want my subscribers to feel I’m exploiting them. I’ve found that many people want to help and simply don’t know how, so here’s your chance!

© 2008, Jacqueline Hale

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March 6, 2008 by jacquie.

Vincent is a waiter at a resort in Arusha, Tanzania. This picture shows him with three of the ten orphans he adopted when their parents died from HIV. That’s their home in the background. This isn’t an unusual home in Tanzania. Vincent has taken on not only the well-being of the children, but also the cost of their secondary education ($500/year), as well as the education of his own children. A typical salary in Tanzania is $1/day, but he probably makes more because he gets tips. Mostly, he relies on the donations of friends and guests at the resort to support both of his families.

How You Can Help

I’ll be creating other reports about projects you might want to support. I have qualms about sending this appeal because I don’t want my subscribers to feel I’m exploiting them. But as a good friend of mine often says, “If you don’t ask, the answer is ALWAYS no”. I’ve found that many people want to help and simply don’t know how, so here’s your chance:

You can send a check or use PayPal for a credit card donation. Send a check to Global Partners and mark it for “Jacquie Hale’s Fund.” Such a donation gives me permission to determine how the money is used for Global Partners’ projects and/or new projects, which I’ll be describing in future articles. If you want to use PayPal, go to www.GPFD.org  and click Give/Donate. Once the PayPal page appears, you can leave a memo for my fund. Blessings on your generosity!

Global Partners
320 Professional Center Drive, Suite 120
Rohnert Park, CA  94928

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March 6, 2008 by jacquie.

Before I left for East Africa, I couldn’t imagine what I would do when I came home. Now that I’m home, I still don’t know because there’s so much I could do! People always say that visiting Africa changes your life. For me, it broadened my perspective of the world, as if I added a room to my brain – or maybe a whole building, or even a stadium. I learned more in two weeks than I have learned in years. It was the trip of a lifetime!

What influenced me most? It could be how happy Tanzanians are even when ten people live in a one room house with its roof of tattered plastic bags. Or it might be how one high school student in science could answer any question I asked even though the 70 students sat two to a desk with no books, and only a few scraps of paper and stubs of pencils.

Another compelling observation was how the Masai people hold on to their traditions while also making changes that bring them into alignment with current human rights concepts. This means that while the boys still herd cattle, they can also go to school. The fathers are beginning to allow their daughters to go to school rather than requiring them to marry in order to get the bride price of a few cows. During the Leadership Workshop I co-led for 20 motivated girls in the Global Partners Scholarship program, we heard a lot of talk about how women can improve their own lives and the future of their villages and their country. This important aspect of modern life is not lost on the girls in secondary school.

One of my most amazing encounters was with Janeth Daniel. She was one of the girls in our Leadership Workshop who chose a project of informing fellow students of how to avoid getting pregnant. Girls who get pregnant are expelled from school. In addition, HIV has taken a horrific toll on the whole country and Janeth is determined to do something about it. Even though sex education is not taught in school, she had gathered correct information and wanted to inform her sisters. This was not because she needed to be informed personally; she’s never had a boyfriend, and she’s committed to completing her education without male influence. Janeth’s plan is to tell the headmaster of her project and give him an outline of the information she wants to deliver. Imagine doing that when you were 17 years old! Sex was a taboo subject five years ago and adults currently don’t know what to say, so they don’t say anything. Not this young woman! She took advantage of my education and background to confirm her knowledge so that she didn’t give any misleading or incorrect information. She said that if her project is successful in the school, she’ll take it to her village where women need family planning info and have no place to get it. 

Men’s recognition of women’s abilities and contributions is something new in East Africa. The women create businesses that demonstrate the value of commerce over subservience. The mission of Global Partners, the organization Jim and I travelled with, is to promote partnerships that empower the people (men and women) to raise their living and health standards and create sustainable livelihood. We definitely saw this in action through schools, water projects, clinics, and animal husbandry.

More than anything, I was touched by the beauty of Tanzania. From the smiles and songs of the people to the lions, cheetahs and giraffes, we saw beauty every day. Two mountains, Meru and Kilimanjaro, are silent sentinels overseeing a country that is peaceful in the midst of countries engaged in internal conflict. The contrast between the breathlessly primitive life style and the struggling attempt to be modern is fear-inducing and awe-inspiring. I fear their traditions will be lost and I am inspired by their determination to improve. I am so blessed to have been in this country for even the few days we visited and I hope that more people can benefit from similar ecotourism.

© 2008, Jacqueline Hale

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